This document summarizes a study that examined the effects of extensive reading and output tasks on receptive and productive vocabulary growth. The study found that an extensive reading group showed significant gains in their controlled productive vocabulary compared to a reading group. However, both groups made similar gains in receptive vocabulary. The results suggest that extensive reading alone may not improve productive vocabulary without additional output tasks to reinforce new words.

1. Bridging the Gap between Receptive and
Productive Vocabulary Size
through Extensive Reading
Presenter: Sabrina Wu
Instructor: Dr. Pi-Ying Teresa Hsu
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Date:2012.10.15

2. Receptive Vocabulary Productive Vocabulary
The body of words that a person feels The body of words that a person
comfortable using in writing and recognizes and understands well
speech. enough to comprehend them when
read or heard.
EX: listening and reading EX: writing and speaking
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3. Citation
Yamamoto, Y.(2011). Bridging the Gap between
Receptive and Productive Vocabulary Size through
Extensive Reading. The Reading Matrix, 11(3),226-242.
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4. Content
Introduction
Literature Review
Methodology
Results
Conclusion
Reflection
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5. Introduction
The purpose of the study:
To find out whether there would be an increase in
receptive and productive vocabulary as a result of
incidental learning through extensive reading and
productive activities
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6. Research Questions:
To what degree does extensive reading promote the incidental learning of
receptive, controlled productive, and free productive gains in vocabulary
knowledge?
To what extent do pushed-output tasks enhance students’ controlled
productive and free productive vocabulary knowledge?
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7. Literature Review
The importance of extensive reading for receptive
vocabulary development has been widely acknowledged in
the field of language teaching
(Elley & Mangubhai,1981)
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8. Literature Review
The current study investigates the extent to which graded
readers promote incidental receptive and productive
vocabulary learning in combination with pushed-output
activities
(Swain, 1985)
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9. Methodology
Participants
Control Group Experimental Group
Reading Group Extensive Reading Group
34 students 33 students
Total is 67 students from one co-educational.
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10. Methodology
Time
Read at least five books that they chose from a collection of
graded readers.
Read for at least 30 minutes every day outside of class.
They were asked to read one book within two weeks—a total
of five books—for the entire 13-week semester.
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11. Methodology
Instrument
Students’ vocabulary levels were checked by three
unannounced vocabulary-level tests.
- Vocabulary Levels Test
- University-word level Test
- Productive Vocabulary Levels Test
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12. Results
Q: What degree does extensive reading promote the incidental learning of
receptive, controlled productive, and free productive gains in vocabulary
knowledge?
Comparison of Receptive Vocabulay Size (N=67)
Extensive Reading Group (n=33) Reading Group (n=34)
Pre-test Post-test Difference Pre-test Post-test Difference
M SD M SD Mean t-value M SD M SD Mean t-value
Diff Diff
2000 26.85 1.91 26.33 1.88 -.52 -1.27 24.18 5.07 25.97 2.32 1.79 2.38
3000 19.76 4.73 21.90 3.36 2.15 3.05* 19.50 4.65 21.68 3.87 2.18 3.00*
5000 18.03 4.11 17.18 4.40 -.85 -1.35 16.47 5.61 14.32 5.36 -2.15 -2.35
Total 64.64 8.98 65.42 7.88 .79 .75 60.15 13.14 61.97 9.29 1.82 1.00
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Note:*p < .0167, two-tailed

13. Results
The Extensive Reading Group and the Reading group showed no
significant differences between the two groups.
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14. Results
Comparison of Controlled-Productive Vocabulary Size (N=67)
Extensive Reading Group (n=33) Reading Group (n=34)
Pre-test Post-test Difference Pre-test Post-test Difference
M SD M SD Mean t-value M SD M SD Mean t-value
Diff Diff
2000 13.06 1.77 10.45 2.55 -2.61 -5.03** 12.21 2.56 9.00 2.85 -3.21 -5.93**
3000 8.39 2.55 9.73 2.60 1.33 3.31** 7.18 2.55 7.68 2.99 0.5 1.02
5000 3.73 2.36 3.67 2.29 -0.6 -1.7 2.68 2.24 1.97 2.18 -0.71 -1.49
total 25.18 4.93 23.85 5.58 -1.33 -1.72 22.06 5.21 18.65 6.11 -3.41 -3.62**
Note: ** p<.0034, two-tailed
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15. Results
Q: To what extent do pushed-output tasks enhance students’ controlled
productive and free productive vocabulary knowledge?
Comparison of Free-Productive Vocabulary Size Change Beyond 2K (In Percentage)
Extensive Reading Group (n=33) Reading Group (n=34)
Pre-test Post-test Pre-test Post-test
M SD M SD Mean t-value M SD M SD Mean t-value
Diff Diff
K1 88.54 4.62 86.38 3.13 -2.16 -2.64 88.58 3.90 86.61 3.68 -1.97 -2.55
K2
3.62 1.54 4.83 1.68 1.21 2.89** 4.04 2.64 5.13 2.04 1.09 1.98
AW
4.42 3.16 3.88 1.53 -.53 -.98 3.67 2.01 4.04 1.40 0.37 .97
Off 3.43 2.76 4.91 2.16 1.48 2.51 3.71 2.36 4.22 2.27 0.51 1.00
7.85 4.66 8.80 2.60 .95 1.17 7.38 2.67 8.26 2.70 .89 1.54
Beyond 2K
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16. Conclusion
The analyses of the test data indicated that
extensive reading practice alone may not be very
helpful toward acquiring productive-vocabulary
knowledge.
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17. Reflection
It is hard to know to what extent each student “notice the
gap” between what they wanted to write and what they able
to write.
It is questionable as to how many of them actually went
back to review their writing tasks after receiving written
feedback from the instructor.
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18. Thanks for listening.
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