Nurturing vocabulary knowledge and developing vocabulary acquisition tasks in reading comprehension: making use of capacity to infer unknown words

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26370708
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Foreign language education
• Research Institution: Tsuda College
• Principal Investigator: Tajika Hiroko 津田塾大学, 学芸学部, 教授 (80188268)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): OZAKI Keiko 津田塾大学, 付置研究所, 研究員 (70527712)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 未知後 / 推論 / 語彙 / 読解 / 語彙レベル / 語彙指導 / 第二言語習得 / 外国語

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The purpose of this study is to explore what can be the possible guidance to enhance vocabulary competency with particular emphasis on making use of learners' ability to infer unknown words in the process of reading English passages. In the past, although we know that vocabulary knowledge plays a major role in second language reading, research on how vocabulary knowledge functions in the process of attaining the meanings of written passages has not been made clear enough. The present research tries to clarify how second language learners infer and attain the meanings of vocabulary words and how such process can be utilized for second language acquisition and ultimately deduce any effective ways to guide learners to acquire L2 vocabulary. Upon this clarification, pedagogical implication for teaching/learning English will be clarified.

Free Research Field

応用言語学