Running Header: A Comparison of Integrated, Isolated and Incidental

ESL Vocabulary Instruction

A Comparison of Integrated, Isolated and Incidental ESL Vocabulary Instruction and

Their Effect on Cognition and Retention

Jennifer Landry

University of Central Arkansas

A Comparison of Integrated, Isolated and Incidental 2
ESL Vocabulary Instruction

Abstract

The cognition of language can be measured by a subject’s ability to communicate understood

meaning in the same language of study. For those that teach and/or create language curriculum,

the primary task is to ascertain the best method of presenting language material in order to

promote optimal cognition and usage of the language. A major problem that has presented in the

ESL classroom is the lack of vocabulary cognition and (sociolinguistic) usage amongst L2

language learners. According to Judd (1978) and Harmon, Buckelew-Martin, & Wood (2010),

ESL classrooms currently relegate lexicon to a secondary status of importance in mastering an

L2 language. Because of this, ESL students are lacking the working lexicon needed to function

both in their classrooms and in sociocultural environments (Judd, 1978, p. 71) (Harmon,

Buckelew-Martin, & Wood, 2010, p. 100-7). In other words, many L2 learners are unable to

communicate effectively in the L2 language in both educational and sociocultural situations. This

research proposal will examine the importance of isolated vocabulary instruction and its effect on

retention and cognition of new words in 9th grade ESL classrooms by comparing it to integrated

and incidental language strategies. The expectation of the statistical results is that isolated

vocabulary instruction will show a higher rate of retention and cognition than both integrated and

incidental vocabulary strategies.

Keywords: isolated vocabulary, integrated vocabulary, incidental learning,

ESL, learning strategies

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ESL Vocabulary Instruction

A Comparison of Integrated, Isolated and Incidental ESL Vocabulary Instruction and

Their Effect on Cognition and Retention

Introduction

A native English speaker learns 3,000 new words a year, adding up to a total of 40,000

words by his/her senior year in high school. These numbers are staggering. However, according

to Brown and Perry Jr.’s (1991) article, A Comparison of Three Learning Strategies for ESL

Vocabulary Acquisition, “A logical extrapolation is that an ESL student who is learning academic

English would have to learn on average more words per year than this” (p. 655). In the case of

L2 language acquisition, it can be surmised that the task of both ESL teachers and students is

enormous. One major problem that has presented amongst educators and creators of the

curriculum is a lack of agreement on the most effective L2 language learning strategy. In most

U.S. schools, educators and curriculum creators have placed a heavy emphasis on grammar

instruction, placing less importance on the lexical aspects of the language. This study will

compare and examine the effects on retention and cognition of three ESL vocabulary learning

strategies: isolated, integrated, and incidental. Using the results, the study will reveal which of

the three learning strategies would be potentially most effective in ESL classrooms.

Literarture Review

D. Kumaravidivelu (2006), professor of applied linguistics/TESOL, explains the function

of learning strategies in his book, Understanding Language Teaching: From Method to

Postmethod. He states that “learning strategies are operations and routines used by the learners to

facilitate the obtaining, storage, retrieval, and use of information” (p. 36). Since language is at

the center of all human communication, it is vital that educators discover the best learning

strategy for L2 language learners. Also, since vocabulary is at the center of all language, it
A Comparison of Integrated, Isolated and Incidental 4
ESL Vocabulary Instruction

becomes evident that vocabulary instruction should play a central role in L2 language learning

strategies. To ascertain exactly what role vocabulary should play in L2 learning strategies, two

questions should be answered: (1) Should ESL vocabulary instruction be instructional or

incidental and (2) Should ESL vocabulary instruction be isolated or integrated?

The primary question that needs to be answered is whether or not vocabulary instruction should

be instructional or incidental. After examining the results of three related research experiments, the

consensus is that a focus on vocabulary instruction produces a higher rate of retention and cognition than

incidental vocabulary exposure. In A Comparison of Three Learning Strategies for ESL Vocabulary

Acquisition. Brown and Perry Jr. (1991) state, “To our knowledge, Crow and Quigley (1985) have

published the only study looking at the effectiveness of ESL vocabulary learning strategies. Their study

examined several semantic processing strategies and found them to be superior to no-strategy conditions”

(p. 657). Years later, Zimmerman (1997) states in her article, Do Reading and Interactive Vocabulary

Instruction Make a Difference? An Empirical Study, “The results of the checklist test are

consistent with the hypothesis that L2 students who have been exposed to a combination of

regular periods of reading and interactive vocabulary instruction will show an increase in

vocabulary knowledge” (p. 132). Most recently, File and Adams (2010) state in their article,

Should Vocabulary Instruction Be Integrated or Isolated?, “This study supports prior research

that has indicated that explicit instruction leads to more vocabulary learning than incidental

exposure (e.g., Hill & Laufer, 2003; Knight, 1994; Laufer, 2003; Paribakht & Wesche, 1997;

Watanabe, 1997)” (as cited in File & Adams, 2010, p. 243). Because all three research

experiments present empirical evidence that vocabulary instruction improves retention and

cognition of new words, it can be surmised that vocabulary instruction in ESL classrooms should

play a more vital role in classroom instruction.

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ESL Vocabulary Instruction

Since vocabulary instruction has been proven to be important, the next question to be

answered is whether isolated or integrated instructional strategies produce results in teaching

ESL vocabulary. “According to the results of File and Adam’s (2010) form-focused instruction

research (integrated vs. isolated), “Both FFI treatments led to significantly more learning and

retention of new vocabulary knowledge than incidental exposure alone” (p. 222). However, they

also report that isolated instruction showed a slightly higher rate of memory retention and

cognition than integrated instruction. They posit that the subjects’ attention was possibly divided

in integrated vocabulary instruction because they were attempting to learn the meaning of the

word while simultaneously attempting to find its contextual meaning within the reading

assignment. However, their final analysis showed that the differences between isolated and

integrated instruction in an ESL classroom were minor. Therefore, File and Adams (2010)

suggest that “teachers should implement vocabulary instruction during reading in ways that suit

their preferred styles, the teaching schedule, and learners' individual needs” (p. 239). The

hypothesis that isolated vocabulary instruction is a viable instructional strategy is indirectly

reinforced by Brown and Perry Jr.’s (1991) research. They tested three isolated vocabulary

strategies (keyword, semantic, and keyword-semantic). Each of the ESL subjects (L1 Arabic-

speakers) was given isolated vocabulary instruction for a list of vocabulary words and tested

afterward using Craik and Lockhart’s depth of processing theory. The result for each strategy

showed an increase in vocabulary retention and cognition supporting the use of isolated

vocabulary instruction (ps. 657, 660-5). Finally, in the case of integrated instruction,

Zimmerman’s (1997) findings were less conclusive because the testing was done through student

questionnaires, which are reliant on perception and subject honesty. However, the results do

conclude that that “interactive vocabulary instruction accompanied by moderate amounts of self-
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ESL Vocabulary Instruction

selected and course-related reading led to gains in vocabulary knowledge; students' perceptions

of how best to learn words corroborated these results. It is argued that teachers should give

consideration to the effects of combining reading and interactive vocabulary instruction” (p.

121). In conclusion, it can be surmised that isolated and/or integrated instructional strategies can

be used to teach ESL vocabulary in the classroom with positive retentive and cognitive results.

Purpose

This purpose of this study is to make a comparison between isolated, integrated, and

incidental ESL vocabulary learning strategies. There are two major questions that need to be

answered: (1) Should ESL vocabulary instruction be instructional or incidental and (2) Should

ESL vocabulary instruction be isolated or integrated? The expected result of question (1) is that

incidental vocabulary acquisition is unreliable and not as productive as an instructional learning

strategy. The expected result of question (2) is that isolated instruction will have a slightly higher

result in retention and cognition and could be recommended as a more effective ESL vocabulary

learning strategy.

Methodology

Research Design

This study will use an experimental design consisting of three comparison groups. There

will be two experimental groups that will each receive an individual instruction treatment. Group

A will receive isolated vocabulary instruction while Group B will receive integrated vocabulary

instruction. The control group, Group C, will not receive vocabulary instruction treatment and

will be measured for incidental vocabulary acquisition. To measure the results of the groups, a

pre-test, post-test, and delayed post-test design will be followed. The pre-test will strictly test for

vocabulary knowledge before each unit. This will allow for the elimination of vocabulary words
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ESL Vocabulary Instruction

that falls into the prior knowledge category and identify new vocabulary words for each subject.

The post-test will be administered at the end of each unit in order to ascertain comprehension and

vocabulary definition. At the end of the 30-day experiment period, a delayed comprehensive

post-test will ascertain comprehension, vocabulary definition, and retention of vocabulary from

all prior units.

This design was chosen for its potential to isolate new vocabulary in each group and test

each individual teaching strategy (isolated, integrated, and incidental) according to

comprehension, vocabulary definition, and long-term memory retention. Hypothetically, the

teaching strategy that has the highest results in all three dependent variables will be the best

teaching strategy to use with groups of students similar to the subject groups of the experiment.

Participants

Three classes of 9th-12th grade high school ESL students will be the participants of the study.

These students will not be isolated by age or grade because most ESL high school classrooms in

the U.S. combine 9th – 12th grade students in the same classroom. This format will give a more

accurate representation of an actual ESL classroom population. The students will be assigned

through purposive sampling. Three high school level ESL classrooms will be assigned a learning

strategy. These three classrooms will be chosen according to demographic data showing that they

represent all ESL classrooms.

Procedures

This is an intervention study to determine the comprehension, vocabulary definition, and

retention of new vocabulary words in high school ESL classrooms. The intervention in this study

is the use of three different learning strategies: isolated, integrated, and incidental. The materials

used in this study will be a reading unit comprised of an article, a list of corresponding
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ESL Vocabulary Instruction

vocabulary words, a pre-test, a post-test, and a delayed post-test. Each classroom will receive the

same material but will implement those materials using their assigned intervention (isolated,

integrated, or incidental learning strategy).

At the beginning of the study, each student will be given a pre-test for the first unit

vocabulary words. The pre-test will identify new words for each participant student. The next

three days will be spent reading the article which contains the test vocabulary words according to

their assigned learning strategy. (Note, each synonym, alternate sample sentence, and activity

will be the same for each group so that results will be reliable. Hypothetically, the only

difference in each group would be the learning strategy.) On the last day of the first unit, the

post-test will be administered. The post-test will include multiple choice questions for both

comprehension and vocabulary definition. The post-test results will ascertain how many new

words were learned by each participant student. This procedure will continue for a total of four

school weeks. Once all four units have been completed, the students will take a delayed post-test

that will include all of the words from the prior four units. This delayed post-test will measure

overall comprehension, vocabulary definition, and retention of all the vocabulary words

presented during the study.

Group A will be taught using the isolated learning strategy. This group will receive a list

of vocabulary words on the first day of the week. They will be taught these words and their

definitions before introduction to the article. This will include visual and oral aids presented by

the teacher. It will also include sample sentences which illustrate usage of the word and several

possible synonyms. At the end of the day, they will be given an impromptu quiz to gauge their

retention for that day. The following three days, the students will read the article and perform

activities that correlate with vocabulary definition and comprehension. The vocabulary words
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ESL Vocabulary Instruction

will be bolded in the article but no specific attention will be given to them while reading. On the

final day of the school week, the students will be given a post-test which will include multiple

choice vocabulary definition and comprehension questions (multiple choice).

Group B will be taught using the integrated learning strategy. This group will not receive

vocabulary instruction before reading the article. Instead, the students begin reading the article

immediately. When a bolded vocabulary word presents in the text, the teacher will stop at the end

of the sentence and draw attention to the word. Then, the word will be defined, pronounced, and

used in alternative sentences to promote comprehension. Finally, the teacher will introduce

several synonyms of the target word. Once this procedure has been completed, the teacher will

continue on with the reading of the article, repeating the above procedure for each bolded

vocabulary word. Because the reading is interrupted by vocabulary instruction, the article will be

read over a series of two-three days, depending on the reading ability of the classroom.

Group C (control group) will be taught using the incidental learning strategy. This group

will not receive any vocabulary instruction before or during the reading of the article. After the

pre-test, the teacher will begin to read the article with the class. At the end of the week, the

students will take the post-test to determine the results. This group will allow the researchers to

ascertain the amount of vocabulary that is learned incidentally. These numbers can be used to

create a basis for words learned incidentally in all three groups since incidental learning can

occur in all three groups.

To secure permission for this experiment, consent forms will be given to the university

representing the researchers, the school districts representing the participant schools, the

principals and teachers of the participant schools, and the individual student participants. Each

consent form would meet the standards on the list of ethical principles for the conduct of
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ESL Vocabulary Instruction

research with human subjects written by the Committee on Scientific and Professional Ethics of

the American Psychological Association (Fraenkel, Wallen & Hyun, 2015, p.61-3). The consent

forms for the participant students and their parents/guardians would be informed consent forms

that explain the purpose/background of the researcher, the procedures of the research, the risks,

assurance of confidentiality, and explanation of voluntary participation.

Data Collection and Instrumentation

The data concentration in this study will be the results of the three tests given to each

group: pre-test, post-test, and delayed post-test. The pre-test will eliminate any prior knowledge

in order to keep the results of the new words learned more accurate. The unit post-tests will

allow the researcher to identify new vocabulary learned (definition, comprehension, retention).

The final delayed post-test will be used to test overall retention of vocabulary comprehension,

definition, and retention. This final test will include all words learned from all four vocabulary

units.

The parameters of each test will ensure reliability of the results. Each test will have two

sections: definition and comprehension. The definition section will test basic memorization skills

(the ability to remember a definition). The comprehension section will test basic cognitive skills

(the ability to understand meaning and/or use reason to find meaning). This will ensure that

students are not simply memorizing word definitions without comprehension.

The reliability of the tests can be ensured by eliminating the use of the unit vocabulary

words in any other format during the process of the day. In other words, it would ensure that the

chosen vocabulary words will not be repeated or used in other ongoing lessons during the day,

creating separate learning opportunities outside of the study’s parameters.

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ESL Vocabulary Instruction

Finally, the timing of the three tests will help to ensure reliability. The pre-test will

eliminate prior knowledge ensuring the test results for the new words. The post-test will ascertain

short term retention, while the delayed post-test will gauge long term retention. However, there is

a minor flaw in the short term vs. long term aspects in that the chronology of the units may affect

the outcome of the delayed post-test since unit one was completed at a much earlier time than

unit four. In other words, the vocabulary words learned later in the study may be easier to recall

than those from earlier units.

Data Analysis

The statistical data from the test results will be quantitative. The number of correct test

answers will first be compared to others within the group to create an individual and average

group score. Then, the average numbers of each group will be compared to the other group

numbers. For the purposes of this study, the averages numbers of each class will determine the

outcome of the hypothesis questions: (1) Should ESL vocabulary instruction be instructional or

incidental and (2) Should ESL vocabulary instruction be isolated or integrated? The group that

scores the highest average should hypothetically reinforce the best learning strategy.

Derived numbers for each student should also be compared in order to ascertain if there

were any anomalies in the group testing. For example, if one or two students make extremely

low scores compared to the rest of the group, the group average percentile would fall

significantly. By comparing derived numbers, the researcher can eliminate anomalies from the

overall findings within each group before making the final comparison.

The mean of each group will be used in an Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). The F value

will eliminate or confirm the null hypothesis that there is no difference between groups (A, B,
A Comparison of Integrated, Isolated and Incidental 12
ESL Vocabulary Instruction

and C). It is also recommended that a post hoc analysis be performed when there are more than

two compared groups, which is the case in this study.

Limitations

There are several limitations that may effect the results of this study. The first is that the

study is based on a purposive sampling. The groups in this study will be based on availability of

participating classes within the school districts. The participants would not be chosen by the

researcher for certain qualifications, but would have random ages, L1 languages, experience in

English, etc. A purposive sampling also means that the teachers and students might be subject to

attitude and perception variables depending on their willingness to accommodate the school

district’s request to do the study in their classroom. Finally, the individual teacher’s ability to

teach in the prescribed learning strategy might also create a variable. If the teacher is unfamiliar

with or unable to teach within the parameters of the learning strategy, it would possibly skew the

results negatively or positively.

Another variable that might limit the results of the study is the demographic of the group.

The ages, grades, nationality, gender, and culture may vary in each classroom, possibly annulling

the null hypothesis. For example, some of the older students may have a better grasp on the

English language than some of the younger students. However, if a student is new to the ESL

program but falls into an older student category, their ability to learn the L2 language is

diminished in comparison to the younger students who have been in prior ESL programs.

Therefore, some of these variables may limit the results of the study tests.

Another variable that might limit the results is the individual student’s L1 language. The

student’s L1 language may dictate different learning strategies than those with a different L1

language. In other words, a student with an L1 language of Spanish may learn English grammar
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ESL Vocabulary Instruction

with ease but struggle with vocabulary while a student with an L1 language of Chinese may learn

vocabulary with ease but struggle with grammar. Therefore, the L1 language may affect the

individual student’s ability to learn within the parameters of the prescribed learning strategies in

the study.
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ESL Vocabulary Instruction

References

File, K. A., & Adams, R. (2010). Should Vocabulary Instruction Be Integrated or

Isolated? TESOL Quarterly, 44(2), 222–249. Retrieved from

http://www.jstor.org/stable/27896723.

Fraenkel, J. R., Wallen, N. E., & Hyun, H. H. (2015). How to design and evaluate research in

education (9th ed.). NY, NY: McGraw-Hill Education.

Harmon, J. M., Buckelew-Martin, E., & Wood, K. D. (2010). The Cognitive Vocabulary

Approach to Word Learning. The English Journal, 100(1), 100–107. Retrieved from

http://www.jstor.org/stable/20787701

Judd, E. L. (1978). Vocabulary Teaching and TESOL: A Need for Reevaluation of Existing

Assumptions. TESOL Quarterly, 12(1), 71–76. Retrieved from

http://doi.org/10.2307/3585792

Kumaravidivelu, B. (2006). Understanding Language Teaching: From Method to Postmethod.

Mahwah, NJ: Laurence Erlbaum Associates.

Zimmerman, C. B. (1997). Do Reading and Interactive Vocabulary Instruction Make a

Difference? An Empirical Study. TESOL Quarterly, 31(1), 121–140. Retrieved from

http://doi.org/10.2307/3587978
 Item Proficient Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Self- Instructor
Assess Assessment
ment
Introduction (Includes Quality of 15-20 9-14 <9 18
ARevisions)
Comparison of Integrated, Isolated and Incidental 15
ESL Vocabulary Instruction
Gains readers attention
 Provides general overview
of problem
 Indicates importance of
problem
 Provides thesis statement
Review of Literature (Includes 20-25 14-19 <14 18
Quality of Revisions)
 Literature is
appropriate: on topic
and primarily research
studies
 Cites at least current 5
studies (minimum 4
primary source journal
articles)
 Presentation is
organized essay (not
series of article
summaries); clear and
appropriate in scope,
and accurate.
 Literature review is
appropriately funneled
from general to specific
topics
Summary
 Overview of research
findings
 Establishes significance
of proposed study
 Provides purpose of
study

Methodology (Includes Quality of 20-25 14-19 <14 18

Revisions)
 Research Design
 Participants
 Procedures
 Data collection and
Instrumentation
 Data Analysis
 Limitations
Overall Writing Quality (includes 20-25 14-19 <14 18
Quality of Revisions)
 Writing is clear, concise,
well structured, and
within page limits
 Proper APA Style
(including references)
Identify one thing that you learned I have a new respect for scholarly articles. The