Effects of the Continuation Task and the RCC Task on Japanese as a Foreign Language Vocabulary Learning

Abstract This study examined the effects of the continuation task and the reading plus continued cloze (RCC) task on Japanese as a foreign language (JFL) vocabulary learning with a view to shedding fresh light on the relationship among depth of processing, interaction, alignment, and learning effects. Three classes of beginning-level JFL learners were randomly assigned to a continuation group, a RCC group, and a control group. A meaning recall test and an oral form recall test were used to gauge vocabulary learning gains. It was found that (i) both tasks led to significant immediate and long-term gains on both the oral form test and the meaning test and (ii) the continuation task showed superiority over the RCC task in promoting JFL vocabulary learning. Implications of these results for JFL vocabulary teaching are discussed.