Dimensions of incidental L2 vocabulary acquisition and their effects on reading comprehension of ESL learners

• Main Authors: Pena, Karina Dungo, Bernardo, Allan Benedict I.
• Format: text
• Published: Animo Repository 2012
• Subjects: Second language acquisition; Reading comprehension; Language and Literacy Education
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/faculty_research/9111
• Institution: De La Salle University

This paper discusses a study which sought to determine incidental second language (L2) vocabulary acquisition (IVA) through reading among high school English as a Second Language (ESL) learners in Pampanga. In the study, the incidental research design was utilized to investigate the mental operations of the participants in their acquisition of incidental L2 vocabulary and to examine the effect of IVA on their success or failure in L2 reading comprehension. This study proposed a mediation model to describe the interaction of prior L2 reading proficiency, receptive knowledge, and productive knowledge with incidental L2 vocabulary acquisition, L2 reading comprehension, and retention of novel words. A vocabulary checklist was used to assess the memory traces of the participants concerning the novel words embedded in the reading text. In addition, L2 reading comprehension test, translation, and production tasks, and recognition test were used to determine their impacts on the participants' incidental L2 vocabulary acquisition and retention of novel words after three weeks. Analyses revealed a strong influence of prior L2 reading proficiency on receptive knowledge and productive knowledge. Furthermore, productive knowledge highly predicted L2 reading comprehension, and prior L2 reading proficiency highly predicted retention of IVA. This paper ends with recommendations for teachers, students, and school administrators.