Is incidental vocabulary acquisition more effective while watching videos or when reading texts? (PDF)

Research Paper (postgraduate) from the year 2022 in the subject Didactics - English - Pedagogy, Literature Studies, grade: 1, University of Salzburg, course: Seminar in Advanced English Studies: Educational Technologies in TEFL, language: English, abstract: This paper aims to determine, whether incidental vocabulary acquisition is more effective while watching videos or when reading texts. In order to do so, existing literature on language acquisition through textual and audiovisual input was analysed. The results show no clear answer to the research question but several key factors that determine successful acquisition in both areas. Findings suggest that language level, the amount of exposure to the target structures, the number of senses included in the task and the overall motivation of the students regarding the task and topic determine incidental vocabulary acquisition. These key factors need to be taken into account by EFL teachers when designing lesson plans. Since this paper is limited to a broad literary analysis of ENL, ESL and EFL students of various age groups, it remains unclear whether the results also apply to Austrian EFL learners. To answer this question, further empirical research is needed.