L2 Vocabulary Learning from Context: Strategies, Knowledge Sources, and Their Relationship with Success in L2 Lexical Inferencing

Abstract

This study examines the use of strategies and knowledge sources in L2 lexical inferencing and their relationship with inferential success. Data consist of introspective and retrospective think-aloud protocols of 21 intermediate ESL learners who attempted to infer new word meanings from context. Analysis reveals that (a) overall, the rate of success was low even when learners used the strategies and knowledge sources they had at their disposal, (b) different strategies contributed differentially to inferencing success, and (c) success was related more to the quality rather than the quantity of the strategies used. Findings challenge a unidimensional conception of the role of strategies in L2 lexical inferencing and instead support an inferencing model that distinguishes between strategies and the ability to use them appropriately and effectively in conjunction with various sources of knowledge in lexical inferencing. This article discusses the pedagogical as well as theoretical implications of the findings for an integrated model of lexical inferencing.

Lexical Inferencing in Listening: Depth of Vocabulary Knowledge and Listening Proficiency

“…Fraser's (1999) study, for instance, suggested that 58% of the total strategy use was dedicated to inferencing and Paribakht and Wesche (1999) indicated 80% use of inferencing strategy among students. Also in his study, Nassaji (2003) concluded that "lexical inferencing has been found to be the mostly widely used by L2 learners" (p. 647).…”

“…Paribakht (2005) categorizes these factors into two broad categories of contextual and learner-related factors. Based on the previous studies learner-related factors include factors such as learners' previous L2 learning experience (Fraser, 1999;Paribakht & Wesche, 1999,2006), learner's native language (Paribakht, 2005), learners' attention to text details (Frantzen, 2003), learners' depth of vocabulary knowledge (Nassaji, 2003(Nassaji, , 2004Qian, 1998Qian, , 2002Qian, , 2005 learners' sight vocabulary, their background knowledge and topic familiarity (Pulido, 2004(Pulido, , 2007Atef-Vahid, Maftoon & Zahedi, 2013).…”

A Survey on Vocabulary Learning Strategies: A Case of Iranian EFL University Students

“…A ll 40 items in the questionnaire were reorganized and classified under 5 d ifferent groups of strategies as eleven statements on memo ry strategies (items1-11), n ine statements on determination strategies (item [12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20], six statements on social strategies (items 21-26), nine statements on cognitive strategies (items 27-35), and five statements on metacognitive strategies (items 36-40) (see Table 2). The frequency of use were measured by 5-point likert-scale fro m 1(never) to 5(always).…”

The Effect of Inferencing the Meaning of New Words from Context on Vocabulary Retention by Iranian EFL Learners

“…From the empirical studies performed by Nassaji (2003) and Bengeleil & Paribakht(2004), it is clear that lexical inferencing may not be completely successful or may not guarantee vocabulary gains; however, those researchers still claim that lexical inferencing really has an important positive effect on vocabulary learning.…”