ELT Journal Advance Access published online on August 28, 2009
ELT Journal, doi:10.1093/elt/ccp059
© The Author 2009. Published by Oxford University Press; all rights reserved.
Direct teaching of vocabulary after reading: is it worth the effort?
Suhad Sonbul is a PhD student at the University of Nottingham, School of English Studies. She is interested in psycholinguistic aspects of L2 acquisition and is focusing on the interface of explicit and implicit vocabulary knowledge
Norbert Schmitt is Professor of Applied Linguistics at the University of Nottingham. He is interested in all aspects of L2 vocabulary acquisition, processing, and use. He recently published a vocabulary research manual with Palgrave Press
Email: aexsss{at}nottingham.ac.uk
Email: norbert.schmitt{at}nottingham.ac.uk
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Abstract |
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This experimental study evaluated the effectiveness of direct teaching of new vocabulary items in reading passages. The study compared vocabulary learning under a reading only condition (incidental learning) to learning that is aided by direct communication of word meanings (explicit learning). Three levels of vocabulary knowledge (form recall, meaning recall, and meaning recognition) were assessed using three tests (completion, L1 translation, and multiple choice, respectively). Incidental learning plus explicit instruction was found to be more effective than incidental learning alone for all three levels. The results also showed that direct instruction is especially effective in facilitating the deepest level of knowledge, i.e. form recall. These findings demonstrate the value of the time and effort spent on direct teaching of lexical items in EFL reading classes.