Writing to Learn Academic Words: Assessment, Cognition, and Learning (Second Language Learning and Teaching)

✍ Scribed by Breno B. Silva

• Publisher: Springer
• Year: 2022
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 277
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

This book highlights the importance of English academic vocabulary for success at university and explores written tasks as effective pedagogical tools to promote the acquisition of academic words. The book reviews germane and recent SLA, psycholinguistic, corpus linguistics, and L2 writing research to underscore the challenges associated with the learning of academic words. Then, it reports on three empirical studies conducted in the Polish context. The first study develops a reliable tool to assess the knowledge of academic vocabulary of undergraduate learners. The second and third studies investigate the learning of academic words after the writing of sentences and argumentative essays, and discuss the role of cognition as a mediator of such learning. The book also provides an accessible introduction to linear mixed-effect models, a powerful, reliable, and flexible statistical technique that has been gaining popularity among SLA and psycholinguistics researchers.

✦ Table of Contents

Acknowledgements
Introduction
Contents
Acronyms
List of Figures
List of Tables
1 The Importance of General and Academic Vocabulary Learning
1.1 Introduction
1.2 The Essentialness of Lexical Learning and Its Challenges
1.3 Vocabulary Knowledge in Higher Education and the Importance of Academic Vocabulary
1.4 The Role of Cognateness in Vocabulary Learning
1.5 The Difficulty in Learning Academic Vocabulary
1.6 Cognate Inflation Effects in Vocabulary Tests
1.7 Conclusion
References
2 Incidental Lexical Learning and the Involvement Load Hypothesis
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Defining Incidental Lexical Learning
2.3 Research on Incidental Vocabulary Learning Through Input
2.4 Research on Incidental Vocabulary Learning Through Output
2.5 The Involvement Load Hypothesis
2.6 The ILH as Applied to Writing
2.7 Conclusion
References
3 The Writing Cycle and Cognitive Processes that May Affect Learning
3.1 Introduction
3.2 The Writing Process
3.3 The Allocation of Attentional Resources in Formal Writing
3.3.1 The Role of L2 Proficiency in Lexical Learning Through Writing
3.3.2 The Influence of Multitasking in Lexical Learning Through Writing
3.4 Task Characteristics and Their Effect on Task Performance and Lexical Learning
3.4.1 The Notion of Complexity and Complexity Measures
3.4.2 The Trade-Off or Limited Capacity Hypothesis
3.4.3 The Cognition Hypothesis
3.5 The Various Factors at Play: Connecting SLA and L2 Writing Research
3.6 Conclusion
References
4 Overview of the Research Project: Methodology and Statistical Analyses
4.1 Introduction
4.2 Theoretical Assumptions Behind the Studies
4.3 The Studies Reported in Chaps. 5, 6 and 7
4.3.1 Study 1 (Chap. 5): VST as a Reliable Academic Placement Tool Despite Cognate Inflation Effects (Silva & Otwinowska, 2019)
4.3.2 Study 2 (Chap. 6): Incidental Learning of Academic Words Through Writing Sentences and Timed Essays: Can an Increase in Cognitive Load Affect Acquisition? (Silva et al., 2021)
4.3.3 Study 3 (Chap. 7): Incidental Learning of Academic Words Through Writing Sentences, Timed Essays, and Untimed Essays
4.4 Some Considerations on Statistical Analyses
4.4.1 Basic Inferential Statistics Used
4.4.2 Linear Mixed Models: An Introduction
4.4.3 Fitting Linear Mixed Models in the Current Book
4.5 Conclusion
References
5 Study 1—The Assessment of Academic Vocabulary: Developing a Reliable Academic Placement Tool
5.1 Introduction
5.2 Method
5.2.1 Aims and Research Questions
5.2.2 Participants
5.2.3 Instruments
5.2.4 Procedure
5.3 Analysis
5.3.1 Variables Derived from the AVT
5.3.2 Variables Derived from the VST
5.4 Results
5.4.1 Comparison of Test Performance for Cognates and Noncognates
5.4.2 Using the VST to Predict Academic Vocabulary Knowledge
5.5 Discussion
5.5.1 Cognate Inflation in the VST and AVT
5.5.2 Explaining Cognate Inflation for Polish VST Test-Takers
5.5.3 The VST Results Predict Academic Vocabulary Knowledge
5.5.4 Explaining the AVT Results and Interpreting the VST Results
5.5.5 Limitations of the Study
5.6 Conclusion
References
6 Study 2—Incidental Lexical Learning Through Writing Sentences and Timed Compositions: Is Learning Affected by Task-Induced Cognitive Load?
6.1 Introduction
6.2 Method
6.2.1 Aims and Research Questions
6.2.2 Participants
6.2.3 Measures of Participant Proficiency
6.2.4 Task-Performance Measures of Cognitive Load
6.2.5 Instruments
6.2.6 Design
6.2.7 Treatment Groups
6.2.8 Procedures
6.3 Analysis
6.4 Results
6.4.1 Results for Tests Measuring Lexical Knowledge
6.4.2 Results for Task-Performance Variables
6.5 Discussion
6.6 Conclusion
References
7 Study 3—Incidental Learning of Academic Words Through Writing: Can a Decrease in Cognitive Load Affect Acquisition?
7.1 Introduction
7.2 Method
7.2.1 Aims and Research Questions
7.2.2 Participants
7.2.3 Measures of Participant Proficiency
7.2.4 Task-Performance Measures of Cognitive Load
7.2.5 Another Measure of Cognitive Load: The Self-rating Scale
7.2.6 The Working Memory Task
7.2.7 Instruments Needed to Measure Lexical Learning
7.2.8 Design
7.2.9 Treatments
7.2.10 Procedures
7.3 Analysis
7.3.1 Choosing the Data
7.3.2 Generating the Digit Span Missing Data
7.3.3 Statistical Analyses
7.4 Results
7.4.1 Results for Tests Measuring Lexical Knowledge
7.4.2 Results for Measures of Cognitive Load
7.5 Discussion
7.6 Conclusion
References
8 General Discussion for Study 2 (Chapter 6) and Study 3 (Chapter 7)
8.1 Introduction
8.2 Quick Review of Research Design
8.3 Study 2 (Chap. 6): Lexical Gains and Cognitive Load
8.3.1 Lexical Gains in SW and Timed CW
8.3.2 Signs of Increased Cognitive Load in Timed CW
8.4 Study 3 (Chap. 7): Cognitive Load and Lexical Gains
8.4.1 Signs of Increased Cognitive Load in Timed CW, but not in Untimed CW
8.4.2 Lexical Gains in SW, Timed CW, and Untimed CW: Unexpected Findings
8.5 The Use of the Keywords in the Essays: A Qualitative Analysis
8.5.1 The Proper Use of Keywords
8.5.2 The Improper Use of Keywords
8.6 Issues in Proceduralizing Incidental Lexical Learning
8.7 Conclusion
References
9 Conclusions, Practical Implications, Limitations, and Suggestions for Future Research
9.1 Introduction
9.2 Study 1: Assessing Academic Vocabulary Knowledge for Placement Purposes
9.2.1 A Summary of the Research Design and Findings
9.2.2 Implications for Pedagogy
9.2.3 Limitations and Suggestions for Future Research
9.3 Studies 2 and 3: Incidental Lexical Learning Through SW and CW
9.3.1 A Summary of the Research Design and Findings
9.3.2 Implications for Pedagogy
9.3.3 Limitations and Suggestions for Future Research
9.4 Final Conclusions
References
Appendix A
A.1 389 Polish–English Cognate Types in the AWL
Appendix B
B.1 The VST (Study 1; Chap. 5)
Appendix C
C.1 The Three Versions of the AVT (Study 1; Chap. 5)
Appendix D
D.1 The 46 Cognates and 44 Noncognates in the VST (Study 1; Chap. 5)
Appendix E
E.1 The Questionnaire (Studies 2 and 3; Chaps. 6 and 7)
Appendix F
F.1 LexTALE (Studies 2 and 3; Chaps. 6 and 7).
Appendix G
G.1 Control and Treatment Essays (Studies 2 and 3; Chaps. 6 and 7)
Control essay (This title was omitted in the real task)
Unstructured essay (This title was omitted in the real task)
Structured essay (This title was omitted in the real task)
Appendix H
H.1 Glossaries (Studies 2 and 3; Chaps. 6 and 7)
Appendix I
I.1 The VKS and Association Test (Studies 2 and 3; Chaps. 6 and 7)
Appendix J
J.1 Two Sample Essays (Studies 2 and 3; Chaps. 6 and 7)
Appendix K
K.1 (Study 2; Chap. 6): VKS_6 Model
K.2 (Study 2): VKS_3 Model
K.3 (Study 2): Association Model
Appendix L
L.1 Self-rating Scale to Measure Cognitive Load (Study 3; Chap. 7)
Appendix M
M.1 Descriptive Statistics for Imputation Procedure for WM_Scores (Study 3; Chap. 7)
Appendix N
N.1 (Study 3; Chap. 7): VKS_6 Model
N.2 (Study 3): VKS_3 Model
N.3 (Study 3): Association Model