The Effects of Previous Partial Word Knowledge on Vocabulary Learning Through Listening

Abstract

Just as it is claimed that reading helps language learners increase their vocabulary knowledge, so does listening though little research has been carried to show how words are learnt through listening and, among these words, how well they are learnt. This research study sets out to do just that through the use of sensitive tests. Sensitive tests are designed to capture small amounts of word knowledge. They are needed because previous research shows that incidental gains in vocabulary from reading are small, and so the gains from listening are likely to be even smaller due to the transitory nature of the listening input. Several sensitive tests are used together because different tests capture different strengths of knowledge and by adding their scores together, it is possible to measure how well a word is known in relation to other words. The tests need to be viewed both separately and interdependently to reveal as much about learning as possible. The main study involved learners sitting vocabulary pre-tests, then listening twice to a spoken text containing some unknown words and some partially known words, and finally sitting the post-tests. The text was adapted from a graded reader and was suitable for the level of the students involved in the study. From pilot studies, three tests out of eight possible ones were used in the main experiment. These tests were the recognition test, the forced choice test and the translation test. It was found that the hardest test in the series, the translation test, was too difficult and therefore not sensitive enough to capture the small amounts of word knowledge which are likely to occur when learning from listening. From the main study, it was found that greater learning occurred for previously unknown words rather than for partially known words, although the learning gains overall were small. The delayed post-tests showed no gains. The main study was followed by single-person studies to gain greater insight into the kind of learning that occurred. There were six people involved who were not participants in the main study. The same tests and text were used except that the translation test was replaced by an interview test. The single-person studies showed that there was great variability in learning and that learner factors were just important as text factors in the likelihood of learning occurring.