Efficacy of Task-Induced Involvement in Incidental Lexical Development of Iranian Senior EFL Students

Abstract

One of the most significant current discussions in L2 classroom research has been related to the necessity of vocabulary in language learning.Undoubtedly, EFL learners with high levels of lexical knowledge perform better in writing and oral tasks. Accordingly, the present study sought to investigate the efficacy of Task-induced Involvement in Incidental Lexical Development of Iranian Senior EFL Students. For this purpose, based on the scores obtained from an Oxford Placement Test (OPT) administered to the population of senior EFL students at Khorasgan University, six samples, twenty five each, were selected and assigned to work with a list of English words by utilizing six different tasks. Each task was gauged by applying a different involvement load. Subsequently, a receptive and a productive vocabulary tests were administered as post-tests to specify the degree of learners acquisition of target words, through the role of incidental Task-induced involvement load. The results revealed that the group doing the task with the highest degree of involvement load obtained the best results on the vocabulary tests. Afterwards, the retention of unfamiliar words was claimed to be conditional upon the amount of involvement while processing these words.

Task-induced involvement load and working memory: Effects on active and passive vocabulary knowledge of EFL learners in a multimedia learning environment

“…As the overall results partially supported the hypothesis, they are consistent with those of previous studies (Kim, 2011;Min, 2008). The results diverge from the studies which have provided full support for ILH (Feng, 2015;Pourakbari & Biria, 2015). Considering passive vocabulary knowledge, despite the better performance of the Sentence writing group, the Cloze deletion and Paragraph writing groups' performance was roughly the same.…”

A comparative effect of high involvement load versus lack of involvement load on vocabulary learning among Iranian sophomore EFL learners

“…On the other hand, a number of studies came to contrary findings claiming that levels of involvement load did not render different levels of vocabulary acquisition. Such findings were obtained by Rahmani et al (2018) and Pourakbari and Biria (2015). For them, "involvement load hypothesis" has not yet provided a definite answer to vocabulary acquisition in spite of its inclusiveness.…”

“…the amount of need, search, and evaluation it imposes), as proposed by Laufer and Hulstijn (2001). In a similar vein, Pourakbari and Biria (2015) approved the benefits of using high involvement load tasks by proposing that teachers and language learners can use tasks with higher involvement indexes regardless of their type in order to improve their vocabulary acquisition.…”

“…In the same vein, Pourakbari and Biria (2015) sought to investigate the efficacy of Task-induced Involvement in Incidental Lexical Development of Iranian Senior EFL Students. For this purpose, based on the scores obtained from an Oxford Placement Test (OPT) administered to the population of senior EFL students at Khorasgan University, six samples, twenty-five each, were selected and assigned to work with a list of English words by utilizing six different tasks.…”