Volume 7-6 October 2011.

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Title
The Impact of Glossing on Incidental Vocabulary Learning: A Comparative Study

Authors
Reza Pishghadam (Ph.D.)
Ferdowsi University of Mashhad

Shima Ghahari (Ph.D. Candidate)
Ferdowsi University of Mashhad

 Biodata

Reza Pishghadam is associate professor in TEFL in Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran. His research interests are: psychology of language education and sociology of language.

Shima Ghahari is a Ph.D candidate in TEFL in Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran. Her main research interest is psycholinguistics.

Abstract

 Having adopted an input-based approach, this study was undertaken to examine the effect of a textual enhancement technique for lexical development of EFL learners. A passage of approximately 500 words was modified in a way that 10 of its target words (TWs) were each repeated twice and for each of them three glosses in English (L2) and three glosses in Persian (L1) were developed. 214 English language learners initially underwent a vocabulary pretest to ensure that the TWs were unfamiliar to them. Afterwards, the participants in each class were divided into five groups: no-gloss, single L1 gloss, single L2 gloss, MC L1 gloss, and MC L2 gloss groups. They were then tested through immediate and delayed posttests. MANOVA was performed and revealed that gloss groups had markedly outperformed no-gloss group in both testing conditions. Significant effects were also found for single L1 glosses in the immediate posttests. The effectiveness of single L1 glosses, however, dropped in the delayed posttest, where MC L1 and MC L2 proved significantly more effective. Suggestions for further research and implications are also provided.

Keywords: Glossing, Incidental vocabulary learning, Lexical inferencing, Lexical retention, Multiple-choice glosses, Single glosses.