4. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
4.1.2 Unlisted-new-word Size
However, the vocabulary lists are not the only source of new words for students.
For both SH and VH students, there are plenty of unlisted new words, which refer to those words that were neither taught in junior high school nor included in the
vocabulary lists in their SH/VH textbooks. The size of unlisted new words is usually what indeed influences students’ learning. With the help of the program, RANGE32, the words that are neither included in the new JH wordlists (Word-JH1000 and
Word-JH2000) nor covered in the SH/VH vocabulary lists could be counted and listed.
Due to the limitation of the program design, the results will only be discussed in the
light of types. In addition, since reading texts are the main but not the only focus of teaching and examinations, all the unlisted new words in the 22 classified corpora will be examined.
From Table 4.7 and Figure 4.1, for those students who learn only the basic required vocabulary, namely Word-JH1000 and Word-SHP, in reading texts only, they might averagely face 22.29% words which they have never learned before. While those students read through the sections of reading texts, conversations, example sentences and English explanations of vocabulary, they might encounter up to 36.71%
of unlisted new words on average. Among the three versions, LT (LT-SHD: 38.9%) might be the most difficult for those who only obtain the basic required vocabulary while SMC (SMC-SHD: 35.23%) could be the easiest (See the detailed statistics in Appendix A, A-1).
Table 4.7 *Unlisted New Word Types with the Exclusion of Word-JH1000 + Word-SHP (Word for Production)
1. Baseword 1: Word-JH1000 2. Baseword 2: Word-SHP Unlisted/
Total Types Corpus-SHA Corpus-SHB Corpus-SHC Corpus-SHD
FE 259/1197 343/1351 647/1942 743/2066
LT 336/1341 401/1470 718/2059 892/2293
SMC 248/1244 306/1379 576/2010 828/2350
Ave. 281/1261 350/1400 647/2004 821/2236
* Note. “Unlisted New Words” refer to those words that are neither listed in Word-JH1000 and Word-JH2000 nor included in the vocabulary lists in their SH/VH textbooks.
Figure 4.1. Unlisted New Word Types in the 22 Classified Corpora with the Exclusion of Word-JH1000 + Word-SHP
Word-JH1000 + Word-SHP
0 10 20 30 40
Percentage of Unlisted New Words
FE 21.64 25.39 33.32 35.96 LT 25.06 27.28 34.87 38.9 SMC 19.94 22.19 28.66 35.23 AVE. 22.29 25 32.29 36.71
SHA SHB SHC SHD
For those who successfully learn all the new words listed in all the SH vocabulary lists, including Words for Recognition, Idioms & Phrases, listed Derivatives, and Words for Conversation, they might still averagely have 16.21%
unknown words in reading texts only and 30.16% new words in corpus-SHD (See Table 4.8 & Figure 4.2). Specifically, FE (FE-SHD: 28.51%) should be the most preferred version while LT (LT-SHD: 32.36%) provides most challenges for students (See the detailed statistics in Appendix A, A-2).
Table 4.8 *Unlisted New Word Types with the Exclusion
of Word-JH1000 + Word -SH-All (All New Vocabulary) 1. Baseword 1: Word-JH1000
2. Baseword 2: Word-SHP 3. Baseword 3: Word-SHO Unlisted /
Total Types Corpus-SHA Corpus-SHB Corpus-SHC Corpus-SHD
FE 191/1197 247/1351 485/1942 589/2066
LT 271/1341 328/1470 569/2059 742/2293
SMC 155/1244 192/1379 446/2010 696/2350
Ave. 206/1261 256/1400 500/2004 676/2236
* Note. “Unlisted New Words” refer to those words that are neither listed in Word-JH1000 and Word-JH2000 nor included in the vocabulary lists in their SH/VH textbooks.
Figure 4.2 Unlisted New Word Types in the 22 Classified Corpora with the Exclusion of Word-JH1000 + Word -SH-All
Word-JH1000 + Word-SH-ALL
0 10 20 30 40
Percentage of Unlisted New Words
FE 15.96 18.28 24.97 28.51 LT 20.21 22.31 27.63 32.36 SMC 12.46 13.92 22.19 29.62 AVE. 16.21 18.17 24.93 30.16
SHA SHB SHC SHD
According to Table 4.9 and Figure 4.3, for those students who learn both
vocabulary lists, namely Word-JH1000 and Word-JH-2000, in junior high school and merely Word-SHP in senior high school, in reading texts only, they might averagely face 13.36% words which they have never learned before. While those students read through the sections of reading texts, conversations, example sentences and English explanations of vocabulary, they might encounter up to 22.55% of unlisted new words on average. Among the three versions, LT (LT-SHD: 23.68%) might be the most difficult for those who only obtain the basic required vocabulary while FE (FE-SHD:
21.93%) could be the easiest (See detailed statistics in Appendix A, A-3).
Table 4.9 *Unlisted New Word Types with the Exclusion of Word-JH2000 + Word-SHP (Word for Production)
1. Baseword 1: Word-JH1000 + Word-JH2000 2. Baseword 2: Word-SHP
Unlisted/
Total Types Corpus-SHA Corpus-SHB Corpus-SHC Corpus-SHD
FE 153/1197 211/1351 401/1942 453/2066
LT 174/1341 226/1470 435/2059 543/2293
SMC 178/1244 219/1379 367/2010 518/2350
Ave. 168/1261 219/1400 401/2004 505/2236
* Note. “Unlisted New Words” refer to those words that are neither listed in Word-JH1000 and Word-JH2000 nor included in the vocabulary lists in their SH/VH textbooks.
Figure 4.3 Unlisted New Word Types in the 22 Classified Corpora with the Exclusion of Word-JH2000 + Word-SHP
Word-JH2000 + Word-SHP
0 10 20 30
Percentage of Unlisted New Words
FE 12.78 15.62 20.65 21.93
LT 12.98 15.37 21.13 23.68
SMC 14.31 15.88 18.26 22.04
AVE. 13.36 15.62 20.01 22.55
SHA SHB SHC SHD
For those who not only memorize both Word-JH1000 and Word-2000 but also successfully learn all the new words listed in all the SH/VH vocabulary lists,
including Words for Recognition, Idioms & Phrases, listed Derivatives, and Words for Conversation, they might still averagely have 9.05% unknown words in reading texts only and 17.92% new words in corpus-SHD. Again, FE (FE-SHD: 16.84%) should be the easiest version while LT (LT-SHD: 18.88%) offers most challenges for students (See Table 4.10 & Figure 4.4 and the detailed statistics in Appendix A, A-4).
Table 4.10 *Unlisted New Word Types with the Exclusion
of Word-JH2000 + Word -SH-All (All New Vocabulary) 1. Baseword 1: Word-JH1000 + Word-JH2000
2. Baseword 2: Word-SHP 3. Baseword 3: Word-SHO Unlisted /
Total Types Corpus-SHA Corpus-SHB Corpus-SHC Corpus-SHD
FE 106/1197 148/1351 288/1942 348/2066
LT 131/1341 180/1470 326/2059 433/2293
SMC 106/1244 136/1379 273/2010 424/2350
Ave. 114/1261 155/1400 296/2004 402/2236
* Note. “Unlisted New Words” refer to those words that are neither listed in Word-JH1000 and Word-JH2000 nor included in the vocabulary lists in their SH/VH textbooks.
Figure 4.4 Unlisted New Word Types in the 22 Classified Corpora with the Exclusion of Word-JH2000 + Word -SH-All
Word-JH2000 + Word-SH-ALL
0 10 20 30
Percentage of Unlisted New Words
FE 8.86 10.95 14.83 16.84
LT 9.77 12.24 15.83 18.88
SMC 8.52 9.86 13.58 18.04
AVE. 9.05 11.02 14.75 17.92
SHA SHB SHC SHD
Even though the vocabulary in VH textbooks is relatively smaller than SH versions, it is quite possible for VH freshmen to suffer from the new words that are not covered in the given vocabulary lists. Since it is generally considered that VH students usually have poorer academic performances than SH ones, it should be understandable that many of the former are usually asked to learn solely the basic required vocabulary lists, the receptive Word-JH1000 in junior high and the Word-VHP in vocational high schools.
For such learners, on average there could be 18.25% (in Corpus-VHA) to 28.38% (in Corpus-VHC) of words which look unfamiliar to them. It should be
noticeable that the ratio of unlisted words in Corpus-VHA in LTV (27.56%)could be twice higher than the other two versions (FEV-VHA: 13.09% & SMV-VHA: 14.06%).
Moreover, because only FEV provides English explanation for vocabulary, there is only on Corpus-VHD (See detailed statistics in Appendix A, A-1).
Table 4.11 *Unlisted New Word Types with the Exclusion
of Word-JH1000 + Word-VHP (Word for Production) 1. Baseword 1: Word-JH1000
2. Baseword 2: Word-VHP Unlisted /
Total Corpus-VHA Corpus-VHB Corpus-VHC Corpus-VHD
FEV 83/634 172/850 429/1396 588/1639
LTV 202/733 270/908 366/1209 N/A
SMV 106/754 179/926 320/1326 N/A
Ave. 130/707 207/895 372/1310 588/1639
* Note. “Unlisted New Words” refer to those words that are neither listed in Word-JH1000 and Word-JH2000 nor included in the vocabulary lists in their SH/VH textbooks.
Figure 4.5 Unlisted New Word Types in the 22 Classified Corpora with the Exclusion of Word-JH1000 + Word-VHP
Word-JH1000 + Word-VHP
0 10 20 30 40
Percentage of Unlisted New Words
FEV 13.09 20.24 30.73 35.88 LTV 27.56 29.74 30.27
SMV 14.06 19.33 24.13
AVE. 18.24 23.10 28.38
VHA VHB VHC VHD
For those VH students who learned the required JH list only and are able to learn all the new words in VH vocabulary lists, they, on average, might still encounter one unfamiliar word every ten words (9% unlisted new words) in Corpus-VHA and about one new word every six words (18% unlisted new words in Corpus-VHC). Focusing on VHA, LTV (LTV-VHA: 12.96%) should be the hardest version while FEV presents more new words which are not covered in other vocabulary lists in both Corpus-VHC (20.27%) and Corpus-VHD (26.91%)(See detailed statistics in Appendix A, A-2).
Table 4.12 *Unlisted New Word Types with the Exclusion
of Word-JH1000 + Word -VH-All (All New Vocabulary) 1. Baseword 1: Word-JH1000
2. Baseword 2: Word-VHP 3. Baseword 3: Word-VHO Unlisted /
Total Types Corpus-VHA Corpus-VHB Corpus-VHC Corpus-VHD
FEV 42/634 82/850 283/1396 441/1639
LTV 95/733 157/908 239/1209 N/A
SMV 56/754 82/926 192/1326 N/A
Ave. 64/707 107/895 238/1310 441/1639
* Note. “Unlisted New Words” refer to those words that are neither listed in Word-JH1000 and Word-JH2000 nor included in the vocabulary lists in their SH/VH textbooks.
Figure 4.6 Unlisted New Word Types in the 22 Classified Corpora with the Exclusion of Word-JH1000 + Word -VH-All
Word-JH1000 + Word-VH-ALL
0 10 20 30 40
Percentage of Unlisted New Words
FE 6.62 9.65 20.27 26.91
LT 12.96 17.29 19.77
SMC 7.43 8.86 14.48
AVE. 9.00 11.93 18.17
VHA VHB VHC VHD
There are many VH students who have learned both Word-JH1000 and
Word-JH2000 as well. However, even with the knowledge of Word-VHP, they might still have the same problem of unlisted new words: from 12.62% in Corpus-VHA to 18.81% in Corpus-VHC. LTV (LTV-VHC: 20.84%) could be the most puzzling version and SMC (SMC-VHC: 15.76%) might be the easiest to handle (See detailed statistics in Appendix A, A-3).
Table 4.13 *Unlisted New Word Types with the Exclusion of Word-JH2000 + Word-VHP (Word for Production) 1. Baseword 1: Word-JH1000 + Word-JH2000
2. Baseword 2: Word-VHP Unlisted /
Total Types Corpus-VHA Corpus-VHB Corpus-VHC Corpus-VHD
FEV 61/634 121/850 277/1396 359/1639
LTV 140/733 189/908 252/1209 N/A
SMV 69/754 120/926 209/1326 N/A
Ave. 90/707 143/895 246/1310 359/1639
* Note. “Unlisted New Words” refer to those words that are neither listed in Word-JH1000 and Word-JH2000 nor included in the vocabulary lists in their SH/VH textbooks.
Figure 4.7 Unlisted New Word Types in the 22 Classified Corpora with the Exclusion of Word-JH2000 + Word-VHP
Word-JH2000 + Word-VHP
0.00 10.00 20.00 30.00
Percentage of Unlisted New Words
FE 9.62 14.24 19.84 21.90
LT 19.10 20.81 20.84
SMC 9.15 12.96 15.76
AVE. 12.62 16.00 18.81
VHA VHB VHC VHD
For those hardworking VH students who have memorized all the words in Word-JH1000 and Word-JH2000, and all the words in VH vocabulary lists, they averagely might still come across one unknown word every twenty words (5% in Corpus-VHA) and about one new word every nine words (11.57% in Corpus-VHC) at the end of their first semester in vocational high school (See detailed statistics in Appendix A, A-4).
Table 4.14 *Unlisted New Word Types with the Exclusion
of Word-JH2000 + Word -VH-All (All New Vocabulary) 1. Baseword 1: Word-JH1000 + Word-JH2000
2. Baseword 2: Word-VHP 3. Baseword 3: Word-VHO Unlisted /
Total Types Corpus-VHA Corpus-VHB Corpus-VHC Corpus-VHD
FEV 31/634 65/850 182/1396 263/1639
LTV 60/733 105/908 158/1209 N/A
SMV 32/754 51/926 114/1326 N/A
Ave. 41/707 74/895 151/1310 263/1639
* Note. “Unlisted New Words” refer to those words that are neither listed in Word-JH1000 and Word-JH2000 nor included in the vocabulary lists in their SH/VH textbooks.
Figure 4.8 Unlisted New Word Types in the 22 Classified Corpora with the Exclusion of Word-JH2000 + Word -VH-All
Word-JH2000 + Word-VH-ALL
0.00 10.00 20.00 30.00
Percentage of Unlisted New Words
FE 4.89 7.65 13.04 16.05
LT 8.19 11.56 13.07
SMC 4.24 5.51 8.60
AVE. 5.77 8.24 11.57
VHA VHB VHC VHD
4.2 Consistency between JH-Word lists and SH/VH-Textbooks