Extensive viewing and L2 vocabulary learning

Abstract

This article presents two classroom-based studies lasting one academic year: Study 1 with beginner learners of English as a foreign language and Study 2 with intermediate learners. In each study, learners in the comparison and experimental groups were introduced to new vocabulary through regular explicit instruction in class, but only those in the experimental group additionally watched subtitled (Study 1) or captioned (Study 2) television series where the new vocabulary appeared. Lexical gains, computed for each academic term, showed an overall positive effect of television viewing, although more differences between groups were found towards the end of the intervention, and more significant results were obtained in Study 2. These longitudinal data provide relevant information on the role of extensive viewing for language learning in instructional settings, which is often missed in one-off studies outside and inside the classroom.