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Incidental Word Learning While Reading: A Meta-Analysis
Abstract
A meta.analysis of 20 experiments examining incidental word learning during normal reading shows that students learn around 15% of the unknown words they encounter. A test of homogeneity indicates that study outcomes diverge, although their heterogeneity is relatively small (19%). An exploratory multi-level analysis of the variability in the results suggests that several factors affect the probability of learning an unknown word while reading: pretest sensitization, students' grade level, students' level of reading ability, the sensitivity of assessment methods to partial word knowledge, and the amount of text surrounding the target words. A model that contains students' grade level and assessment methods' sensitivity to partial word knowledge predicts 66% of the systematic variance in the effect sizes. Implications for research and instruction are discussed.
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“This may lead to the conclusion that encountering new words, if not in combination with vocabulary-related tasks, does not foster their retention [52] and that direct instruction may be needed to add value to the learning process and to lead to greater gains in vocabulary [61].”
From The Effect of Multiplayer Video Games on Incidental and Intentional L2 Vocabulary Learning: The Case of Among Us (2021) · cites this paper as [52]
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Metadata
- Authors
- Swanborn, M. S. L., & de Glopper, K.
- Affiliations
- University of Amsterdam (NL)
- SCO-Kohnstamm Institute, University of Amsterdam
- Venue
- Review of Educational Research
- Published
- 1999-09
- Volume
- 69
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 261-285
- ISSN
- 0034-6543 (ISSN-L)
- 1935-1046
- OpenAlex
- W2152514606
- Cited by
- 359
- References
- 61
- Citations by year
- 2026: 11 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 16 · 2020: 35 · 2019: 11 · 2018: 11 · 2017: 31 · 2016: 21 · 2015: 17 · 2014: 24 · 2013: 16 · 2012: 22
- FWCI
- 1.27
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Review of Educational Research (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Reading and Literacy Development
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Second Language Acquisition and Learning
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Language Development and Disorders
- Keywords
- incidental vocabulary learning, reading, vocabulary acquisition, out-of-vocabulary words, grade level, reading skills, assessment sensitivity, text context, reading instruction
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