In recent years we have learned a lot about the relationship between
vocabulary learning and reading. For example, we have learned something
about how many words we need to know in order to read effectively in a
foreign language; the rate of vocabulary uptake and decay from reading;
the number of meetings it takes to learn a word; and the retention of recently
learned words. We will review each of these in turn.
The most striking examples of the positive effects of extensive reading
come from the Book Flood studies (Elley, 1991). These involved spending
a large proportion of the English programme on extensive reading where
learners chose from a wide range of interesting texts. The Fiji book flood
study (Elley & Mangubhai, 1981) lasted eight months and brought about
dramatic improvements in a wide range of language skills including reading
comprehension, knowledge of grammatical structures, word recognition,
oral repetition, and writing. Unfortunately, this study did not include a
measure of vocabulary growth, but it is clear that the improvement on the
various measures used could not have occurred without substantial
vocabulary growth. Elley (1991: 378-379) saw the success of the book flood
being due to five factors.
In recent years we have learned a lot about the relationship between
vocabulary learning and reading. For example, we have learned something
about how many words we need to know in order to read effectively in a
foreign language; the rate of vocabulary uptake and decay from reading;
the number of meetings it takes to learn a word; and the retention of recently
learned words. We will review each of these in turn.
The most striking examples of the positive effects of extensive reading
come from the Book Flood studies (Elley, 1991). These involved spending
a large proportion of the English programme on extensive reading where
learners chose from a wide range of interesting texts. The Fiji book flood
study (Elley & Mangubhai, 1981) lasted eight months and brought about
dramatic improvements in a wide range of language skills including reading
comprehension, knowledge of grammatical structures, word recognition,
oral repetition, and writing. Unfortunately, this study did not include a
measure of vocabulary growth, but it is clear that the improvement on the
various measures used could not have occurred without substantial
vocabulary growth. Elley (1991: 378-379) saw the success of the book flood
being due to five factors.
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