One-time treatment for incidental vocabulary learning: Call for discontinuation

Abstract

Incidental vocabulary learning has attracted a great deal of attention in ELT research. However, it is important that teacher and researcher exploitation of vocabulary developments be guided by more than replication of previous research designs. For conclusions based on empirical research to be valid, it is important to be clear about exactly what any data being gathered pertains to. While Karakas & Saricoban (2012) claim to have presented a solid piece of research on the effects of subtitled cartoons on incidental vocabulary learning, in practice it is not so. It is argued that the research design validity resulted in questionable results having little relevance to genuine incidental vocabulary learning.