The Efficacies of an Explicit Vocabulary Instruction Model on ESL Learners’ Vocabulary Size and Writing Skills

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frankie Subon ◽  
Norseha Unin
Keyword(s):  
Writing Skills ◽  
Vocabulary Instruction ◽  
Vocabulary Size ◽  
Esl Learners ◽  
Instruction Model ◽  
Explicit Vocabulary

scholarly journals The Efficacies of an Explicit Vocabulary Instruction Model on ESL Learners’ Vocabulary Size and Writing Skills

2021 ◽  
pp. 205-220
Author(s):  
Frankie Subon ◽  
Norseha Unin
Keyword(s):  
Test Scores ◽  
Writing Skills ◽  
Vocabulary Instruction ◽  
Vocabulary Size ◽  
School Students ◽  
Similar Treatment ◽  
Writing Test ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
Writing Tests

Vocabulary size is believed to have positive correlations with learners’ language skills, reading comprehension, knowledge acquisition, and academic achievement. In Malaysia, the lack of vocabulary has been identified as one of the causes for students’ inability to acquire a second language. This quasi-experimental study examined the efficacies of employing the Contextualized Word Family (CWF) Model for direct vocabulary instruction (DVI) on vocabulary size and writing skills among secondary school students based on three proficiency levels. Through a purposive sampling method, 143 Grade 8 students were classified into three proficiency groups and were administered a similar treatment of contextualized word families. The Productive Vocabulary Level Test (PVLT) was used to measure the participants’ vocabulary size and guided essay writing tests were employed to obtain their test scores in the pre-test and post-test. The findings revealed the positive effects of using the CWF Model for enhancing students’ vocabulary size and writing ability. After a ten-week intervention, the majority of the students from low, intermediate, and high proficiency groups were able to increase their vocabulary size from below 1000 words to 1000-2000 words. There was also an increase in the number of students who were able to reach the 2000-word level of vocabulary size for all three groups. The findings from this study ascertained the positive effects of using the CWF Model to boost not only the vocabulary size, but also the writing skills of the high and intermediate proficiency students. On the writing tests, the high proficiency students showed a significant increase while the intermediate proficiency students experienced a slight increase in their writing test scores, but it was insignificant. Surprisingly, the low proficiency students experienced a significant decrease in their writing test scores after the treatment despite experiencing an increase in their vocabulary size. Future studies are recommended to utilize a true experimental design with a longer treatment period especially for examining the efficacies of the model on students’ writing skills.

scholarly journals Explicit vocabulary instruction: Effects of vocabulary learning on Form Two ESL learners

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 1227-1247
Author(s):  
Mohd Haniff Mohd Tahir ◽  
Dianna Suzieanna Mohamad Shah ◽  
Mohamad Syafiq Ya Shak ◽  
Intan Safinas Mohd Ariff Albakri ◽  
Airil Haimi Mohd Adnan
Keyword(s):  
Vocabulary Learning ◽  
Vocabulary Instruction ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
English Curriculum ◽  
Explicit Approach ◽  
Interview Session ◽  
Eighth Grade Students ◽  
Post Test ◽  
Esl Learners ◽  
The Impact

Per its English curriculum, vocabulary instruction is only integrated indirectly in the teaching of reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills in Malaysian schools. ESL learners then may overlook the variety of meanings that a word and its spelling can offer. This research aims to describe the effects of the explicit approach of vocabulary instruction on 30 Form Two (eighth grade) students from a suburban school in Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia. A descriptive style was adopted, and specific vocabulary lessons were used to help students learn the target words. Using descriptive statistics, vocabulary pre- and post-test scores were analysed and compared to determine the impact of this approach. The frequency counts, percentages, mean scores, and standard deviation of the students’ evaluation form responses were analysed. Content analysis was used to transcribe, classify, and categorise qualitative data from the interview session. According to the data, the students’ vocabulary scores increased dramatically in the post-test, with a mean gap of 21.9. The students were also enthusiastic about the teacher’s instructions (M=4.48, SD=0.64) and vocabulary lessons (M=4.34, SD=0.59). It is suggested that the explicit approach of vocabulary instruction, which engages students in exciting vocabulary learning techniques as employed by this study could enhance their vocabulary knowledge. 

scholarly journals Enhancing ESL Learners’ Writing Skills via ProvWrit

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fatin Khairani Khairul Azam ◽  
Fadziana Fadhil ◽  
Melor Md. Yunus
Keyword(s):  
Writing Skills ◽  
Esl Learners

L2 vocabulary knowledge in and out of context

2013 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 52-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hilde van Zeeland
Keyword(s):  
Word Meaning ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Vocabulary Test ◽  
Contextual Knowledge ◽  
Vocabulary Size ◽  
Word Forms ◽  
Isolated Word ◽  
L2 Vocabulary ◽  
Esl Learners ◽  
Shed Light

The vast majority of second language (L2) vocabulary research focuses on learners’ knowledge of isolated word forms. However, it is unclear to what extent this knowledge can be used as an indicator of knowledge in context (i.e. reading and listening). This study aims to shed light on this issue by comparing ESL learners’ knowledge of the meaning of isolated words (‘decontextual knowledge’) with their knowledge of the same words in both reading and listening (‘contextual knowledge’). Decontextual knowledge was measured in a free recall interview. Contextual knowledge was measured through a task in which participants paraphrased sentences containing the target items from both a written and spoken narrative. Results showed that learners’ decontextual and contextual knowledge agreed in 65% of the cases. This indicates a considerable gap between the two, and emphasises that scores on decontextualised vocabulary test should not be used as predictors of learners’ vocabulary knowledge in context. In addition, learners demonstrated significantly better knowledge of word meaning in the reading than listening mode, which may be due to processing difficulties in listening as well as better inferencing opportunities in reading. Two additional factors found to affect both decontextual and contextual knowledge are word frequency and learners’ vocabulary size.

scholarly journals Development of English Writing Skills through Blended Learning among ESL Learners in Malaysia

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isyaku Hassan ◽  
Ayuni Madarina Abdul Rahman ◽  
Mohd Nazri Latiff Azmi
Keyword(s):  
Blended Learning ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Traditional Approach ◽  
Writing Skills ◽  
Data Gathering ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Esl Students ◽  
English Writing ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
Esl Learners

Developing writing proficiency is complex as students need to master specific rules and acquire certain skills. This complexity often obstructs students’ interest and eventually affects their comprehension and performance in language learning. Research has highlighted the significance of English as a Second Language (ESL), particularly in the Malaysian context. This study, therefore, aims to evaluate the effectiveness of blended learning in developing English writing skills, particularly among ESL learners at a Polytechnic in Malaysia. The study adopted quasi-experimental analysis in which pre-test and post-test were used as data-gathering instruments. The data were gathered from a purposive sample of 60 ESL students separated into an experimental group and a control group. The data were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test via the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The findings showed that blended learning is significantly effective in developing writing performance among ESL students in the selected institution. Further analysis revealed a slight improvement among students who learned through the traditional approach. This study highlights useful findings that could be useful in designing English curriculums, particularly in higher institutions. However, this experiment focuses on students’ performance, further research may explore instructors’ practices in Malaysian higher intuitions.

scholarly journals Variability in ESL Outcomes: The Influence of Age on Arrival and Length of Residence on Achievement in High School

2008 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 87 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hetty Roessingh
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
English Language ◽  
Growth Models ◽  
Vocabulary Size ◽  
Achievement Outcomes ◽  
Academic Language Proficiency ◽  
Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency ◽  
Standardized Measure ◽  
Esl Learners

This article integrates findings from earlier research (Roessingh and Kover, 2003; Roessingh, Kover, and Watt, 2005) linking distinct patterns of achievement for diverse age-on-arrival (AOA) cohorts of ESL learners on the grade 12 Alberta English language arts (ELA) examination to their vocabulary and reading comprehension scores on a standardized measure over time. Recasting the data and conducting simple statistical procedures can offer further insights into the features of cognitive academic language proficiency (CALP): the relationship between vocabulary development and academic performance. I consider ESL program effects and the connection between age on arrival, vocabulary size, and achievement outcomes as reflected on the ELA examination. I compare the ESL students' scores with those of a random sample of their native-speaking (NS) academic counterparts to note patterns among the various cohorts of learners. The results suggest that measures of language proficiency (e.g., vocabulary) can be used to gain direct insights into students' academic achievement. This work has important implications for the development of theoretical growth models that would establish language-learning trajectories of good ESL progress for varied AOA and lengths of residence (LOR) fitted against a NS trajectory.

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