Incidental vocabulary learning from repeated listening to a story in fourth-grade children in Taiwan

• Main Authors: Chiu, Tzu-Rong, 邱子容
• Other Authors: Lin, Lu-Chun
• Format: Others
• Language: en_US
• Published: 2010
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/62067422110346071694

碩士 === 國立交通大學 === 英語教學研究所 === 99 === This study examined the number of times required for EFL children to learn new words incidentally through repeated listening to a story four times. Of particular concern was to investigate the relationship between children’s English proficiency levels and the vocabulary gains from listening to a story four times. An intact class of 33 fourth-grade children in one urban elementary school in Hsinchu participated. These students were categorized into high and low English proficiency groups based on the Cambridge Young Learners English Test (CYLET). A native English-speaking teacher, guided by scripted procedures, read a story to the whole class on four occasions, each 3-4 days apart. Eight target pseudowords were embedded in the story specifically written for this study. The story was read with the eight pseudowords explained during each session. After the first, third, and fourth reading, multiple-choice vocabulary measures, including a picture identification test and a meaning-matching test, were administered. To ensure that the children’s gains were not a result of repetitive testing, eight low-frequency words were included to serve as the control words. The findings indicated that the children learned novel words from repeated listening to the story with teacher explanation. All children incidentally learned approximately 4 out of 8 target words at the fourth listening .While repeated listening to the story led to significant word gain, listening to the story at the fourth time did not further contribute to incidental word learning . In addition, although both proficiency groups made significant word gain with the increasing number of listening, the high-proficiency children learned significantly more target words than their lower- proficiency peers. The findings suggested that repeated listening to a story coupled with teacher explanation of new words can be a practical and effective classroom activity to promote EFL children’s vocabulary growth. Read-aloud activities facilitate children, particularly those with lower proficiency levels, to learn new words via a supportive and language-rich environment. In view of the findings, the present study suggests that EFL teachers should consider the necessity and benefits of repeatedly reading aloud to children and use it as a viable tool for facilitating elementary children’s literacy development within limited instruction time.