Abstract
Many
studies have been conducted to develop new strategies for learning vocabulary.
The effects of the two strategies introduced, which included learning
vocabulary through text and by completing puzzles are compared in this study.
In the study 40 Iranian English students were divided into 2 groups. The 70 new
words chosen were the same for both groups with the method of teaching being
different for each group. The sessions were conducted on a weekly basis. Data
was gathered over a time period of less than 2 months. The analysis of the
results show that neither group performed significantly better than the other.
The scores achieved in pre-tests and post-testing showed that learning
vocabulary was equally effective for both the text and puzzle methods.
Keywords:
vocabulary learning, new words, text reading, puzzle
Introduction
Many
students have problems with vocabulary learning and it is considered as a kind
of demanding process to them. But learning second language vocabulary is
necessary for SL learners, because lexical problems interfere with
communication and students are aware that communication stops when they lack
the necessary words.
Learning
vocabulary can be conducted through different ways that are either incidental
or intentional. Many different strategies are considered as the incidental
vocabulary learning. Vocabulary learning through reading is a kind of
incidental vocabulary learning in which the learner tries to guess the meaning
of new words through the clues available in the text. Vocabulary learning
through puzzle is an intentional vocabulary learning in which the attention of
the learner is directly focused on learning new words. Many studies have been
conducted for providing some good strategies in vocabulary learning. This study
is not to introduce different strategies of vocabulary learning, but to
investigate the effect of two different methods of vocabulary teaching on the
extent of learning. For this purpose the same words were chosen. They were
introduced to the students through two different vocabulary teaching
strategies. Both of them are introduced at the following.
Two
strategies used in this study:
One
of these strategies is learning new words through text and by guessing the
meaning of new words and the other one is word play, that is, learning new
words through crossword puzzles and scrambled words. The first strategy is to
introduce some text to students and encourage them to guess the meaning of new
words through reading the text and by the use of clues. The new unknown words
are italicized and highlighted for consciousness-raising.
According
to Watts-Taff and Graves, words are used in contexts differently. Sometimes
they are clearly defined and mostly clues in the text can help learners to
understand the meaning of the words. These context clues occur in different
parts of the text in different forms. They are located before or after the new
unknown words. The best clues are those that are located in the same sentences
but sometimes, useful clues are in the next or other sentences and paragraphs.
According to these clues, students can guess the meaning of new words.
Vocabulary
leaning through text is beneficial in that memorizing the meaning of new words
based on dictionaries does not make students familiar with the use of words in
the contexts. The important issue that must be noted in this strategy is that
students should be able to distinguish the whole meaning of the text, so this
strategy is mostly used for advanced learners and those who are able to
understand the general meaning of the text through the known words. This
strategy helps students to get familiar with the usage of words in different
contexts, so they can use these words regularly in their writing and speaking
and the words do not revert to the students’ passive vocabulary.
Much
research has been done to investigate the extent of vocabulary learning through
texts and the importance of guessing strategies in text reading. Studies like
Liu and Nation (1984), Nagy et al (1984) and Mckeown (1985) have shown that
students can learn new words by guessing the meaning of new words through
texts. In their study Nagy et al. (1985) showed that vocabulary learning is
affected by the text reading and guessing the meaning of new words through
context. They also mentioned that older students could learn better through
this strategy. Mckeown et al (1985), also in their study that was conducted in
two weeks, showed that wide exposure to more contexts is very useful and
beneficial in vocabulary learning. Both of these studies showed that text
reading and context play a very important role in vocabulary learning.
The
second strategy is to introduce new words to the students through puzzles.
Deciphering crossword puzzles requires exact spelling, which for students may
mean practicing dictionary skills. Students can expand their vocabulary through
playing with words. Studies have shown that word play makes students more
active and they enjoy learning. In this strategy the mind is entangled. The
learners improve their memory, orthography, reasoning, and spelling as well as
increase their problem solving skills.
To
solve any crossword puzzle, a person must be able to identify and understand
the terms being used. This often involves acquiring new vocabulary. Puzzle
solving is a kind of active form of learning. Crossword puzzles have endured as
a favorite world wide pastime because they appeal to all ages, they can be
completed in a rather brief period of time, and solving them provides a sense
of accomplishment. For all these reasons, crosswords make a terrific
educational tool, and teachers will probably continue to use them for many
years to come.
In
his seminal 1979 article on the topic of vocabulary through puzzles, Danesi
outlines some reasons why puzzles should be considered as viable supplementary
activities in language teaching, and it seems that this rationale is still applicable
today. Danesi contends that most people enjoy the challenge of solving puzzles
that do not demand advanced calculations or specific technical skills. While
ensuring that learners find class material enjoyable may not be an absolute
necessity for a technique to be effective, if an activity can be both fun and
educational at the same time, it seems only sensible to capitalize on this
somewhat unique set of teaching and learning circumstances in the classroom.
Research
questions
The
following research questions were investigated:
1) Is
vocabulary learning through text more effective than vocabulary learning
through puzzle in assisting comprehension of word meaning?
2)
Is vocabulary learning through text more effective than vocabulary learning
through puzzle in assisting retention of word meaning?
Research
Methodology
Participants
The
participants were 40 EFL students (%75 Female& %25 Male) in one of the
Payam Nour Universities of Iran. Most of the students were studying in the
third semester of the English course and had studied English for two years as
an academic course. The average age of the subjects was 20 years old.
Materials
& Methods
For
teaching to the students, 70 words with high difficulty level were chosen. To
find whether the students know the meaning of the chosen words or not, a
pretest was given to them. The pretest included 20 randomly chosen words
that were a sample of the whole 70 words that were supposed to be taught during
the course.
Most
students were not able to answer the pretest questions so they submitted the
papers to the teacher very soon without any answers on their answer sheets.
There was no time limit for answering the questions. Tests were designed in
such a way that new words constituted the questions. The correct answers were
shown along with some simple distracting words, so that students could find the
correct answers unequivocally if they were familiar with the new words
presented in the questions. The students were informed that each wrong answer
would have a negative influence on their scores because correction for guessing
was done.
The
result of these multiple choice designed pretest questions confirmed that the
students were not familiar with the chosen vocabulary.
The
period of course was 8 sessions, and in each session about 8 to 9 new words
were taught to each group. The synonyms of the new words were given to make
clear the meaning of each new word before presenting puzzles. At the next
session before teaching new words a test of the previous session words was
given to each student. In the puzzle group, the same words were
introduced primarily to students with their definitions. The students were
asked to read them and try to memorize them. Then the students were to find the
new words in the puzzles according to the definition and clues about each word
presented by the teacher. The first student who found the word raised her/his
hand and introduced the location of the word to the other students. After doing
the puzzle, students went through the next exercise that was scrambled words.
The students again, according to the teacher’s instructions, found the new
words and rearranged them in the correct way. At the end of 8 sessions a
posttest (the same as the pretest) was given to each student.
For
the text reading group, the new words were designed in texts and the students
were allowed to read them and guess the meaning of the new words. Then the
teacher elicited their guesses and encouraged them to give their opinions. Then
the meaning of each new word was presented by the teacher. Some
fill-in-the-blank exercises were introduced at the end of each session for
establishing the meaning of the new words in the students mind. At the next
session before teaching new words, a test of the previous session words was
given to each student. At the end of 8 sessions a posttest (the same as the
pretest) was given to each student.
During
the last session, in order to probe the learners’ perspective on the different
vocabulary learning strategies and to see whether they were satisfied by the
teaching methods or not, some questionnaires were submitted to the students.
The questionnaires were written in the students’ native language. The questions
were about their interests and the way they liked the situation. They stated
their sex in the questionnaires. Each item was fixed to a 4-point Likert
scale, ranging from ‘Strongly Disagree (1) to ‘Strongly Agree’ (4).
To
evaluate the differences between sample means of these two independent groups,
t-test should be calculated. So the difference between the means for these two
different groups relative to standard error of differences between means should
be evaluated. Analyzing the results showed that the difference between the
means of pretest and posttest of both groups is not significant. Both groups
learned the new words in the same way and vocabulary learning through text was
just as effective as vocabulary learning through puzzle.
Table1.
Text Group
Test
|
N
|
Mean
|
SD
|
Pretest
|
12
|
0.5
|
0.975
|
Posttest
|
12
|
6.11
|
1.92
|
Table2.
Puzzle Group
Test
|
N
|
Mean
|
SD
|
Pretest
|
12
|
0.75
|
1.25
|
Posttest
|
12
|
5.643
|
2.17
|
Conclusion
Learning
new words has always been a difficult process for students and many strategies
have been introduced as the solution, including learning vocabulary through
texts and crossword puzzles. In this study both of these strategies were used
for teaching vocabulary to study the effect of them in learning new words to
advanced learners. Results of the study showed that the difference between
retention and comprehension of new words through text and puzzles is not
significant.
Friendly
competition in the puzzle group is considered as an important factor and
students like these circumstances. Vocabulary learning through text helps the
learners to become familiar with the usage of the words. Danesi (1979) suggests
that introducing puzzles may also serve as a needed change of pace to the daily
routine of teaching techniques and can perhaps serve to increase student
motivation as a result. Clearly it is to the learner’s advantage to be exposed to
a variety of classroom techniques so that interest is maintained. Crossword
puzzles are the best exercises that can be used for confirming the meaning of
words in the students mind. So learning new words is best done by introducing
new words through texts and confirming their meaning in the mind through
puzzles. Using puzzles is considered as a tool that allows language teachers to
add color to their classroom activities and create mental exercises, thus
providing challenge and entertainment at the same time.
In
this study some questionnaires were submitted to the students in which they
were asked to answer some questions in their native language. By studying the
questionnaires, it was found that male students were more interested and
satisfied in vocabulary learning through puzzle. These results may indicate
that males are better at competition activities (Bacon showed in his studies
that females are better at cooperative learning). This issue can be studied in
regard to different strategies of learning vocabulary and further research
concentrated on that can be conducted on the psychological reasons behind the
inclination of one sex toward some strategies compared with other strategies.
Since the subjects of study were not informed of the situation of the research,
anxiety may be considered as an impeding factor to learning at this study.
Further study may be conducted at an anxiety free situation. In this study
which was a comparison between intentional and incidental vocabulary leaning,
the students encountered the target words in texts during reading activities,
but the words were presented separately in the exercises to see whether
students were able to understand the meaning of the new words in different
sentences or not (see appendix). This kind of exercises integrated incidental
and intentional vocabulary learning in the text group and the results might
have been affected by such an activity.
About the Author
Zeynab
Azimi
University
of Kashan ,Iran