The Effects of Extensive Reading Program on Vocabulary Acquisition of EFL Junior High School Students in Taiwan

• Main Authors: Hui-chien Chuang, 莊惠鈐
• Other Authors: Sh-chin Shih
• Format: Others
• Language: en_US
• Published: 100
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/59546508462100503807

碩士 === 國立高雄師範大學 === 英語學系 === 99 === The study aimed to investigate the effects of extensive reading program on vocabulary acquisition of EFL junior high school students in Taiwan. Specifically, the English vocabulary growth of the students who participated in the extensive reading program (the experimental group) and that of the students who received traditional vocabulary instruction (the control group) were compared. First, the experimental group’s and the control group’s vocabulary development in terms of words learned in the mandated reading materials were examined. Second, the two groups’ vocabulary gains in terms of words learned outside the reading materials were compared. Third, the experimental group’s employment of various vocabulary learning strategies before and after the extensive reading program was investigated. Moreover, the ways the experimental group dealt with new words before and after the program were examined. Fifth, the ways the experimental group consolidated their learning of a word prior to and following the program were investigated. Finally, the responses of the experimental group toward the program were reported and discussed. The subjects of the study included 140 eighth-graders from a junior high school in Tainan, Taiwan. The study was conducted for a duration of 9 weeks. Before the English vocabulary acquisition project, the two groups were required to complete a general vocabulary competence test. Additionally, the experimental group was given a questionnaire on the use of vocabulary learning strategies. During the 9-week experiment, the two groups took part in the extensive reading program and received traditional vocabulary instruction respectively. After the English vocabulary acquisition project, the two groups were required to take a vocabulary development test. In addition, a post-study questionnaire was given to the experimental group on the use of vocabulary learning strategies and the subjects’ reflections on the extensive reading program. Finally, the experimental group’s and control group’s English vocabulary performance and the experimental group’s responses to the questionnaires were collected and analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively by the ANCOVA, an independent samples t-test, and descriptive analyses. Based on the data analyses, the major findings of the study were summarized as follows: 1. The experimental group demonstrated vocabulary gains through the extensive reading program. In the learning outcomes of the new words from the mandated readers, the experimental group outperformed the control group. 2. The extensive reading program promoted the learning of words outside the reading materials. Compared with the control group, the experimental group did better in the section of general basic vocabulary in the vocabulary development test. 3. The frequencies of the experimental group’s using the vocabulary learning strategies changed after the extensive reading program. On the whole, the experimental group used strategies more often after the extensive reading program. 4. How the experimental group dealt with new words changed after the program. Three statistically significant differences in frequency of use of discovery strategies were observed. They were (1) analyzing part of speech, (2) analyzing any available pictures or gestures, and (3) guessing from textual context. The three strategies were classified into the subcategory of determination strategies. 5. How the experimental group consolidated the learning of new words was affected by the extensive program. Frequencies of the experimental group’s using seven consolidation strategies were found to increase after the program. They were (1) associating the word to its coordinates, (2) connecting the word to its synonyms and antonyms, (3) using “scales” for gradable adjectives, (4) using new words in sentence, (5) grouping words together within a storyline, (6) using English-language media, and (7) continuing to study word over time. Strategies (1) to (5) were memory strategies, and strategies (6) and (7) were meta-cognitive strategies. Based on the study findings, the researcher suggested that teachers should encourage students to do extensive reading. Besides, teachers are responsible for assigning appropriate reading materials to motivate their students. Moreover, the instruction of use of different vocabulary learning strategies is crucial. Next, various vocabulary instructional methods can be all employed to achieve the optimal learning outcomes. To conclude, EFL students may broaden their vocabulary and make more use of vocabulary learning strategies through the extensive reading program.