Effects Of L1 And L2 Glosses On Incıdental Vocabulary Learnıng of Efl Prep Students

The role of vocabulary in foreign language learning is crucially important. Along with other techniques, using glosses is a popular vocabulary technique in language learning. The present study focused on text based glosses which is a type of various glosses. This study investigated L1 and L2 gloss effects on incidental vocabulary learning through reading. 44 intermediate level prep EFL learners participated in the study which was conducted at a private University in Konya, Turkey. The students were divided into two groups: L1 gloss and L2 gloss. The students were provided with different texts and a gloss type specially designed for their own group (either L1 or L2 gloss). The students took a pre-test, a post-test, and a delayed post-test. The delayed post-test was taken 3 weeks after the post-test. The scores were gathered from these tests and the data was analyzed using independent samples and paired (dependent) samples T-tests. The students’ scores from production and recognition tests were compared. The results of many comparisons revealed significant differences in favor of L1 gloss group. However, no significant difference was found for L2 gloss group’s scores in paired samples T-test analysis. Findings suggest that using glosses for incidental vocabulary learning is useful for students.