A Comparison of Output Interventions and Un-enhanced Reading Conditions on Vocabulary Acquisition and Text Comprehension

This investigation assessed whether L2 readers' sensitivity towards a new lexical form is heightened if they are repeatedly pushed to produce output and are immediately provided with relevant input in input-output cycles. In addition, the study sought to assess how these interventions influence text comprehension. Fourth-semester learners read three texts, with four target words each, under the following conditions: (a) cued-output task, (b) self-selected output task, and (c) un-enhanced (control) reading. Results showed that four input-output cycles did not contribute to retain more or more robust form-meaning connections (FMCs) than the normal reading condition. In all three conditions, FMCs varied in strength and completeness, requiring different cues for retrieval. The two input-output tasks affected text comprehension differently. The self-selected output task resulted in text comprehension similar to the un-enhanced reading; the cued-output task seemed to interfere with text comprehension.