The impact of task guidance on incidental collocation learning from task-based reading

This study explored how to promote incidental collocation learning from task-based reading. In this study, 101 Cantonese speakers read three English texts that contained 12 target collocations. Playing a role as an editor of a magazine, participants were asked to determine if the three texts were acceptable to be published in the next issue. While half of the participants (– Guidance, n = 50) were asked to simply accept or reject the texts after reading, the other half (+ Guidance, n = 51) received task guidance that contained a list of specific reviewing criteria. Participants’ eye-movements were recorded during the editor task, and 10 participants from each condition were asked to produce stimulated recalls while viewing their eye-movements. The rest of the participants’ (n = 81) knowledge about the target collocations was measured with form recall and recognition tests immediately and two weeks after the task. The results revealed that task guidance led to greater fixation durations and counts on the target collocations, as well as improved performances in the immediate posttest. The stimulated recalls further indicated that task guidance encouraged more goal-oriented reading. The findings underscore the importance of careful task design to promote incidental collocation learning from reading.