Pavia, N., Webb, S., & Faez, F. (2019). Incidental Vocabulary Learning Through Listening To Songs. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 41, 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0272263119000020
Research investigating incidental vocabulary learning through listening to songs has primarily relied on participant’s self-report surveys on listening behaviors and its relationship with their vocabulary knowledge (Kuppens, 2010). Only one experimental study has investigated vocabulary learning gains from listening to songs (Medina, 1993). From the results, the researcher concluded that learning does occur from listening to songs. However, the learning gains were not provided. The present study investigated incidental learning of three vocabulary knowledge dimensions (spoken-form recognition, form-meaning connection, and collocation recognition) through lis- tening to two songs. The effects of repeated listening to a single song (one, three, or five times) and the relationship between frequency of exposure to the targeted vocabulary items and learning gains were also explored. The results indicated that (a) listening to songs contributed to vocabulary learning, (b) repeated listening had a positive effect on vocabulary gains, and (c) frequency of exposure positively affected learning gains. INTRODUCTION
Goodwin, A. P., Petscher, Y., Carlisle, J. F., & Mitchell, A. M. (2017). Exploring the dimensionality of morphological knowledge for adolescent readers. Journal of Research in Reading, 40(1), 91–117. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9817.12064
[Abstract]
This study examined the dimensionality of morphological knowledge. The performance of 371 seventh- and eighth-graders on seven morphological knowledge tasks was investigated using confirmatory factor analysis. Results suggested that morphological knowledge was best fit by a bifactor model with a general factor of morphological knowledge and seven specific factors, representing tasks that tap different facets of morphological knowledge. Next, structural equation modelling was used to explore links to literacy outcomes. Results indicated the general factor and the specific factor of morphological meaning processing showed significant positive associations with reading comprehension and vocabulary. Also, the specific factor of generating morphologically related words showed significant positive associations with vocabulary, while specific factors of morphological word reading and spelling processing showed small negative relationships to reading comprehension and vocabulary. Findings highlight the complexity of morphological knowledge and suggest the importance of being cognizant of the nature of morphology when designing and interpreting studies.
Northbrook, J., & Conklin, K. (2018). Is What You Put in What You Get Out? —Textbook-derived Lexical Bundle Processing in Beginner English Learners. Applied Linguistics, 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/amy027
Usage-based approaches to second language acquisition put a premium on the linguistic input that learners receive and predict that any sequences of words that learners encounter frequently will experience a processing advantage. The current study explores the processing of high-frequency sequences of words known as ‘lexical bundles’ in beginner learners of English in Japanese secondary school. To do this we use a phrasal judgment task, testing students on items taken directly from their teaching materials. Students responded to lexical bundles that occurred in their textbooks significantly faster and more accurately compared with non-lexical bundles, and were sensitive to the frequency of oc- currence in their textbooks. This study shows, perhaps for the first time, that even very low-level, beginner secondary students are sensitive to the frequency of lexical bundles which appear in the input they receive from teaching materials, a finding that has important implications for teaching and material design.