The Effects of the Involvement Load of Tasks on English Vocabulary Learning of Korean High School Students

Abstract

This study attempts to test the involvement load hypothesis, proposed by Laufer and Hulstijn (2001). According to this hypothesis, the involvement load, or the degree of elaboration in processing new words, determines retention of new vocabulary. The hypothesis contends that the involvement load can be analyzed and operationalized in terms of three constructs

motivation, search, and evaluation. If validated, this hypothesis can function as the useful criterion for researchers and educators in designing and evaluating vocabulary tasks. Although several studies examined the validity of the hypothesis, the results are inconsistent

therefore, more research is needed on the involvement load hypothesis. Furthermore, the participants of previous studies were mostly university students, and the various aspects of vocabulary learning beyond the L2 words meaning were not explored in terms of the involvement load hypothesis. Proficiency, one of the most important variables in language learning, was not fully investigated, either. In this study, 118 (57 advanced and 61 intermediate learners) 3rd grade high school students in Korea completed one of three tasks with the different involvement load, and took immediate and one-week delayed post-tests. The two tests were composed of the passive word learning test (the translation of L2 words into L1) and the active word learning test (providing L2 forms equivalent to the presented L1 meanings). When it came to overall vocabulary learning, the sum of the passive word learning scores and the active word learning scores, the present study provided near complete support for the involvement load hypothesis, not only for the advanced level group, but also for the intermediate group. Both groups showed better performances in the initial learning and the long-term learning stages when the involvement load of the task was higher if they could manage the task. Regarding the comparison of passive word learning and active word learning, the results revealed that the involvement load of the tasks influenced those two aspects of vocabulary learning differently. The results of the passive word learning test of both proficiency groups provided near full support for the involvement load hypothesis. As for the active word learning test, however, the involvement load hypothesis failed to predict the long-term learning outcomes of both levels

only the superiority of the writing task was found in the advanced learners. This might suggest that the explanative power of the involvement load hypothesis might be confined to the passive word learning, not encompassing all aspects of complex vocabulary learning. The active word learning might be explained better by other theories, such as the transfer appropriateness processing theory, or might be contingent on the actual processing time of the target words. Results and the implications regarding task-based vocabulary instruction are discussed.