Vocabulary learning in a foreign language: multimedia input, sentence-writing task, and their combination

Mark Feng Teng, Danyang Zhang

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

4 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

This article examines the effects of task conditions (i.e., with and without a sentence-writing task), multimedia input (definition only, definition + information, definition + information + videos), and combinations of these two variables on the learning gains of new words. This study involved a 2 × 3 research design. In total, 235 Chinese EFL learners were allocated to the six conditions. Vocabulary learning outcomes were measured by pre- and post-tests on 24 target items. The results showed that the definition + information + videos group scored significantly higher than the definition + information and the definition-only groups. Additionally, the sentence-writing task increased the effectiveness of vocabulary learning versus the condition without this task. The combination of the definition + information + videos condition and sentence-writing task was identified as the most effective technique for learning lexical items. This study highlighted the effectiveness of combining multimedia input with a sentence-writing task to learn new words. Relevant teaching and theoretical implications were also discussed.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2123-2148
Number of pages26
JournalApplied Linguistics Review
Volume15
Issue number5
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Sept 2024

Keywords

  • EFL
  • evaluation
  • multimedia input
  • task
  • vocabulary learning

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