Implicit and Explicit Second Language Vocabulary Acquisition

This research-based study presents and examines the outcome of learning vocabulary implicitly and explicitly from an electronic text, with the target items hyperlinked to resources intended to enhance comprehension and retention. The subjects in the explicit group were overtly instructed to learn vocabulary items while the implicit group subjects were not. An immediate assessment task revealed that the explicit modality appears to lead to better immediate comprehension and retention as the implicit group subjects comprehended and retained fewer vocabulary items. A delayed assessment task revealed that the subjects in the explicit group forgot more items from the words they retained earlier than did the implicit group subjects. The implicit group subjects did not retain more vocabulary items than their fellows in the explicit group, but also forgot fewer items than their counterparts. It was found that the implicit group subjects secured most of their acquisition longer, ultimately taking the lead over the explicit group subjects. The differences were discussed and implications for teaching vocabulary were presented.