INCIDENTAL VOCABULARY ACQUISITION IN SLA: DOES AURAL INPUT FACILITATE VOCABULARY ACQUISITION WHILE READING?

Abstract

Vocabulary acquisition is essential to achieve fluency in the target language; however, it is a daunting and unending task for second language learners due to a large number of words required to be learne. This two-group, pre/post/delayed post-test quasi-experimental study aims to investigate whether English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners could learn new English words incidentally from reading texts in their coursebooks and whether there was an effect of simultaneous input modality in successful acquisition. It further aimed to examine the rate of vocabulary recall by the control group (reading-only condition) and experimental group (listening-while-reading condition). The study revealed four major findings. Without being exposed to any intentional instruction on target vocabulary, 5.53 words were learned in reading-only mode, which was a gain of more than 49%. When written input was enhanced with oral input, it resulted in relatively higher success in lexical development. The experimental group, which listened to the audio recordings of the texts while simultaneously reading it, learned 6.37 new words on average, a gain of higher than 60%. A comparison of two groups revealed that the effect of aural enhancement on incidental vocabulary learning was relatively small, a difference of 0.84 words between the two groups. Words learned in reading-only condition were more resistant to decay than words learned in listening-while-reading condition. Important implications for EFL teachers are suggested based on the findings.