Text-based tasks and incidental vocabulary learning

This case study investigates the vocabulary knowledge gains made by an L2 adult learner of English as a result of performing a read and retell task. The learner participated in a vocabulary knowledge interview, followed by a read and retell task. An oral protocol was taken from the retelling component of the task. Subsequently, a second vocabulary knowledge interview and two multiple-choice tests were completed. The effects of three learning conditions (attention, retrieval and generation) which can facilitate vocabulary learning from text-based tasks are discussed. Attending to the various components of a word and retrieving a to-be-learnt word in a text-based task facilitate the acquisition of unfamiliar words. More importantly, the quality of vocabulary use, or a higher level of generation, appears to have had a more powerful effect on vocabulary acquisition.