語彙学習における語彙の長さと親密度の影響

This study attempted to examine how word length and word familiarity related to learners’ vocabulary knowledge and how they affected L2 vocabulary learning. Twenty long words comprising 9 ~ 11 letters and 30 short words with 3 ~ 4 letters were selected from the 3，000-word level and examined for learners’ receptive/productive knowledge and word familiarity. Results indicated that before learning， productive vocabulary knowledge for long words was significantly higher than their receptive vocabulary knowledge， while short words did not show any significant differences. Long words were also produced significantly more often than short words. Moreover， long words were perceived to be significantly more familiar than short words. After learning， however， no significant difference was found between long and short words in either productive or receptive knowledge， indicating greater gains for short words. The post-test also showed that productive knowledge was significantly higher than receptive knowledge for both long and short words， which disconfirmed Laufer and Goldstein (2004). Word familiarity also increased， with long words again being perceived as more familiar than short words. Word familiarity with long words became correlated with both receptive and productive knowledge， suggesting that a strong connection may be created where long words are concerned

Learners\u27 Recognition of Loanwords and Reading Comprehension

The present study investigated three aspects of loanwords : how loanwords were utilized in English learning, how they were recognized in English texts, and how they affected reading comprehension. Four reading texts were used and manipulated by the number of loanwords and the degree of topic familiarity and text difficulty. Thirty students with larger vocabularies and 30 with smaller vocabularies were selected from 102 students. First, students responded to a questionnaire about how they perceived loanwords in learning. Then, they read the texts and marked words they recognized as loanwords. Finally, they were provided comprehension questions, followed by their feedback about how familiar and difficult they found it. Major findings were: (1) Students with larger vocabularies rarely used katakana for learning pronunciation, which was significantly different from students with smaller vocabularies, (2) Although the number of loanwords was set in the texts, students with larger vocabularies recognized more loanwords than those with smaller vocabularies, and their recognition rates differed among the four texts, whereas students with smaller vocabularies did not show any differences regardless of whether the text was familiar or difficult, (3) Students with smaller vocabularies showed a significant correlation between the questionnaire responses and the number of loanword recognitions,(4) Students with larger vocabularies outperformed those with smaller vocabularies in reading comprehension, (5) Students with smaller vocabularies strongly perceived a difference due to topic familiarity rather than text difficulty, and (6) Effects of loanwords on topic familiarity and text difficulty in reading comprehension were not clearly shown. In response to the increasing use of loanwords in today’s society, the present study discusses how they can be utilized in vocabulary learning

Learner Perceptions on Gairaigo : Relations between Word Familiarity and English Vocabulary Sizes

本論文は大学生の外来語に対する意識を調査し、それが外来語に対する彼らの親密度や英語語彙サイズとどのように関係しているかを調べたものである。本学の1～3年生の88名について、国立国語研究所の報告（2004）をもとに質問項目を拡大し、計23項目について調査した。結果としては、外来語の見聞きの程度については80%が日本語の中に多く見られると感じており、学生自身も67%が外来語を使用していると回答した。今後外来語が増加することには70%が好ましく考えており、2004年の報告の平均と比べると、約2倍多く外来語が増えることに抵抗がないことが分かった。外来語の長所として「しゃれた感じを表す」が最も高く、次に「知的な感じを表す」が続き、外来語の短所としては「誤解や意味を取り違える」「相手によって話が通じなくなる」が挙げられた。長所と短所の平均点に有意差が見られ、学生は外来語に対して長所の方をより高く評価していた。外来語の弱点として「発音が異なる」点を強く意識していることが示された。日本語コーパス少納言から選出された低頻度の外来語37語に対する語彙親密度と意識調査との関係を見ると、「外来語の良い点」のみと有意な相関があった。また意識調査と学生の語彙サイズとの関係では、「外来語を使用する程度」「英語が好き」「英語が得意」と有意な相関が見られた。これらの結果をもとに、外来語を活用した語彙指導、語彙学習の教育的示唆をおこなう

The Effects of CALL-Based Vocabulary Learning : Focusing on Learners\u27 Vocabulary Levels, Practice Levels, and Proficiency Differences

The study attempts to examine the effects of CALL-based vocabulary learning with a special emphasis on learners\u27 vocabulary levels and the potential effects of vocabulary practice. It also focused on how the effects were influenced by learners\u27 proficiency differences. Based on an earlier study (Kawauchi, Kamimoto, & Nagasawa, 2005), the following two research questions were examined: (1) Is it possible that learning vocabulary of one or two ranks higher than learners\u27 levels can increase the size of not only the vocabulary they studied but also the vocabulary of lower ranks? (2) Are there any differences between upper level learners and lower level learners? A total of 88 first year students were required to do an extra study of vocabulary practice using a CALL program, Power Words. Their vocabulary level was judged Level 1 by the diagnostic test attached to this program. 55 students (Group A) were asked to study the vocabulary of one rank higher (Level 2) than their current level and complete that level by the end of the first semester. Similarly, 33 students (Group B) were asked to study and complete the vocabulary of two ranks higher (Level 3) than their current level. 49 students of Group A and 29 students of Group B fulfilled the requirement. The present study focused these students to investigate the research questions, using pre- and post-tests. The results with Group A showed a significant increase at Level 2 and also at the lower rank vocabulary of Level 1. They also increased their vocabulary size at Levels 3, 5, and 6. However, these effects were found mainly in the lower level students. On the other hand, Group B showed a significant increase of Level 3 which they studied, but no effects were found in the lower rank vocabulary. This increase was, in fact, found in the higher level students. Based on these findings, some pedagogical implications are also provided

Developing Second Language Proficiency in a Study Abroad Context

This study attempts to investigate the development of English proficiency of four college students who took part in a one-year study abroad program in an American university. English proficiency before and after the study program was measured in terms of listening, reading, writing, speaking, and vocabulary. In addition, a questionnaire was also provided to examine students\u27 perceptions of their own language development as well as their attitude changes in language use. The writing skill significantly improved in fluency, accuracy, and, in particular, complexity. The speaking skill in the interview test also indicated a significant increase in all the categories (accent, grammar, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension). The listening skill changed favorably, but the gains were not statistically significant in spite of the students\u27 high self-evaluations on listening development. The improvement in reading skill was not obvious. Development of English proficiency for the individual students varied. The most proficient student before the program demonstrated the least improvement, while the least proficient student showed the largest increase

CALL-Based Vocabulary Learning : The Effectiveness of Using Power Words

There is a growing need for a larger size vocabulary as learners reach higher levels of proficiency. Unfortunately, however, there seem to be few chances provided for learners to increase vocabulary knowledge at the university level. In order to fill this void, a vocabulary learning CALL program, called PowerWords, was adopted. The main purpose of this study was to see if the program would be effective. The study examined 106 freshmen of Kurume University who were engaged in this program for 10 weeks. Prior to the study, all the students took the diagnostic test for the program to see the appropriate level for them to start with. In order to estimate lexical gains over the period, two parallel tests, which served as a pretest and a post-test, were developed by using the beginning 5,000 words out of the 12,000 wordlist. At the end of the study, a questionnaire composed of 12 items was also given to examine how useful the students found the program to be. The results showed that PowerWords was moderately effective in that students\u27 vocabulary size increased on average from 3,244 to 3,348 words by gaining 104 words over the 10-week period. The questionnaire also revealed that a considerable number of the students regarded the program as useful and enjoyable, showing an overall mean of 3.96 on a scale of 1 to 5. More findings were also discussed, and a few suggestions were offered for the programs, ultimately calling for an integration of the vocabulary program into the language courses

使える文法を目指して : 3タイプの文法練習の効果

This study investigated the effectiveness of three types of grammar exercises. Students were asked to complete multiple reading， fill-in-the-blank and sentence writing exercises， all of which either contained or solicited the correct usage of target grammar functions. Target grammar items included the usage of “see/hear/make，” causative “have，” and “want/let.” Seventy-four low-intermediate students were taught these rules through one of the three types of exercises. English translation tests were administered immediately after each exercise， followed by delayed tests one week later. Overall results for the fill-in exercise proved significantly higher than for the reading and writing exercises in the immediate test. There was a perceived difference in the degree of rule difficulty. The immediate scores for the causative “have” in reading and writing were significantly lower than the other target rules， suggesting its being the most difficult rule. In contrast， the fill-in exercise did not show any significant differences， suggesting that this exercise might be effective even for difficult linguistic forms. However， the effect of the fill-in exercise was not maintained in the delayed test. Students reported that the writing exercise was the most difficult and the least enjoyable of all， but nevertheless as useful as the other exercises