The Effect Of Different Types Of Glosses On Incidental Vocabulary Acquisition In Reading

As the most basic part of a language,the importance of vocabulary is self-evident.The mastery of vocabulary can directly influence four basic skills: listening,speaking,reading and writing in second language.However,most of the second language learners feel distressed in vocabulary learning.In recent years,the question of how to help second language learners acquire vocabulary has become a hot topic.Many researchers have proved that reading is the main way for the occurrence of incidental vocabulary acquisition.However,context,vocabulary size and many other factors can affect incidental vocabulary acquisition.Therefore,many scholars at home and abroad are trying to find ways to promote incidental vocabulary acquisition in second language reading.In previous studies,we can find that glossing has been proved to be one of the most effective means to promote incidental vocabulary acquisition in second language reading.Nevertheless,the issue of which type of glossing is best for incidental vocabulary acquisition still needs further investigation.Researchers have conducted empirical studies from the perspective of the format,language,and location of glossing.Due to the differences in reading materials,subjects and other conditions in the experiment,the conclusions are not consistent.Therefore,it provides the development space and opportunity for the future research.In this study,45 sophomores of English major were chosen as the subjects of the experiment.All the subjects were randomly divided into three groups to explore the influence of different positions of glosses(in-text glosses,marginal glosses,endnotes)on incidental vocabulary acquisition.This experiment adopted vocabulary test and questionnaire to collect quantitative and qualitative data.Results of the vocabulary tests indicate that in-text gloss is the best way for promoting incidental vocabulary acquisition,and then marginal glosses,endnotes,the worst.For vocabulary retention,the group of in-text gloss is better than the group of marginal gloss and the group of endnotes.Besides,there are significant differences between the group of in-text gloss and the group of endnotes.However,the questionnaire shows that most of the students prefer marginal glosses.They think that marginal gloss is the best way to promote incidental vocabulary acquisition,which is different from the results of vocabulary tests.And then,based on the Noticing Theory,Cognitive Load Theory and the Depth of Processing Theory,the experimental results are discussed and analyzed.Finally,on the basis of the above,this paper puts forward some suggestions for vocabulary teaching and the publication of English reading materials.Limitations of this thesis and suggestions for further study are also pointed out.