Effects Of Reading-Speaking Integrated Oral Continuation Tasks And Peer Interaction On L2 Vocabulary Learning In The Chinese EFL Context

Vocabulary knowledge is a central pillar in second language acquisition(SLA)and much research has been conducted to explore how to facilitate second language(L2)vocabulary learning through classroom activities.Reading-based tasks and peer interaction are two important topics in this respect.However,oral continuation tasks as a relatively new reading-based task with great learning potential have not been investigated much yet,and peer interaction can also be involved into this type of task.To address the research gaps,this study aimed to examine the effects of oral continuation tasks and peer interaction involved in such tasks on L2 vocabulary acquisition by Chinese English-as-a-foreign-language(EFL)learners.This quasi-experimental study adopted a two-factor mixed design,with group as the between-subject factor and time as the within-subject factor.Ninety freshmen in total from parallel College English classes at a Chinese university participated in the study.They were assigned into a control group and three experimental groups with different treatments:(1)the interaction plus oral continuation group;(2)the oral continuation group;(3)the reading group.The control group was not given any intervention.All the participants were given unforewarned immediate and delayed vocabulary posttests.In addition,the participants were invited to answer certain retrospective questions concerning their perceptions of oral continuation tasks and taskbased peer interaction.There are several major findings yielded in the present study.Firstly,oral continuation tasks could greatly facilitate L2 vocabulary acquisition with both immediate learning and subsequent retention effects in terms of spelling,meaning,and use.Secondly,both the reading session and the oral continuation session contributed to the vocabulary learning potential of oral continuation tasks,but oral continuation had a less obvious influence compared with reading in immediate vocabulary learning.The effects of oral continuation were only prominent in the delayed posttest and especially in the aspect of meaning.In the oral continuation session,positive alignment took place between input and output,but the alignment magnitude was low.Thirdly,peer interaction arranged before continuation played a positive but limited role in promoting L2 vocabulary learning,and its influence on immediate learning was seemingly stronger than that on retention.Lastly,the participants in general held a positive attitude towards oral continuation tasks and peer interaction based on this type of task,and the participants also recognized their beneficial effects on L2 vocabulary learning.The current study testifies the value of oral continuation task,as an integration of reading input and spoken output,in promoting L2 vocabulary learning in the non-target language environment.It also suggests that the actual effects of task-based peer interaction might not be so beneficial as expected due to various factors,calling for more sophisticated research in the future.Meanwhile,it also provides implications on the application of oral continuation tasks and peer interaction for pedagogical practices related to L2 vocabulary learning.