A Research On Different Effects Of Textual Enhancement Formats On Vocabulary Incidental Acquisition Through Extensive Reading

Vocabulary acquisition is considered to be an important aspect of second language(L2) learning. L2 educators often assume that one main source of vocabulary growth is through incidental vocabulary acquisition, where learners subconsciously absorb meaning of those unknown words while they read. However, incidental vocabulary acquisition is not always effective or efficient. It is likely that readers will fail to notice the unknown words when the comprehension of the whole passage doesn’t ask for the understanding of their meaning. Therefore, how to draw learners’ attention to the new words through extensive reading becomes a much-discussed topic.In order to solve this problem, this study aims to find out whether textual enhancement, a technique which has been widely used to arouse learners’ attention by different highlighting formats in grammar teaching, could also lead to a higher degree of vocabulary acquisition. The study investigated the effects of different textual enhancement formats on the immediate and delayed vocabulary retention among 252 Grade Six students. An experimental reading task integrating different formats of textual enhancement into the four target words of a text was created while two immediate form and meaning recognition tests and one delayed meaning recognition test were provided. A completely randomized experimental design was used to compare the results obtained from a control group and eight experimental groups(each experimental group was exposed to a different textual enhancement format). The results suggest that five textual enhancement formats(highlighted as red, bold, italic, enlarged and capital) used in the experimental conditions have different impacts on the immediate intakes of form and meaning produced by the participants. In terms of the form recognition, the efficacy of format enlarged, format color changing and format bold rank at the top three of the list, while in reference to the meaning recognition, format changing color, format bold, format italic make up the most threeeffective techniques. However, in the delayed meaning recognition, no significant advantage has been found over control group.This study provides practical guidance for vocabulary teaching and learning as well as the compilation of textbooks and reading materials. It suggests that certain formats of textual enhancement could lead to considerable word gains in both the form(word spelling) and the meaning in the short-term learning.