The Effects Of L1 And L2 Marginal Gloss On Incidental Vocabulary Acquisition Through English Reading In Senior High School

Since vocabulary is a basis of learning a second language,how to acquire vocabulary extensively and successfully has become a vital issue for researchers in language teaching and learning field.During the process of decades of research,researchers have found that incidental vocabulary acquisition(IVA)from reading is an efficient way to enrich the vocabulary size of L2 learners.Researchers have also reached a unanimous conclusion that using gloss will contribute to the efficiency of vocabulary acquisition.In spite of the fact that plenty of experimental studies have verified the feasibility and effectiveness of L1 and L2 marginal gloss on incidental vocabulary acquisition through English reading,there are few research conducted in the comparison between receptive and productive knowledge and the after-test knowledge retention under L1 and L2 marginal glossing conditions.Therefore,the current research,based on the theory of Depth of Processing,Involvement Load Hypothesis,and knowledge retention,aims to testify the effects of L1 and L2 marginal gloss on receptive and productive knowledge of incidental vocabulary acquisition through English reading in senior high school.To be more specific,three research questions are addressed in the study,which are:1.Is marginal gloss more efficient in comparison to no gloss in vocabulary meaning and usage acquisition through English reading?2.Which gloss type,L1 marginal gloss or L2 marginal gloss,is more efficient in vocabulary meaning and usage acquisition through English reading?3.Which gloss type,L1 marginal gloss or L2 marginal gloss,is more efficient in retention of vocabulary meaning and usage acquisition through English reading?In order to respond to the questions above,four first-year senior high school classes at the same English proficiency level were used in this experiment.Apart from one pilot group,the other three are paralleled groups given the same reading materials and target words with 3 different glossing conditions,which are no gloss,L1 marginal gloss and L2 marginal gloss.The 3 groups were assigned to complete the immediate posttest and delayed posttest in the same time.There was an informal interview following each test as a supplementary instrument.Then the results were collected and analyzed by the statistical software of SPSS.The results of this thesis illustrate that:1.Marginal gloss is more efficient in comparison to no gloss in vocabulary meaning and usage acquisition through English reading,and a significant difference exists betweentwo glossing conditions.2.There is no significant difference between L1 and L2 marginal gloss in meaning and usage acquisition through English reading.3.There is no significant difference between L1 and L2 marginal gloss in retention of vocabulary meaning and usage acquisition through English reading.By giving the statistics and analysis,the conclusion of this thesis is made as well as the pedagogical implications,limitations and suggestions for future research.