An Effect of Setting Target Vocabulary to Learn in the Academic Reading and Writing Classroom

This study looked at the effect of assigning target vocabulary to learn on learners’ receptive knowledge of high frequency vocabulary over an academic year. Whether university language teachers should set target vocabulary is of interest: it may be that students will learn high frequency vocabulary incidentally, or it may be necessary for teachers to ensure opportunities for deliberate vocabulary learning in the classroom. In this regard, this study adds to the literature on incidental vs. deliberate vocabulary learning. Vocabulary scores on the Vocabulary Levels Test are compared between two cohorts; for one cohort (n = 71), vocabulary learning was left up to the learners with no guidance from teachers. For the second cohort (n = 88), targeted vocabulary lists were provided for each reading text, and receptive knowledge was regularly tested throughout the academic year. Results showed that after 30 weeks of study, knowledge of high frequency vocabulary was better for the second cohort than the first, suggesting that targeting and testing vocabulary has a more positive outcome on learning than leaving students to direct their own vocabulary learning. The author recommends that teachers consider identifying vocabulary for their students to learn, and encourage revision with regular testing.