The Comparison of Computer Assisted Teaching and Traditional Explicit Method in Learning / Teaching English Vocabulary.

This review surveys research on second language vocabulary teaching and learning since1999. It first considers the distinction between incidental and intentional vocabulary learning.Although learners certainly acquire word knowledge incidentally while engaged in variouslanguage learning activities, more direct and systematic study of vocabulary is also required.There is a discussion of how word frequency counts and information on word meaning fromcomputer corpora can inform the selection of words to be studied, with a particular focus onspoken vocabulary. This leads to a consideration of learner dictionaries and some researchevidence on how effectively students can use them to understand the meanings of words.Then classroom research on teaching vocabulary is discussed. Another significant topic is thedesign of computer-based language learning programs to enhance opportunities for learnersto expand their vocabulary knowledge. Finally, a summary of recent work on vocabularytesting is presented. Second language learners are typically conscious of the extent to whichlimitations in their vocabulary knowledge hamper their ability to communicate effectively inthe target language, since lexical items carry the basic information load of the meanings theywish to comprehend and express. This gives vocabulary study a salience for learners that maybe lacking in the acquisition of other features of the language system. However, languageteachers are often unsure about how best to incorporate vocabulary learning into theirteaching. Traditional techniques of presenting new words in class or requiring students tomemorize lists of vocabulary items seem old-fashioned in the context of current task-basedlanguage programs.The debate in SLA about the need to focus on form in classroom communication activities(see Doughty & Williams, 1998) has centered almost entirely on the acquisition of grammar,but there are similar issues involved in finding a place for the systematic study of vocabularyin the language curriculum.