A Study On The Effects Of Task-Induced Involvement On Incidental Vocabulary Acquisition Through Reading

Building on the framework of the Involvement Load Hypothesis proposed by Laufer & Hulstijn (2001), the experimental study aims to examine whether acquisition and retention of vocabulary acquired incidentally is contingent upon the amount of task-induced involvement load and further testify the validity of the hypothesis. In addition, the factor of learners'vocabulary size is expected to have effective effect on incidental acquisition of L2 lexical knowledge. Accordingly, the factor was scrutinized as well in this study.The subjects of the present study were one hundred and forty four non-English major freshmen in Huaiyin Normal University who came from four intact classes with equivalent English proficiency. They were randomly assigned to perform one of the four learning tasks varying in involvement loads:reading comprehension (The involvement load is 1), reading comprehension plus filling-in (The involvement load is 2), reading comprehension with multiple explanations of target words (The involvement load is 3) and sentence-writing with target words (The involvement load is 3). The experiment was conducted over a period of five weeks which consisted of a vocabulary test, two pilot studies, an immediate posttest, a questionnaire on incidental vocabulary acquisition, and a delayed posttest at an interval of one week. SPSS 17.0 was used to analyze the data.The results only partially support the Involvement Load Hypothesis:the Hypothesis could predict vocabulary retention, but it did not prove that tasks with high involvement load were necessarily more conducive to enhancing word learning than tasks with low involvement load. The three components of the involvement do not bear same weight in promoting vocabulary retention. It seems that the criteria for differentiating the degrees of three components are too simplified and hence, the definition of the moderate or strong form of each component needs being refined. The results of delayed posttests showed that the vocabulary retention of three groups (except Task 1) all decreased dramatically as time elapsed over one week. Tasks with the same amount of involvement load did not produce similar retention, suggesting the output tasks are superior to input tasks in fostering vocabulary knowledge retention. In line with our expectation, the factor of learners' vocabulary size is proved to have effective effect on incidental acquisition of lexical knowledge which completely supports the hypothesis.These results are discussed in light of the Involvement Load Hypothesis and offer some pedagogical implications for L2 vocabulary teaching as well as for further research. To begin with, in order to facilitate vocabulary acquisition, teachers should be encouraged to design and implement tasks with different involvement loads which are related to the target words. Secondly, it might be beneficial for learners to combine intentional learning with incidental learning in the process of reading. Substantial vocabulary knowledge may best be developed through repeated exposures and elaborate processing of lexical items. Thirdly, teachers should pay more attention to provide tactful revision and drill of new words for the students to consolidate the word knowledge. Finally, for the implementation of learning tasks, learners'vocabulary proficiency levels should be taken into account.