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Enhancing L 2 vocabulary acquisition through implicit reading support cues in e‐books
Author(s) -
Liu YeuTing,
Leveridge Aubrey Neil
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
british journal of educational technology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.79
H-Index - 95
eISSN - 1467-8535
pISSN - 0007-1013
DOI - 10.1111/bjet.12329
Subject(s) - vocabulary , subliminal stimuli , reading (process) , priming (agriculture) , computer science , psychology , sensory cue , cognitive psychology , linguistics , philosophy , botany , germination , biology
Abstract Various explicit reading support cues, such as gloss, QR codes and hypertext annotation, have been embedded in e‐books designed specifically for fostering various aspects of language development. However, explicit visual cues are not always reliably perceived as salient or effective by language learners. The current study explored the efficacy of implicit reading support cues—cues that are imperceptible to second‐language ( L 2) readers during their L 2 digital reading—for promoting L 2 vocabulary acquisition. Results suggest that subliminal formal priming—being one type of implicit reading support cues—helped L 2 readers significantly improve their form‐meaning vocabulary knowledge through e‐book reading. In particular, subliminal formal priming was more effective when the digital content, including the text and relevant illustration, was presented to L 2 readers simultaneously, rather than incrementally. The results have important implications vis‐à‐vis the need for the inclusion of implicit reading cues, and the optimal digital input presentation mode for enhancing L 2 vocabulary gains.