Vocabulary learning in a second or foreign language can take place in many different ways. In our project, we want to better understand how learners learn words incidentally or intentionally through the use of digital tools. Our project covers several language combinations and is being conducted in two countries in parallel, Poland and Switzerland. In Poland, we study learners who are Polish monolinguals and learn English as a second language (L2). In Switzerland, we study learners who speak German and French as first languages and learn English as a third language (L3).
In part 1 of the project, we investigate how university students learn vocabulary when writing essays with new words that are particularly important for the academic context. We will compare whether the use of digital dictionaries, translation programs and digital glosses (translations) are equally effective in learning words. We will document the writing process in detail (keylogging and eye-tracking). This will allow us to measure 1) what writers look at when writing, 2) what is and is not paid attention to, and 3) what they are trying to understand.
In part 2 of our project, we investigate whether and how words are learned when watching English-language videos with subtitles (in the foreign language or in the native language) or without subtitles. We test which words the participants learn, again using eye-tracking to understand what the participants grasp visually.
The project aims to show what role various digital technologies (online resources, subtitles, etc.) play in vocabulary learning. The project results should contribute to more efficient vocabulary learning in language lessons.