マイクロコンピュータを用いた英単語学習の効果に関する実証的研究

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BACKGROUND For the student who already has fair grasp of the pronunciation and grammar portions of a foreign language, the main purpose of further study would be to consciously and consistently increase his present vocabulary. In this sense, for most Japanese college students, it is most important to grasp the meaning of each word in its context and commit it to memory by repeated practice in order to increase their vocabulary. As a tool for searching and learning definitions of words, dictionaries have been used generally by learners of English. However, a student with a low vocabulary level is obligated to go through great deal of trial and error in the process of searching for the most suitable contextual meaning. Such a student will therefore encounter difficulties in improving his vocabulary level and reading ability, since he has limited time for effective memorization or repetitive practice. However, it has been theorized that a learning strategy based on the use of a microcomputer may be more efficieint than the use of dictionaries in learning and memorizing foreign language vocabulary, because it is possible for the microcomputer to provide the contextual meaning of a word for the user. Furthermore, it can function to facilitate word repetition matched to the user's ability as long as an English vocabulary drill program for the microcomputer with a CAI (Computer Assisted Instruction) system has been prepared. It is necessary to determine the efficiency of the traditional way of vocabulary study and provide a more effective method for learners who need to increase their vocabulary to read and understand reading materials written in English quickly and accurately. PURPOSE The objective of this study is to show; first, that using dictionaries for understanding the definition of an English word is ineffective, especially for slow learners; and second, to examine the learning strategy based on the use of a microcomputer to find out whether it really is more effective than the use of dictionaries for learning English words. Given that the Upper-half group consisted of those who had scored high on the pre-test and the Lower-half group of those who did not score as well, the following five hypotheses will form the basis of this thesis: hypothesis 1: Lower-half members of the group on the pre-test take longer time for learning than the Upper-half group under the dictionary usage. hypothesis 2: Lower-half members of the group score lower on the post-test than the Upper-half under the dictionary usage. hypothesis 3: CAI group members score higher on the post-test than Dictionary group. hypothesis 4: CAI group members score higher on the retention test than Dictionary group. hypothesis 5: Learning strategy based on the use of a microcomputer is more effective for the Lower-half members of the group than the Upper-half. PROCEDURE In order to prove the above hypotheses, the following procedure was undertaken: (1) Observation of various ways of learning vocabulary using dictionaries while reading for Dictionary group. (2) Making a vocabulary drill program for the microcomputer with a CAI system. (3) A trial drill program using the microcomputer for the CAI group. (4) Investigation to the effectiveness of learning vocabulary using dictionaries and microcomputer through pre-, post- and follow-up tests. The subjects, 87 ICU freshmen, were asked to learn the contextual meanings of 25 English words which appeared in the reading material. The Dictionary group members (43) were instructed to look up words in the dictionary as they would ordinarily. The CAI group members (44), on the other hand, learned the words presented as paired associates (with their Japanese equivalents) on the microcomputer display. The subjects were then tested on their knowledge of the meanings of words immediately after learning them and two days later by having them write the meanings either in Japanese or English. RESULT Data support hypotheses 1 through 5. Among the Dictionary users, there were significant differences between the Upper-half and Lower-half groups' scores in the post-test and length of time for learning. The Lower-half group took longer time and scored lower on the test than the Upper-half group. This means that the learners who have difficulty in finding appropriate meanings of words by using dictionaries have to resort to trial and error; they cannot gain accurate meaning and knowledge. On the other hand, the CAI group was superior to the Dictionary group on both the post-test and retention test, no matter how different the students' pre-test scores had been. However, the Upper-half group showed no significant differences in their scores between the two conditions. CONCLUSION Results indicate that using dictionaries for finding contextual meanings is not always effective for all foreign language learners, and that using microcomputer drill for mastering the English vocabulary is much more effective than using dictionaries. Utilizing the microcomputer drill may be helpful in increasing their English vocabulary, especially for those with a low knowledge of vocabulary and also those with the necessity of time to find appropriate meaning in the dictionary.
国際基督教大学の論文

マイクロコンピュータを用いた英単語学習の効果に関する実証的研究

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