Time distribution and intentional vocabulary learning through repeated reading: a partial replication and extension

The aim of this study is to analyze the effect of different schedules of repeated reading practice on intentional vocabulary learning, and constitutes a partial replication and extension of the authors' previous study on incidental vocabulary learning. Two groups of Taiwanese EFL learners (n = 72) engaged in five repeated reading sessions; one group had the sessions on consecutive days (1-day intersession interval, ISI), whereas the other had them once a week (7-day ISI). Apart from reading for meaning, the students were also asked to focus on 36 target words. The students were tested before and immediately after the treatment. Moreover, a delayed posttest was scheduled at a retention interval (RI) of 4 and 28 days for the intensive group and spaced group respectively (considering an ISI/RI ratio of 25%). The results indicate that the short-spaced repeated reading sessions had a significantly more positive effect on vocabulary learning on both immediate and delayed posttest than the long-spaced sessions. The benefits of the short-spaced schedule were clearer in the current study on intentional vocabulary learning than in the authors' previous study on incidental learning through repeated reading.

Automated summary

This study analyzes the effect of different schedules of repeated reading practice on intentional vocabulary learning and finds that short-spaced repeated reading sessions have a more positive impact on vocabulary learning.