The reactivity effect of think aloud protocol on vocabulary development in reading comprehension among English as foreign language learners

Abstract

The issue of reactivity in concurrent verbal reports has motivated many recent investigations to examine the effect of think-aloud during task completion. The role of verbalisation in foreign language learning is still an open question, especially in terms of variables on vocabulary development. The current study investigated the issue of reactivity on vocabulary development while students engaged in reading comprehension task. Most specifically, this study sought to address the potential methodological issue of reactivity affecting learner’s attention on the process of form or process of lexical form, and processing of meaning in different attentional conditions of task-induced involvement. In order to successfully explore such a broad issue, mixed methods approaches were adopted to discover the different aspects of reactivity from different angles and provide a better understanding of how performing think-aloud would trigger the issue of reactivity in experimental intervention. The quasi-experimental research design was employed to investigate the cause-and-effect inferences of participants’ attention to word form and meaning while engaged in performing reading comprehension task. A total of 27 intermediate English as Foreign Language students were selected as sample in this study. Participants were assigned randomly into three groups to perform several tasks based on the involvement of load hypothesis. Two qualitative and three quantitative instruments (think-aloud, journal entry writing, reading comprehension test, written vocabulary production test, and recognition per-test and post-test of word meaning) were employed to investigate the issue of reactivity. Results obtained from the think-aloud protocol and journal entry writing revealed a positive effect of think-aloud to trigger the potential issue of reactivity on vocabulary development through operationalizing level of awareness and depth of processing that use to assist in the investigation of reactivity. Positive reactive effect of think-aloud occurred in all types of reading comprehension tasks, especially in multiple-choice glosses used to identify the main idea. Results of this study provide evidence of the relationship between level of awareness and level of processing with development. Overall, the study supported the beneficial effect of glossing on memory experiences and vocabulary development. In conclusion, the input-output of task-induced involvement leads students to engage in deep processing with a higher level of awareness and the process of reactivity may trigger vocabulary development and enhance students’ performance in reading comprehension.