The Effects of Derivational Suffix Instruction on English Vocabulary Knowledge in Thai High School Learners
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
This study investigated the effect of derivational suffix instruction on vocabulary knowledge. Fifty-eight high school learners were recruited to participate in the study. The learners were divided into control (n = 29) and experimental (n = 29) groups. The experimental group received a Fundamental English II course with an emphasis on derivational suffix instruction, whereas the control group only received a Fundamental English II course. Two receptive and productive derivational suffix tests were designed and validated to measure high school learners’ suffix knowledge. A questionnaire was also administered to explore the experimental participants’ perceptions of derivational suffix instruction in facilitating vocabulary knowledge. Descriptive and inferential statistics were conducted to analyse the quantitative data, including pair-sample t-tests and independent-sample t-tests. The results showed that high school learners in both groups performed significantly better on the posttest than on the pretest. The results also revealed that experimental learners significantly outperformed their control counterparts. These findings suggest the efficacy of derivational suffix instruction on English vocabulary knowledge in Thai high school learners. In addition, the questionnaire analysis indicated that high school learners had positive perceptions towards derivational suffix instruction as a method to improve their vocabulary knowledge. Together, the current findings highlight the importance of derivational suffixes in vocabulary acquisition and development. Other relevant implications and suggestions for future studies are also discussed.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
References
Akbulut, F. D. (2017). Effects of morphological awareness on second language vocabulary knowledge. Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies, 13(1), 10-26. http://www.jlls.org/index.php/jlls
Bauer, L., & Nation, I. S. P. (1993). Word families. International Journal of Lexicography, 6(4), 253-279. https://doi.org/10.1093/ijl/6.4.253
Brown, R., Waring, R., & Donkaewbua, S. (2008). Incidental vocabulary acquisition from reading, reading-while-listening, and listening to stories. Reading in a Foreign Language, 20(2), 136-163. http://hdl.handle.net/10125/66816
Browne, C., Culligan, B., & Phillips, J. (2013). The new general service list: A core vocabulary for EFL students and teachers. JALT - The Language Teacher, 34(7), 13-15.
Carlisle, J. F. (2000). Awareness of the structure and meaning of morphologically complex words: Impact on reading. Reading and Writing, 12(3), 169-190. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1008131926604
Carlisle, J. F. (2010). Effects of instruction in morphological awareness on literacy achievement: An integrative review. Reading Research Quarterly, 45(4), 464-487. https://dx.doi.org/10.1598/RRQ.45.4.5
Cobb, T., & Laufer, B. (2021). The nuclear word family list: A list of the most frequent family members, including base and affixed words. Language Learning, 71(3), 834-871. https://doi.org/10.1111/lang.12452
Dawson, N., Rastle, K., & Ricketts, J. (2021). Bridging form and meaning: Support from derivational suffixes in word learning. Journal of Research in Reading, 44(1), 27-50. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9817.12338
Elgort, I. (2011). Deliberate learning and vocabulary acquisition in a second language. Language Learning, 61(2), 367-413. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9922.2010.00613.x
Goodwin, A. P., & Ahn, S. (2013). A meta-analysis of morphological interventions in English: Effects on literacy outcomes for school-age children. Scientific Studies of Reading, 17(4), 257-285. https://doi.org/10.1080/10888438.2012.689791
Hayashi, Y., & Murphy, V. (2011). An investigation of morphological awareness in Japanese learners. Language Learning, 39(1), 105-120. https://doi.org/10.1080/09571731003663614
Henriksen, B. (1999). Three dimensions of vocabulary development. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 21(2), 303-317. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0272263199002089
Ishii, T., & Schmitt, N. (2009). Developing an integrated diagnostic test of vocabulary size and depth. RELC Journal, 40(1), 5-22. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033688208101452
Katchamat, P. (2020). The effectiveness of morphological instruction integrated with semantic mapping on English vocabulary learning of Thai adult EFL students. Humanities and Social Sciences Journal of Pibulsongkram Rajabhat University, 14(2), 638–652. https://so01.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/GraduatePSRU/article/view/216291
Kieffer, M. J., & Lesaux, N. K. (2012). Knowledge of words, knowledge about words: Dimensions of vocabulary in first and second language learners in sixth grade. Reading and Writing, 25, 347-373. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-010-9272-9
Laufer, B. (1992). How much lexis is necessary for reading comprehension? In P. J. L. Arnaud & H. Bejoing (Eds.), Vocabulary and applied linguistics (pp. 129-132). Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-12396-4_12
Laufer, B. (1998). The development of passive and active vocabulary: Same or different? Applied Linguistics, 19(2), 255-271. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/19.2.255
Laufer, B. (2014). Vocabulary in a second language: Selection, acquisition, and testing: A commentary on four studies for JALT vocabulary SIG. Vocabulary Learning and Instruction, 3(2), 38-46. http://dx.doi.org/10.7820/vli.v03.2.laufer
Laufer, B. (2017). From word parts to full texts: Searching for effective methods of vocabulary learning. Language Teaching Research, 21(1), 5-11. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362168816683118
Laufer, B., & Nation, I. S. P. (2012). Vocabulary. In S. Gass & A. Mackey (Eds.), The Routledge handbook of second language acquisition (pp. 163-176). Routledge.
Laufer, B., & Ravenhorst-Kalovski, G. C. (2010). Lexical threshold revisited: Lexical text coverage, learners’ vocabulary size and reading comprehension. Reading in a Foreign Language, 22(1), 15-30. http://nflrc.hawaii.edu/rfl
Lieber, R. (2010). Introducing morphology. Cambridge University Press.
Matwangsaeng, R., & Sukying, A. (2023). The effects of morphological awareness on L2 vocabulary knowledge of Thai EFL young learners. World Journal of English Language, 13(2), 51-63. https://doi.org/10.5430/wjel.v13n2p51
Mochizuki, M., & Aizawa, K. (2000). An affix acquisition order for EFL learners: An exploratory study. System, 28(2), 291-304. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0346-251X(00)00013-0
Nagy, W. E., Carlisle, J. F., & Goodwin, A. P. (2014). Morphological knowledge and literacy acquisition. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 47(1), 3-12. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022219413509967
Nation, I. S. P. (2006). How large a vocabulary is needed for reading and listening? Canadian Modern Language Review, 63(1), 59-82. https://doi.org/10.3138/cmlr.63.1.59
Nation, I. S. P. (2022). Learning vocabulary in another language (3rd ed.). Cambridge University Press.
Read, J. (2004). Researching in teaching vocabulary. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 24, 146-161. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0267190504000078
Sasao, Y., & Webb, S. (2017). The word part levels test. Language Teaching Research, 21(1), 12-30. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362168815586083
Schmitt, N. (2010). Researching vocabulary: A vocabulary research manual. Palgrave Macmillan. http://dx.doi.org/10.1057/9780230293977
Schmitt, N. (2014). Size and depth of vocabulary knowledge: What the research shows. Language Learning, 64(4), 913-951. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/lang.12077
Schmitt, N., & Meara, P. (1997). Researching vocabulary through a word knowledge framework: Word associations and verbal suffixes. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 19(1), 17-36. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0272263197001022
Schmitt, N., & Zimmerman, C. B. (2002). Derivative word forms: What do learners know? TESOL Quarterly, 36(2), 145-171. https://doi.org/10.2307/3588328
Schmitt, N., Jiang, X., & Grabe, W. (2011). The percentage of words known in a text and reading comprehension. Modern Language Journal, 95(1), 26-43. http://dx.doi.org/ 10.1111/j.1540-4781.2011.01146.x
Sukying, A. (2018). Investigating receptive and productive affix knowledge in EFL learners. In D. Hirsh (Ed.), Explorations in second language vocabulary research (pp. 183-218). Peter Lang.
Tarat, S. (2019). The relationship between morphological awareness and vocabulary knowledge of Thai EFL students. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 9(1), 34-39. https://dx.doi.org//10.17507/tpls.0901.05
Tyler, A., & Nagy, W. (1989). The acquisition of English derivational morphology. Journal of Memory and Language, 28(6), 649-667. https://doi.org/10.1016/0749-596X(89)90002-8
Ward, J., & Chuenjundaeng, J. (2009). Suffix knowledge: Acquisition and applications. System, 37(3), 461-469. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2009.01.004
Webb, S. (2007). The effects of repetition on vocabulary knowledge. Applied Linguistics, 28(1), 46-65. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/applin/aml048
Webb, S., & Nation, P. (2017). How vocabulary is learned. Oxford University Press.
Yunus, K., & Mohammad, A. B. (2016). The breadth of receptive vocabulary knowledge among English major university students. Journal of Nusansara Studies, 1(1), 7-17. https://doi.org/10.24200/jonus.vol1iss1pp7-17