Enhancing vocabulary acquisition through reading: A hierarchy of text-related exercise types

This paper presents a classification scheme for reading-related vocabulary exercise types currently advocated in ESL/EFL textbooks. The scheme was developed within the context of an ongoing research project on L2 vocabulary acquisition through reading. The classification scheme proposes a hierarchy of the degree and type of mental processing required by various kinds of vocabulary exercises, in accordance with an information processing framework for the acquisition of L2 knowledge from input (Gass, 1988). It reflects a view of initial vocabulary acquisition as a multistage, iterative process involving repeated exposures to new words in meaningful contexts. The categories of the classification scheme are: selective attention, recognition, manipulation, interpretation, and production. The theoretical rationale for the classification scheme will be presented together with illustrative examples. Evidence for the validity of sample exercises will then be discussed. Finally, implications for vocabulary research and teaching will be considered.