Using the Web as Input and Discourse Interactions for the Acquisition of Vocabulary

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of Web multimodality plus dialogical interactions in the acquisition and retention of novel lexical items among EFL students. The lexical acquisition of 107 1^st-year English majors at the University of Costa Rica was analyzed through Simultaneous Multiple Linear Regression. Treatment A group, exposed to multiple Web input and allowed to discuss their findings dialogically, was compared to an only-Web group and a Control group. The results of the regression were statistically significant [R² = .677, F (3, 78) = 54.60, p < .001] and the unstandardized coefficients indicated that the marginal mean of the Web plus dialogue group (34.69, p < .001) was statistically different to the Web-only and Control groups (-6.26, p = .047; -24.40, p < .001). The results of this study have pedagogical implications by informing practitioners about student preferences when integrating multi-modality into foreign language vocabulary acquisition and the intrinsic value of dialogical interactions in the construction of meaning.