The Comparative Effect of Single and Multiple Gloss Conditions on EFL Learners’ Vocabulary Retention and Production

Mona Khabiri*, Raheleh Akbarpour**
* Assistant Professor, Applied Linguistics, Islamic Azad University, Central Tehran Branch.
** MA in TEFL, Islamic Azad University, Central Tehran Branch.
Periodicity:April - June'2011
DOI : https://doi.org/10.26634/jelt.1.2.1462

Abstract

Vocabulary glosses are considered effective learning tools since they decrease incorrect meaning inferences from context while keeping reading uninterrupted. The purpose of the present study was to examine the impact of different gloss conditions on intermediate EFL learners' vocabulary retention and production. The participants were 101 EFL learners selected based on their performance on  PET and randomly assigned to one control and two experimental groups. In the single gloss experimental group vocabulary was taught using glossed texts with one definition for each gloss while the multiple gloss experimental group received the same texts with three definitions for each gloss. The participants in the control group received the texts without any glosses but were encouraged to consult their dictionaries instead. All the participants took part in vocabulary retention and production posttests after the treatment and those in the two experimental groups answered a questionnaire about their attitudes towards using glosses. The results of the one-way ANOVA confirmed that the two gloss conditions contributed to vocabulary retention and production. Moreover, the results indicated that single gloss group did significantly better on vocabulary retention test. However, no significant difference was found between the single and multiple gloss groups on the vocabulary production test.

Keywords

Gloss Conditions, Single Gloss, Multiple Glosses, Vocabulary Retention, Vocabulary Production.

How to Cite this Article?

Khabiri, M., and Akbarpour, R. (2011). The Comparative Effect Of Single And Multiple Gloss Conditions On EFL Learners' Vocabulary Retention And Production. i-manager’s Journal on English Language Teaching, 1(2), 56-69. https://doi.org/10.26634/jelt.1.2.1462

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