Hostname: page-component-89b8bd64d-sd5qd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2026-05-06T13:21:37.536Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

DOES STUDYING VOCABULARY IN SMALLER SETS INCREASE LEARNING?

The Effects of Part and Whole Learning on Second Language Vocabulary Acquisition

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 August 2015

Tatsuya Nakata  and
Stuart Webb
Tatsuya Nakata*
Affiliation:
Victoria University of Wellington
Stuart Webb
Affiliation:
The University of Western Ontario
*
*Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Tatsuya Nakata, Faculty of Foreign Language Studies, Kansai University, 3-3-35 Yamate-cho, Suita-shi, Osaka Japan 564-8680. E-mail: nakata@kansai-u.ac.jp
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The present study examined the effects of part and whole learning on the acquisition of second language (L2, English) vocabulary. In whole learning, the materials to be learned are repeated in one large block, whereas, in part learning, the materials are divided into smaller blocks and repeated. Experiment 1 compared the effects of the following three treatments: 20-item whole learning, four-item part learning, and 10-item part learning. Unlike previous studies, part and whole learning were matched in spacing. In Experiment 2, spacing as well as the part-whole learning distinction were manipulated, and the following three treatments were compared: 20-item whole learning, four-item part learning with short spacing, and four-item part learning with long spacing. Results of the two experiments suggest that, (a) as long as spacing is equivalent, the part-whole distinction has little effect on learning, and (b) spacing has a larger effect on learning than the part-whole distinction.

Information

Type
Articles
Information
Studies in Second Language Acquisition , Volume 38 , Issue 3 , September 2016 , pp. 523 - 552
Check for updates
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2015 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

REFERENCES

Baddeley, A. D. (1997). Human memory: Theory and practice (Rev. ed.). East Sussex, UK: Psychology Press.Google Scholar
Bahrick, H. P., & Phelps, E. (1987). Retention of Spanish vocabulary over 8 years. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 13, 344–349.Google Scholar
Barcroft, J. (2007). Effects of opportunities for word retrieval during second language vocabulary learning. Language Learning, 57, 35–56.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barcroft, J., & Rott, S. (2010). Partial word form learning in the written mode in L2 German and Spanish. Applied Linguistics, 31, 623–650.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bjork, R. A. (1994). Memory and metamemory considerations in the training of human beings. In Metcalfe, J. & Shimamura, A. (Eds.), Metacognition: Knowing about knowing (pp. 185–205). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brown, W. (1924). Whole and part methods in learning. Journal of Educational Psychology, 15, 229–233.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cepeda, N. J., Coburn, N., Rohrer, D., Wixted, J. T., Mozer, M. C., & Pashler, H. (2009). Optimizing distributed practice: Theoretical analysis and practical implications. Experimental Psychology, 56, 236–246.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cepeda, N. J., Pashler, H., Vul, E., Wixted, J. T., & Rohrer, D. (2006). Distributed practice in verbal recall tasks: A review and quantitative synthesis. Psychological Bulletin, 132, 354–380.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cepeda, N. J., Vul, E., Rohrer, D., Wixted, J. T., & Pashler, H. (2008). Spacing effects in learning: A temporal ridgeline of optimal retention. Psychological Science, 19, 1095–1102.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Chen, C., & Truscott, J. (2010). The effects of repetition and L1 lexicalization on incidental vocabulary acquisition. Applied Linguistics, 31, 693–713.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cohen, J. (1992). A power primer. Psychological Bulletin, 112, 155–159.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Crothers, E., & Suppes, P. (1967). Experiments in second language learning. New York, NY: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Elgort, I. (2011). Deliberate learning and vocabulary acquisition in a second language. Language Learning, 61, 367–413.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ellis, N. C. (1995). The psychology of foreign language vocabulary acquisition: Implications for CALL. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 8, 103–128.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ellis, N. C. (2002). Frequency effects in language processing: A review with implications for theories of implicit and explicit language acquisition. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 24, 143–188.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fitzpatrick, T., Al-Qarni, I., & Meara, P. (2008). Intensive vocabulary learning: A case study. Language Learning Journal, 36, 239–248.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gillund, G., & Shiffrin, R. M. (1984). A retrieval model for both recognition and recall. Psychological Review, 91, 1–67.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Griffin, G. F., & Harley, T. A. (1996). List learning of second language vocabulary. Applied Psycholinguistics, 17, 443–460.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hausman, H., & Kornell, N. (2014). Mixing topics while studying does not enhance learning. Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition, 3, 153–160.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hulstijn, J. H. (2001). Intentional and incidental second language vocabulary learning: A reappraisal of elaboration, rehearsal, and automaticity. In Robinson, P. (Ed.), Cognition and second language instruction (pp. 258–286). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hulstijn, J. H. (2002). What does the impact of frequency tell us about the language acquisition device? Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 24, 269–273.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Joseph, S., Watanabe, Y., Shiung, Y.-J., Choi, B., & Robbins, C. (2009). Key aspects of computer assisted vocabulary learning (CAVL): Combined effects of media, sequencing and task type. Research and Practice in Technology Enhanced Learning, 4, 1–36.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kang, S. H. K., Lindsey, R. V., Mozer, M. C., & Pashler, H. (2014). Retrieval practice over the long term: Should spacing be expanding or equal-interval? Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 21, 1544–1550.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Karpicke, J. D., & Bauernschmidt, A. (2011). Spaced retrieval: Absolute spacing enhances learning regardless of relative spacing. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 37, 1250–1257.Google ScholarPubMed
Karpicke, J. D., & Roediger, H. L. (2007). Expanding retrieval practice promotes short-term retention, but equally spaced retrieval enhances long-term retention. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 33, 704–719.Google ScholarPubMed
Karpicke, J. D., & Roediger, H. L. (2008). The critical importance of retrieval for learning. Science, 319, 966–968.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kornell, N. (2009). Optimising learning using flashcards: Spacing is more effective than cramming. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 23, 1297–1317.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Landauer, T. K., & Bjork, R. A. (1978). Optimum rehearsal patterns and name learning. In Gruneberg, M. M., Morris, P. E., & Sykes, R. N. (Eds.), Practical aspects of memory (pp. 625–632). London, UK: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Larsen-Freeman, D. (2002). Making sense of frequency. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 24, 275–285.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Logan, J. M., & Balota, D. A. (2008). Expanded vs. equal interval spaced retrieval practice: Exploring different schedules of spacing and retention interval in younger and older adults. Aging, Neuropsychology, and Cognition, 15, 257–280.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McGeoch, G. O. (1931). The intelligence quotient as a factor in the whole-part problem. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 14, 333–358.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Metcalfe, J., Kornell, N., & Finn, B. (2009). Delayed versus immediate feedback in children’s and adults’ vocabulary learning. Memory & Cognition, 37, 1077–1087.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mondria, J.-A., & Wiersma, B. (2004). Receptive, productive and receptive + productive L2 vocabulary learning: What difference does it make? In Laufer, B. (Ed.), Vocabulary in a second language: Selection, acquisition, and testing (pp. 79–100). Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Benjamins.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nakata, T. (2011). Computer-assisted second language vocabulary learning in a paired-associate paradigm: A critical investigation of flashcard software. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 24, 17–38.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nakata, T. (2013). Optimising second language vocabulary learning from flashcards (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand.Google Scholar
Nakata, T. (2015). Effects of expanding and equal spacing on second language vocabulary learning: Does gradually increasing spacing increase vocabulary learning? Studies in Second Language Acquisition. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1017/S0272263114000825.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nation, I. S. P. (2006). How large a vocabulary is needed for reading and listening? The Canadian Modern Language Review, 63, 59–82.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nation, I. S. P. (2013). Learning vocabulary in another language (2nd ed.). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Nation, I. S. P., & Beglar, D. (2007). A vocabulary size test. The Language Teacher, 31, 9–13.Google Scholar
Pashler, H., Rohrer, D., Cepeda, N. J., & Carpenter, S. K. (2007). Enhancing learning and retarding forgetting: Choices and consequences. Psychonomic Bulletin and Review, 14, 187–193.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pashler, H., Zarow, G., & Triplett, B. (2003). Is temporal spacing of tests helpful even when it inflates error rates? Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 29, 1051–1057.Google ScholarPubMed
Pigada, M., & Schmitt, N. (2006). Vocabulary acquisition from extensive reading: A case study. Reading in a Foreign Language, 18, 1–28.Google Scholar
Pyc, M. A., & Rawson, K. A. (2007). Examining the efficiency of schedules of distributed retrieval practice. Memory & Cognition, 35, 1917–1927.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pyc, M. A., & Rawson, K. A. (2012). Are judgments of learning made after correct responses during retrieval practice sensitive to lag and criterion level effects? Memory & Cognition, 40, 976–988.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Raaijmakers, J. G. W., Schrijnemakers, J. M. C., & Gremmen, F. (1999). How to deal with “the language-as-fixed-effect fallacy”: Common misconceptions and alternative solutions. Journal of Memory and Language, 41, 416–426.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rohrer, D., & Pashler, H. (2007). Increasing retention without increasing study time. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 16, 183–186.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Salisbury, D. F., & Klein, J. D. (1988). A comparison of a microcomputer progressive state drill and flashcards for learning paired associates. Journal of Computer-Based Instruction, 15, 136–143.Google Scholar
Schmitt, N. (1997). Vocabulary learning strategies. In Schmitt, N. & McCarthy, M. (Eds.), Vocabulary: Description, acquisition and pedagogy (pp. 199–227). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Seibert, L. C. (1932). A series of experiments on the learning of French vocabulary. Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins Press.Google Scholar
Steinel, M. P., Hulstijn, J. H., & Steinel, W. (2007). Second language idiom learning in a paired-associate paradigm: Effects of direction of learning, direction of testing, idiom imageability, and idiom transparency. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 29, 449–484.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Storm, B. C., Bjork, R. A., & Storm, J. C. (2010). Optimizing retrieval as a learning event: When and why expanding retrieval practice enhances long-term retention. Memory & Cognition, 38, 244–253.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Van Bussel, F. J. J. (1994). Design rules for computer-aided learning of vocabulary items in a second language. Computers in Human Behavior, 10, 63–76.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Webb, S. A. (2005). Receptive and productive vocabulary learning: The effects of reading and writing on word knowledge. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 27, 33–52.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Webb, S. A. (2008). Receptive and productive vocabulary sizes of L2 learners. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 30, 79–95.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Webb, S. A. (2009). The effects of pre-learning vocabulary on reading comprehension and writing. Canadian Modern Language Review, 65, 441–470.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wissman, K. T., Rawson, K. A., & Pyc, M. A. (2012). How and when do students use flashcards? Memory, 20, 568–579.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Woodworth, R. S., & Schlosberg, H. (1954). Experimental psychology (3rd ed.). London, UK: Methuen & Co.Google Scholar
Zahar, R., Cobb, T., & Spada, N. (2001). Acquiring vocabulary through reading: Effects of frequency and contextual richness. Canadian Modern Language Review, 57, 541–572.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Supplementary material: File

Nakata and Webb supplementary material

Appendix

Download Nakata and Webb supplementary material(File)
File 99.6 KB