Effects Of The Incidental And Intentional Learning On Vocabulary Retention

In the field of SLA, research about incidental and intentional vocabulary learning has received much attention abroad and has found the superiority of the incidental learning over intentional learning. In recent years the research about SLA in China has seen a growing interest in the incidental vocabulary learning and shown different opinions about it. Also, compared with the research abroad, much less is done in China about comparing the effects of the incidental and intentional learning on vocabulary retention. This empirical study has investigated the effects of the incidental learning and intentional learning on vocabulary retention. Two parallel classes of sixty freshmen majoring in Business English in a university of Guangdong participated in this research. Each class received one of the two treatments: learning vocabulary incidentally through reading and memorizing words in wordlists. Two vocabulary tests measuring learning outcomes including both word gains and retention rates are employed: immediate vocabulary test and the delayed vocabulary test performed three weeks after the immediate vocabulary test. By the comparing the results of the two vocabulary tests, we find that:1. Chinese English majors at the university basic level can acquire some new words and use them correctly by the incidental learning through reading and intentional memorization of words in wordlists.2. There is a positively direct and significant relationship between text comprehension and the incidental vocabulary retention for Chinese English majors.3. The intentional vocabulary learning through memorization of words in wordlists enables students to acquire more words than the incidental vocabulary learning through reading in both vocabulary receptive and productive knowledge.4. The incidental vocabulary learning through reading results in better retention rates than the intentional vocabulary learning through memorization of words in wordlists in both vocabulary receptive and productive knowledge.These findings have some pedagogical implications. For the purpose of helping learners improve English vocabulary retention rate and amount, English teachers...