New-word Size

In order to find out whether there is a sudden increase of vocabulary learning load, which might influence learning, it is necessary to examine the new-word size in the JH and SH/VH textbooks respectively. Before that, the focus is on the difference between the old centralized JH textbooks and the new JH word lists so that the gap of new-word size between them and SH/VH textbooks could also be investigated.

The following two tables (Table 4.1 & Table 4.2) show the learning load a junior high school student had to shoulder from the old textbooks edited by NICT and the new words one has to learn from the new vocabulary lists by the MOE. From Table 4.1, the learning load, in terms of word entries (namely headwords of word families), does not increase in the newly-issued JH word lists, but decreases in the new

vocabulary lists (New JH / Old JH = 89.53%).

However, while considering types (i.e. running words excluding repeated occurrences) by applying basic rules of word formation, instead of word entries, the junior high school students have more to learn from the new vocabulary lists.

Specifically, the basic amount of required vocabulary does not change much. In other words, no matter which version a student choose, the old centralized one or the new ones based on the new vocabulary lists by the MOE, if he or she only have to learn the required course with Word-JHA or learn the vocabulary for production

(Word-JH1000), the vocabulary load does not increase much. (Word-JH1000/

Word-JHA = 109.08%).

Nevertheless, when the elective course, namely Word-JHB or Word JH-2000, is included, the learning load shows a noticeable increase, from 591 types per semester to 783 types per semester (New JH/ Old JH = 132.52%).

Table 4.1 The Word Size (Entries) for JH Students

A. Entries JHA JHB JH-1000 JH-2000

Entries/ 1033/ 1201/ 1000/ 1000/

Per Semester 172.17 200.17 166.67 166.67 Total Entries/

Per Semester 372.33 333.33

Table 4.2 The Word Size (Type) for JH Students

B. Types JHA JHB JH-1000 JH-2000

Types/ 2082/ 1464/ 2271/ 2428/

Per Semester 347 244 378.5 404.67

Total Types/

Per Semester 591 783.17

The next two tables (Table 4.3 & Table 4.4) present the learning load of new words for a senior or vocational high school student to face in the first semester.

Taking only the Words for Production, the number of new entries the students have to learn in one semester seems quite reasonable. The numbers of Words for Productions in all the six versions are far below the rule of vocabulary load regulated by the MOE (350 words per semester for 1st-year SH/VH students, see Table 1). Even all the new entries in different sections, such as Words for Conversation, are added, the total number of new entries seem to observe the rule of vocabulary load regulated by the MOE. Both FEV (309 entries / semester) and LTV (262 entries / semester) even provide lighter learning burden for their students than what is suggested by the MOE.

Table 4.3 The Size of the *Listed New Words (Entries) for SH/VH Freshmen

*Note. “Listed New Words” refer to those words listed in the vocabulary lists or marked as new words in the textbooks.

Among the three versions of SH textbooks, the number of new word entries in LT is the lowest (391 entries / semester) among the three versions. As for

VH-freshmen, those who adopt SMV might suffer the most from the increase of new word entries (396 entries / semester)while those who use LTV (262 entries / semester) the least.

Table 4.4 The Gap of *Listed New Word (Entries) Load (Times)

New Entries SH/VH

* Note. “Listed New Words” refer to those words listed in the vocabulary lists or marked as new words in the textbooks.

From Table 4.4, there is hardly a gap for those JH students who learned both Word-JHA and Word-JHB no matter which version of SH/VH textbooks they use.

They might feel the learning load of new listed words is even lightened if they adopt FEV or LTV. By the same token, for those JH students who learned both the

newly-issued lists by the MOE, there is no increase of learning burden which might have negative influences on their learning. However, not all the JH students learned both the required and elective word lists before they enter SH/VH. For those who merely finished the required lists (Word-JHA or Word-JH1000), no matter whether they choose SH or VH, they might need to face an increase of vocabulary load. They might face at most 2.60 times (SM v.s. Word-JHA) or at least 1.31 times (LTV v.s.

Word-JH1000) more vocabulary load than what they were used to in junior high school. The increase might still seem reasonable since they are expected to learn more when they grow older.

Table 4.5 The Size of the *Listed New Words (Types)

B. Types FE LT SMC FEV LTV SMV

Words for Production 230 201 265 132 119 187

Derivatives 57 78 N/A 60 5 42

Idioms & Phrases 138 169 177 75 181 164 Words for Recognition 45 47 95 35 131 39 Words for Conversation 44 12 66 123 11 159

Total 514 507 603 425 447 591

* Note. “Listed New Words” refer to those words listed in the vocabulary lists or marked as new words in the textbooks.

Evaluating the size of new words by types, the learning load of new words still seems acceptable (See Table 4.5). For most students, the learning burden is even reduced, particularly for those who have learned both Word-JHA and Word-JHB (591 types / semester) or both Word-JH1000 and Word-JH2000 (783.17 types / semester).

Similarly, based on the size of new word types, LT (507 types / semester) is the most acceptable version among SH freshmen while SMV (591 types / semester) is still the most challenging one for VH freshmen.

Table 4.6 The Gap of *Listed New Word (Types) Load (Times)

* Note. “Listed New Words” refer to those words listed in the vocabulary lists or marked as new words in the textbooks.

Table 4.6 shows that except for those who adopt SM version, for most of those who learned both the required and elective vocabulary lists (Word-JHA + Word-JHB or in Word-JH1000+Word-JH2000) junior high school, they face a lighter learning burden in terms of the number of listed new word types. Although not every JH student learn both required and elective word lists, the increase of listed new word types (1.70 times more in SMV at most and 1.12 times more in FEV) may still be seemingly acceptable when they step into further educational stages with the expectation of more learning load.