INCIDENTAL FOREIGN LANGUAGE VOCABULARY LEARNING FROM GENERATIVE TASKS

Abstract

This study was an exploration of the relevance of the generative learning theory of educational psychology to second language vocabulary learning tasks. The generative learning theory (Wittrock, 1974) predicts that people learn by generating associations between new information and prior experience and knowledge, as well as between individual new items of information. It also proposes that the educational environment, from curriculum design to individual learning tasks, should be designed to facilitate the generation of those associations that lead to learning. In order to test the theory with second language vocabulary learning tasks, five separate experiments that compared experimental conditions of varying degrees of generativeness were conducted. A pilot experiment compared different types of tasks, while the four main experiments involved manipulating generativeness across similar tasks. This study is unique in the field of second language vocabulary learning in that it isolates a single process and subjects it to rigorous experimentation across a variety of task types. Unlike many published studies comparing various types of tasks, variables such as task type, number of retrievals, and time-on-task were carefully controlled across all experimental conditions and only the variable under investigation--generativeness--was manipulated. Posttest results were analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVA and paired samples t-tests where appropriate. The findings of this study suggest that generative versions of typical learning tasks result in significantly more incidental second language vocabulary learning across all types of learning tasks (receptive, minimally productive, and productive). This study introduces novel ways in which typical classroom tasks can be modified to help learners generate associations with their existing knowledge and experience, and demonstrates how those modifications can improve the effectiveness of learning tasks.