Effects of Glosses on Vocabulary Gain and Retention among Tertiary Level EFL Learners

This paper reports on a study that aimed to investigate the effects of textual glosses on the lexical development of EFL learners. Given the importance of the English language for tertiary level study, it is necessary for EFL learners to read independently and to acquire the vocabulary they need for disciplinary study. Many studies have reported that a lack of extensive reading among L2 learners leads to lack of vocabulary. Several studies have also demonstrated that the use of authentic materials can promote vocabulary development. However, authentic materials often present many unfamiliar words and L2 learners often need to read efficiently without the use of a dictionary. Hence, researchers have argued whether the provision of marginal gloss can help L2 learners solve this problem. In the present quasi-experimental research, 76 EFL postgraduate students at UPM [Universiti Putra Malaysia] who had attained similar scores in a standardized reading test were divided into four groups randomly. They then attempted a pre-test, and read six authentic texts over a period of eight weeks under one of four conditions: L1 gloss, L2 gloss, L1 and L2 gloss, and no gloss. After students had read the texts, immediate and delayed post-tests were administered to assess their gain and retention of 30 target words from the texts. The results revealed that participants in the experimental L1 gloss, L2 gloss, and L1 and L2 gloss groups had outperformed the subjects in the control (no gloss) group in vocabulary gain and vocabulary retention. The findings of this study will be beneficial for those who are interested in applying the related psycholinguistic theories in developing EFL learners' vocabulary knowledge, particularly among tertiary level learners who could become more independent in their reading. The following are appended: (1) Sample of L1 Glossed Text; (2) Sample of L2 Glossed Text; (3) Sample of L1 and L2 Glossed Text; and (4) Sample of Non-Glossed Text. (Contains 4 figures and 22 tables.)