Effects of Narrow Reading Versus Wide Reading on Iranian EFL Learner’s Incidental Vocabulary Acquisition

This study generally aimed at examining the most effective method of acquiring incidental L2 vocabulary among EFL learners. More specifically, it investigated the effect of two various types of reading texts (i.e., narrow and wide texts) on Iranian intermediate EFL learners’ incidental vocabulary acquisition. This pretest/posttest study lasted for five sessions and the participants were given 10 different passages including some articles and short stories (5 narrow and 5 wide reading texts) to read as the treatment. They were requested to enjoy reading the texts to guess the meanings of the new vocabulary items. Then, they were asked some questions based upon the texts. Afterwards, multiple choice tests were employed to assess various levels of word knowledge acquired through different types of texts. The scores of the immediate posttests were compared with the results from the delayed posttests to find out whether there was any significant difference after they had been exposed to the narrow and wide texts. The findings showed a statistically significant difference in the immediate posttest in favor of narrow reading over wide reading. The participants were more successful at acquiring incidental vocabulary items when they were exposed to narrow reading texts compared to wide reading texts. Nonetheless, even wide reading texts also have a significant effect on the acquisition of incidental vocabulary items.

Keywords:

Narrow Reading , Wide Reading , Vocabulary Acquisition , Incidental Vocabulary Learning