Effects Of Task Type On Incidental Vocabulary Acquisition

Laufer and Hulstijn (2001), on the basis of cognitive processes theory, proposed task based "Involvement Load Hypothesis". The Hypothesis mainly claims that retention of words is conditional upon the amount of involvement load while processing these words; that the higher the involvement load is, the better the retention will be; and that the same the involvement load is, the same the retention will be.If it is fully tested, the Hypothesis would have immense significance for building an incidental vocabulary learning model. However, few empirical studies have been conducted to test it and the results haven’t fully supported it. The main purpose of this study is to test Involvement Load Hypothesis by investigating the effects of task type on incidental vocabulary acquisition.For testing the Hypothesis, twelve target words were selected and two tasks with same involvement load (one was an input task and the other was an output task) were designed in the study. The subjects, who were in three intact classes with equivalent English proficiency, were132Chinese non-English majors from Hubei University Zhixing College. In the study, one class took part in the pilot study; other two classes performed these tasks respectively. The experiment was conducted over a period of four weeks and it consisted of three tests (a pretest, an immediate post-test after the treatment, and a delayed post-test arranged one week after the treatment).The results were analyzed quantitatively.The results of this study show that the same involvement load does not necessarily lead to the same vocabulary retention and output tasks results in better retention than input tasks. The results of the study can not conform to the hypothesis. So more empirical evidences need to be provided for testifying the hypothesis, and further studies need to be undertaken with tasks and subjects of large numerous diversity.Based on the findings from the research, the study offers some theoretical and pedagogical implications for vocabulary learning and teaching. Firstly, it puts forward the further research orientation for modifying the Hypothesis; secondly, it provides the methods for improving the language teaching, namely, compilers and teachers should design and adopt more output tasks to prompt students’vocabulary acquisition.