Study Of Incidental Vocabulary Acquisitionin Web-based English Reading

Large vocabulary is one of the important prerequisites in English learning,; furthermore, Incidental Vocabulary Acquisition (IVA) in reading is a way which cannot be ignored in vocabulary learning. Network resources are gradually becoming the platform in English reading, so the web-based reading is regarded as a new learning way in IVA. What is the extent of IVA in web-based English reading? What is the difference between web-based reading and regular reading? What are the facilitating and constricting factors of IVA in web-based reading? This paper aims at answering the above three questions.This research was carried out on the basis of Dai Weidong's Internet-based cognitive psychological environment for vocabulary acquisition and Paivio's Dual coding approach, and participants'IVA gains and retention are explored through one experiment and one survey. Two balanced groups (groups of web-based reading and paper reading), with 31 English majors in the Foreign Languages College of Shanghai Normal University, attended the investigation. One passage about 500 words was selected as the reading material and its target words were 12 words. The experiment is carried on in following the four steps: 1) Immediate reading. The reading material was showed with web browser for the participants in the group of web-based reading, while paper reading material was handed out for those in the paper reading group; 2) Immediate word test, a word test about 12 target words and a questionnaire were asked to be finished after reading; 3) Questionnaire; 4) Delayed word test. A same word test about 12 target words was required to be completed to investigate the retention of target words.This experiment collected the data of the students in web-based reading and paper reading. Then the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS, version 17.0) and excel were employed to help deal with the raw data, and the author arrived at the following conclusions:1)For the group of web-based reading, the acquired effect is not very good, and the measurements between the two tests have no significant difference. The reason for the different acquired effect about 12 target words is relevant with their own characteristics.2)The facilitating factor of web-based reading is beneficial to improve participants'overall acquisition effect while its constricting factor is to distract participants'attention.3)The participants in the group of web-based reading could digest the information better than those in the other group.This study has some theoretical and practical significance in English teaching and learning: for students, right use of network in reading and learning is beneficial for IVA. In reading, the students should concentrate on target passages to get a better learning effect; for teachers, some guidance in students'reading is necessary, such as the selection of good reading materials and intelligent use of the Internet for learning.