Incidental Learning of Collocations From Meaningful Input

Abstract

This longitudinal study investigates the effect of mode of reading on the incidental learning of collocations and factors that affect learning. One hundred Vietnamese pre-intermediate learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) were assigned to either an experimental group or a control group (no treatment). In 9 weeks, the experimental group read three graded readers containing 32 target collocations in three counterbalanced reading modes: reading-only, reading-while-listening, and reading with textual input enhancement (i.e., underlining). Learning gains were measured by a form recall pretest and delayed posttest. The results showed that reading mode had a significant effect on incidental collocation learning. Reading with textual input enhancement resulted in significantly higher learning gains than the other reading modes. Reading-while-listening was also more beneficial for collocation learning than reading-only. Learners’ prior vocabulary knowledge and congruency of collocations were significant predictors of the learning gains.

Vocabulary in English Language Learning, Teaching, and Testing in Vietnam: A Review

“…Indeed, exposure to L2 input is crucial for vocabulary learning [38,39]. Extensive reading (i.e., reading in large amounts for pleasure) and extensive viewing (i.e., watching television or online videos) have been proven to be useful resources for vocabulary learning [12][13][14][40][41][42]. Vietnamese EFL teachers can educate their students about the importance of language input for language learning and also train them to adopt it effectively.…”

“…While research on L2 vocabulary learning in other contexts might be useful and applicable, studies that have a specific focus on Vietnamese EFL learners have their own values, because language learning might vary among learners of different contexts. To date, such studies have focused on the effects of different types of input [12][13][14][15], focused tasks [16,17], computerassisted language learning [18], and explicit instruction [19] on Vietnamese EFL learners' vocabulary acquisition.…”

“…Addressing another kind of input, Vu and Peters [12,13] looked into the effects of extensive reading in three conditions: reading-only, reading-while-listening, and reading with textual input enhancement (i.e., underlining) on learners' uptake of single words and collocations. The results showed that extensive reading in any of those reading conditions resulted in significant gains of single words and collocations among learners.…”

“…The findings revealed that both reading with textual input enhancement and reading-while-listening plus textual input enhancement led to superior gains compared with reading-while-listening. Studies by Vu and Peters [12][13][14] and Nguyen and Boers [15] clearly demonstrate the potential of extensive reading and extensive viewing for Vietnamese EFL learners' vocabulary learning.…”

“…In particular, the vocabulary knowledge of Vietnamese EFL learners has attracted considerable attention [8][9][10][11]. In addition, several studies have examined Vietnamese EFL learners' vocabulary learning from extensive reading [12][13][14], audiovisual input [15], input-based and output-based tasks [16,17], computer-assisted language learning [18], and explicit instruction [19]. These studies, while still limited in quantity, have revealed intriguing findings that have significant implications for ELT stakeholders in Vietnam.…”