Effects of Input and Output-oriented Tasks with Different Involvement Loads on the Receptive Vocabulary Knowledge of Iranian EFL Learners

Abstract

Framed in a cognitive approach to task-supported L2 vocabulary learning, the <br /> present study used a pedagogical approach to investigate the relative effectiveness<br /> of tasks with different involvement loads on the vocabulary knowledge of Iranian<br /> EFL learners. The goal was to investigate the way that the construct of<br /> involvement load is related to the Input Hypothesis (Krashen, 1985) and the<br /> Output Hypothesis (Swain, 1996) to see whether the involvement load or<br /> input/output-orientation of tasks is the determining factor in task effectiveness. A<br /> quasi-experimental design with a pretest-treatment-posttest sequence was used in<br /> this study. The participants were 127 university students from four General<br /> English classes at Islamic Azad University, Mobarakeh Branch, who were assigned<br /> to four instructional groups. Contrary to the predictions of the Involvement Load<br /> Hypothesis (Laufer & Hulstijn, 2001), the results of the study indicated that<br /> involvement load is not the only determining factor in task effectiveness, but<br /> input/output-orientation of tasks is also a decisive parameter in task effectiveness.<br /> While Laufer and Hulstijn's proposal is a valuable first step towards building a<br /> theory of vocabulary learning, the results of the study indicated that involvement <br /> index may well not function independently of the task type, i.e., input or output<br /> orientation of a word-focused task.