EFFECTS OF INCONSIDERATE TEXT ON ELEVENTH GRADERS’ VOCABULARY LEARNING

Abstract

This study examined differences in secondary students’ vocabulary learning from original and revised contextual information. Materials included two passages from a U.S. history text, each embedding 10 target words. One version left the original passages intact; a second version was revised for each target word according to four considerate definitional features: proximity, clarity of connection, explicitness, and completeness. Over a two‐day period, high and average ability eleventh graders read an original version of one passage and a revised version of the second passage. Following the readings, for each word the students were asked to indicate their extent of knowledge, to provide a topic‐related meaning, and to explain the word's importance in understanding the larger topic. Results showed that the revised passages generated significantly higher scores for both ability groups on the definition and importance measures but not on the indication of knowledge measure. These findings suggest a discrepancy between the students’ assumed awareness and actual knowledge of word meanings acquired from text. Instructional implications are discussed