The Frequency Model of Vocabulary Learning and Japanese Learners
The Frequency Model of Vocabulary Learning and Japanese Learners
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词汇学习的频率模型和日语学习者
DOI：
10.7820/vli.v01.1.brown
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发表时间：
2012
期刊：
影响因子：
--
通讯作者：
Dale Brown
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Dale Brown
词汇学习的频率模式，即词汇是按照频率顺序广泛学习的，这一观点在语言教学、测试和研究中被广泛应用。然而，实际上还没有多少研究证实这一点。本文报道了一项小规模的研究，调查了一组日本大学生的词汇知识在多大程度上遵循这一模式。49名中低熟练度参与者参加了100项“是/否”测试，其中包含来自5个频段的20个单词。结果发现，正如预期的那样，对于整个群体来说，单词的知识与频率有关，随着频率的下降，已知单词的比例下降。然而，在米尔顿的研究之后，对个体参与者结果的分析显示，大约20%的人表现出不同的知识模式，并且没有遵循频率模型。然而，一个问题是，是/否测试所依据的频率信息是否是这些学习者英语经验的最佳近似。根据JACET 8000水平对数据进行重新检查发现，整个群体再次遵循频率模型，此外，更多的个体参与者符合该模型。因此，本研究证明了使用频率数据的重要性，这是相关的学习者的问题，并提供了确认频率是一个关键的决定因素，在词汇学习。教师可以合理地利用频率信息来支持学生的学习。
The frequency model of vocabulary learning, the idea that words are learnt broadly in order of their frequency, is routinely applied in language teaching, testing and research. There has, however, been little research actually confirming it. This paper reports on a small-scale study which investigated the extent to which the vocabulary knowledge of a group of Japanese university students follows the model. Forty-nine lowintermediate proficiency participants took a 100-item Yes/No test containing 20 words from five frequency bands. It was found that, as expected, for the group as a whole, knowledge of the words was related to frequency, with the proportion of words known falling as frequency declined. Following Milton’s study, however, an analysis of the results of individual participants revealed that around 20% showed different patterns of knowledge and did not follow the frequency model. One question, however, is whether the frequency information on which the Yes/No test is based is the best approximation of these learners’ experience of English. A re-examination of the data in terms of JACET8000 levels found that once more the group as a whole followed the frequency model, and in addition that more of the individual participants conformed to the model. The study thus demonstrates the importance of using frequency data that is relevant to the learners in question and provides confirmation that frequency is a key determiner in the learning of vocabulary. It seems that teachers can reasonably make use of frequency information to support their students’ learning.