Vocabulary learning and learners’ ability to transfer their knowledge into L2 reading comprehension: A case for translation

Jahangard, Ali; Moinzadeh, Ahmad; Tavakoli, Mansoor

doi:10.22132/tel.2010.66134

Vocabulary learning and learners’ ability to transfer their knowledge into L2 reading comprehension: A case for translation

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Ali Jahangard ¹

Ahmad Moinzadeh ²

Mansoor Tavakoli ²

¹ Sharif University of Technology

² Isfahan University

10.22132/tel.2010.66134

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to investigate whether the students who learn their lexical knowledge through translation method are able to transfer the knowledge into reading comprehension .The study consisted of four steps, namely, reading pre-test, lexical instruction, vocabulary testing, and reading post-test. The results showed a significant improvement in the reading scores of the learners in Grade One and Two after the vocabulary instruction treatments were introduced. The results indicated that low-proficiency (Novice Mid and Novice-High) were able to transfer their lexical knowledge learned through decontextualized translation equivalent teaching method into reading comprehension tasks. The apparent discrepancy between the findings of the present study and that of Prince (1996) is also discussed with reference to “task-induced involvement load hypothesis”.

Keywords

vocabulary learning

reading comprehension

explicit and implicit learning

translation list learning

pairedassociate paradigm

task-induced involvement load hypothesis