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This study examined the differential effects of teachers' first language ( L 1) use and second language ( L 2)‐only explanations on C hinese‐speaking adults' acquisition of concrete and abstract E nglish words. A quasi‐experimental research design was used, in which 50 participants were assigned to an L 1‐use condition, 50 participants were assigned to an L 2‐only use condition, and another 48 participants served as a comparison group. Assessed with a pre‐test, immediate post‐test, and delayed post‐test, each group's knowledge of the target words was compared with that of the other groups over time. The results suggest that teachers' L 1 use, compared to L 2‐only explanations, might lead to greater vocabulary gains in immediate and delayed recall. Possible explanations for these findings are proposed.
Zhao et al. (Wed,) studied this question.