Modern Language Journal · 1996 · 139 citations · 0 references
EducationEducational TechnologySecond Language StudiesSecond Language EducationSecond Language LearningVocabulary DevelopmentIncidental Vocabulary LearningMultimedia Instructional ContentMultimedia LearningVocabulary AcquisitionVocabulary KnowledgeWord RecognitionIncidental Learning CaptureIncidental Vocabulary AcquisitionIncidental Word LearningL2 Vocabulary AcquisitionMedia TypesMultimedia Vocabulary LearningRecognition Memory TestsVocabulary Learning From Multimedia Context
Research on second‑language vocabulary acquisition has shown that words linked to objects or imagery are learned more easily than those without. The study investigates how effective multimedia annotations of different media types are for vocabulary acquisition. Three studies with 160 German university students used CyberBuch, a hypermedia reading app that offers word annotations in text, pictures, and video, to examine incidental vocabulary learning during reading, the effectiveness of annotation types, and the relationship between lookup behavior and test performance. Incidental learning was higher than expected (25 % production, 77 % recognition), words annotated with pictures + text scored significantly higher than those with video + text or text only, and a correlation existed between the annotation type looked up and its use as a retrieval cue.
Research on second language (L2) vocabulary acquisition has revealed that words associated with actual objects or imagery techniques are learned more easily than those without. With multimedia applications, it is possible to provide, in addition to traditional definitions of words, different types of information, such as pictures and videos. Thus, one of the fundamental research questions posed in the use of multimedia systems is: How effective are annotations with different media types for vocabulary acquisition? This article discusses the results of three studies done with 160 university German students using CyberBuch , a hypermedia application for reading German texts that contains a variety of annotations for words in the form of text, pictures, and video. The issues examined are related to (a) how well vocabulary is learned incidentally when the goal is reading comprehension, (b) the effectiveness of different types of annotations for vocabulary acquisition, and (c) the relationship between look‐up behavior and performance on vocabulary tests. The results showed a higher rate of incidental learning than expected (25% accuracy on production tests, 77% on recognition tests), significantly higher scores for words that were annotated with pictures + text than for those with video + text or text only, and a correlation between looking up a certain annotation type and using this type as the retrieval cue for remembering words.