An Empirical Study On The Task-Induced Involvement Load Hypothesis For Incidental Vocabulary Learning In A Second Language

The writing of this paper has been initiated by a practical concern and a theoretical inspiration. The practical concern lies in a change in the foreign language-learning environment in China, where various materials for extensive reading have become increasingly accessible to learners of English. This change calls for more theory-oriented and up-dated instructional techniques to help the learners take advantage of it to promote their language learning efficiency. The theoretical inspiration comes from a newly-proposed three dimensional (need, search, evaluation) construct by Batia Laufer and Jan Hulstijn, which studies the involvement load (factors such as amount of elaboration and attention, degree of motivation etc.) for incidental vocabulary learning in a second language, and how tasks can be used to induce different involvement loads, which they assume result in variance in acquisition effects.This thesis centers around the involvement load hypothesis raised by Laufer and Hultijn. The main body of the paper is divided into three parts. The first part aims at providing a clear, multi-dimensional definition for incidental vocabulary learning and presenting in detail the involvement load hypothesis, based on which the rest of this paper will develop. The second part intends to lend theoretical supports to the involvement load hypothesis and render an insightful view on it by reviewing the influential theoretical achievements in relevant domains of psychological research and Second Language Acquisition study and linking them to the involvement load construct. The literature review covers Connectionism and Depth of processing in the field of cognitive psychology, and in the field of SLA, the foci are researches on the role of consciousness in language learning process, with Tomlin and Villa's attentional construct, Michael Long's Focus on Form, Sharwood-Smith's Input Enhancement, and Schimidt's Noticing hypothesis being enumerated. The research findings on task-based instruction are also reviewed to study the task function in manipulating learner attention to achieve a desirable amount and direction for acquisition of targeted language items. The last section of literature review contributes to reflecting an increasing trend of reopening the agenda of motivational research to make it more profitable to classroom teaching practice. Motivation is also emphasized for its intimate combination with cognition to function in language learning process. Keller's educational-oriented motivational model is highlighted in this section due to its enlightenment to the motivational study of languagelearning at the task-specific level. Part 3 reports an empirical study, which has been conducted by the author in the hope of testing the involvement load hypothesis, and further studying the components of the involvement construct. The results have been analyzed quantitatively and found generally corresponding with Laufer and Hulstijn's assumptions, however, a need has been revealed for a more comprehensive construct and a more profound understanding of the various factors functioning and interacting in affecting task effectiveness.