Applied Linguistics · 2001 · 1.3K citations · 0 references
Second Language LearningLanguage DevelopmentLanguage EducationPsycholinguisticsCognitionVocabulary LearningLanguage LearningSocial SciencesIncidental Vocabulary AcquisitionSecond Language AcquisitionL2 Vocabulary LearningLanguage AcquisitionLanguage StudiesCognitive FactorSecond Language EducationCognitive ScienceSecond LanguageForeign Language LearningTask-induced InvolvementTheoretical ThinkingLanguage ComprehensionForeign Language AcquisitionLinguistics
The study proposes a new construct of task‑induced involvement—comprising Need, Search, and Evaluation—to stimulate theoretical and empirical research in second‑language vocabulary learning. Retention of unfamiliar words is posited to depend on the level of involvement, which is operationalised through tasks that vary in Need, Search, and Evaluation, and the paper reviews related cognitive and motivational constructs. Re‑examining existing empirical work on task effects, the authors highlight the need to expand the involvement construct and outline its potential for future vocabulary‑learning research.
The paper makes an attempt to stimulate theoretical thinking and empirical research in the domain of L2 vocabulary learning by introducing a construct of involvement with motivational and cognitive dimensions: Need, Search, and Evaluation. Retention of hitherto unfamiliar words is claimed to be conditional upon the amount of involvement while processing these words. Involvement is operationalised by tasks designed to vary in the degree of need, search, and evaluation. The paper reviews a number of constructs that are currently debated and investigated in the literature on cognitive and motivational aspects of L2 learning. It also re-examines the existing empirical literature on task effect in the light of the proposed construct of task-induced involvement, stresses the need for deepening and broadening the construct, and discusses possibilities it offers for research on vocabulary learning.