The Effect of Explicit and Implicit Vocabulary Instruction on the Reading Comprehension of University Students via Online Classroom

Abstract

It is true that vocabulary is central to language teaching as well as learning and is of paramount importance to a language learner. This article attempts to find out and compare the effects of the two vocabulary teaching methods on Reading ability of 60 students studying at Islamic Azad University of Tonekabon, Iran. Experimental group received implicit vocabulary teaching while Control Group instructed through explicit vocabulary teaching. During the online lessons different explicit vocabulary presentation techniques used including mind-mapping, Persian equivalents, and English synonyms as well as definitions. Subsequently, the teacher utilized an inferred method for teaching vocabulary implicitly which means students were supposed to guess the words from the passages by using context clues. The results of T-tests and ANCOVA for the comparison of the effect of implicit and explicit instruction on reading comprehension through online sessions indicated that there was no significant difference in the two methods at .05 level of significance. The results of this study have several important implications for the classroom practice and make a strong case for explicit vocabulary instruction.