Title Vocabulary acquisition through extensive reading of unsimplified English material in a Saudi

359 Pages·2017·5.53 MB·English

Title Vocabulary acquisition through extensive
reading of unsimplified English material in a
Saudi Arabian tertiary context
Name Hussain Ziya Zaeem Sivardeen

This is a digitised version of a dissertation submitted to the University of
Bedfordshire.
It is available to view only.
This item is subject to copyright.
VOCABULARY ACQUISITION THROUGH EXTENSIVE
READING OF UNSIMPLIFIED ENGLISH MATERIAL IN
A SAUDI ARABIAN TERTIARY CONTEXT

Hussain Ziya Zaeem Sivardeen

This is a digitised version of a dissertation submitted to the
University of Bedfordshire.

It is available to view only.

This item is subject to copyright.

VOCABULARY ACQUISITION THROUGH EXTENSIVE
READING OF UNSIMPLIFIED ENGLISH MATERIAL IN
A SAUDI ARABIAN TERTIARY CONTEXT

HUSSAIN ZIYA ZAEEM SIVARDEEN

A thesis submitted to the University of Bedfordshire in fulfilment
of
the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy

University of Bedfordshire
Centre for Research in English Language Learning and
Assessment
(CRELLA)

October 2016

VOCABULARY ACQUISITION THROUGH EXTENSIVE
READING OF UNSIMPLIFIED ENGLISH MATERIAL IN
A SAUDI ARABIAN TERTIARY CONTEXT

HUSSAIN ZIYA ZAEEM SIVARDEEN

ABSTRACT

A number of studies seem to indicate that Extensive Reading (ER) enhances language
proficiency in general and vocabulary knowledge in particular. However none of those
surveyed focused on poorly motivated lower level language learners in a normal course
of study that incorporated ER of unsimplified material, and few addressed partial
vocabulary gain and the other factors that could have affected this.

In this study the participants were young adult male Saudi Arabians, who were
elementary English language learners and who were not used to reading for pleasure
even in Arabic. Tests were used to gauge their partial vocabulary acquisition when they
engaged in ER involving an open choice of simplified and unsimplified English material
during a regular English preparatory course of just one semester. If ER could be linked
to improved vocabulary acquisition in such difficult but natural conditions, the case for
ER‘s wider implementation could be strengthened. The study also used diaries, surveys
and interviews to delve into the reading habits, academic background and cultural
context that could also explain any observed vocabulary gain. The results showed there
were few statistically significant partial vocabulary gains after the ER programme, and
although the experimental cohort that received the ER programme showed greater gains
than the control in most of these cases, the difference was not large in terms of the
absolute number of words. The diaries, surveys and interviews gave a rich profile of the
participants with a level of detail that surpassed that of any other surveyed study,
offering several possible reasons for their modest vocabulary gains and yielding
unanticipated findings, such as an exposition of their motivations for academic study.

It is concluded that a greater awareness of the learners‘ context is essential when
applying ER, which in this particular context leads to the view that pure ER may not be
suitable for vocabulary learning, and instead a significantly modified version could be
more appropriate. These modifications include selecting appropriate books for the
students and adding explicit vocabulary learning activities, and they even include
linking the reading to the students‘ final grade. Further research is needed to gauge the
effectiveness of such modifications, while a more inductive approach is also important
when investigating ER and vocabulary acquisition to give the opportunity for
unforeseen results to emerge.

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AUTHOR‟S DECLARATION

I, Hussain Ziya Zaeem Sivardeen, declare that this thesis and the work presented in it
are my own and that they have been generated by me as the result of my own original
research.

―VOCABULARY ACQUISITION THROUGH EXTENSIVE READING OF
UNSIMPLIFIED ENGLISH MATERIAL IN A SAUDI ARABIAN TERTIARY
CONTEXT‖

I confirm that:

1. This work was done wholly or mainly while in candidature for a research degree
at this University;
2. Where any part of this thesis has previously been submitted for a degree or any
other qualification at this University or any other institution, this has been clearly stated;
3. Where I have cited the published work of others, this is always clearly
attributed;
4. Where I have quoted from the work of others, the source is always given. With
the exception of such quotations, this thesis is entirely my own work;
5. I have acknowledged all main sources of help;
6. Where the thesis is based on work done by myself jointly with others, I have
made clear exactly what was done by others and what I have contributed myself;
7. None of this work has been published before submission.

Signature for hard copy:

iv
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would firstly like to express my sincere thanks to the administrators, colleagues and
students who supported this study by giving formal permission for its on-site activities,
by giving detailed feedback during the pilot stages, by assisting with the control cohort,
and by participating as subjects.

I am also very grateful to the authors of the Vocabulary Size Test and the Vocabulary
Levels Test for giving formal permission for their use and modification.

In addition, I must show my great appreciation to the Supervisory Team at the
University of Bedfordshire. I can say without a doubt that I have never before received
such outstanding constructive advice and such excellent motivation during any
academic endeavour. If I could ever emulate this brilliant mentoring to my own
students, then the Supervisory Team at the University of Bedfordshire would have to
take the credit.

Furthermore, I am immensely thankful to my wife and children who were patient with
me during the time I was preoccupied with this study.

Finally, of all the people in this world, the greatest acknowledgement has to go to my
parents. I will never be able to show enough gratitude to them for their pivotal role in
making me what I am today.

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CONTENTS
ABSTRACT p.iii
AUTHOR‟S DECLARATION p.iv
AKNOWLEDGEMENTS p.v
LIST OF TABLES p.ix
LIST OF FIGURES p.ix
LIST OF APPENDICES p.x

CHAPTER-1 p.1
INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER-2 p.5
LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 EXTENSIVE READING p.5
2.2 INTENSIVE READING p.6
2.3 ER AND READING p.7
2.4 ER AND OTHER ASPECTS OF LANGUAGE ACQUISITION p.8
2.5 LIMITATIONS WITH ER p.13
2.6 ER AND VOCABULARY ACQUISITION p.16
2.7 LIMITATIONS IN PREVIOUS STUDIES ON ER & VOCABULARY p.19
2.7.1 Limitations in Studies using Graded Readers p.20
2.7.2 Limitations in Studies using Unsimplified Material p.26
2.7.3 Limitations in Purely Experimental Studies placed in Non- p.30
Teaching or Non-ER Contexts
2.7.4 Limitations in Studies that did not consider Other Sources of p.32
English Exposure
2.7.5 Limited Consideration of Partial Vocabulary Acquisition p.33
2.7.6 Limited Research of Lower-Level Saudi University Students p.34
2.8 RESEARCH QUESTIONS p.36
2.8.1 Definitions of Key Concepts in the Research Questions p.36
2.8.2 Distinctive Aspects of this Study p.38

CHAPTER-3 p.41
METHODOLOGY
3.1 METHODOLOGY OVERVIEW p.42
3.1.1 Development, Context and Participants p.42
3.1.2 Overview of Procedure during the Main Study p.45
3.1.3 Research Design p.50
3.2 METHODOLOGY FOR THE ER PROGRAMME p.54
3.2.1 Incorporation of the ER Programme into the Normal Course of p.57
Study
3.2.2 Open Choice of Reading Materials p.57
3.2.3 Sustained Silent Reading Sessions p.61
3.2.4 Encouragement to Read Outside the Class p.65
3.2.5 Duration of ER Programme p.66
3.2.6 Control Cohort p.66
3.3 METHODOLOGY FOR THE PLACEMENT TEST p.69

vi
CONTENTS (cont.)
CHAPTER-3
METHODOLOGY (cont.)
3.4 METHODOLOGY FOR TESTING VOCABULARY GAIN p.72
3.4.1 Testing Specific Aspects of Word Knowledge p.73
3.4.2 Testing for Partial Vocabulary Acquisition p.75
3.4.3 Overview of Vocabulary Tests Used p.76
3.4.4 Overview of Test-1 (Spelling), Test-2 (Open Translation) & Test- p.79
3 (Meaning)
3.4.4.1 Details of Test-1 (Spelling) p.82
3.4.4.2 Details of Test-2 (Translation) p.84
3.4.4.3 Details of Test-3 (Meaning) p.85
3.4.5 Test-4 (Meaning) p.86
3.4.6 Administration of Tests p.89
3.4.7 Statistical Analysis of the Main Pilot Test Results p.90
3.4.7.1 Internal Consistency p.96
3.4.7.2 Results for the Different Aspects of Word Knowledge p.96
3.4.7.3 Results for the Different Word Frequency Levels p.97
3.4.7.4 Results involving Levels of Certainty p.98
3.4.7.5 Distribution of Data p.98
3.4.7.6 Vocabulary Gain between Pretests and Posttests p.99
3.4.7.7 Summary p.100
3.5 METHODOLOGY FOR THE END-OF-SEMESTER EXAM p.101
3.6 METHODOLOGY FOR THE READING DIARIES p.103
3.6.1 Development of Items p.104
3.6.2 Layout of Content p.107
3.6.3 Limitations p.108
3.6.4 Procedure p.108
3.7 METHODOLOGY FOR THE SURVEY OF EXPOSURE TO ENGLISH LEARNING p.111
3.7.1 Development of Items p.112
3.7.2 Layout of Content p.113
3.7.3 Limitations p.114
3.7.4 Procedure p.115
3.8 METHODOLOGY FOR THE SUPPLEMENTARY QUESTIONING p.117
3.9 METHODOLOGY FOR THE IN-DEPTH INTERVIEWS p.118
3.9.1 Participants p.119
3.9.2 Procedure p.120
3.9.2.1 Interview Schedule p.124
3.9.3 Compensating for Potential Limitations p.127
3.10 METHODOLOGY FOR THE RESEARCH JOURNAL p.129

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