Effects of a Real-World Task on Korean EFL High School Students’ Incidental Vocabulary Learning

This study examines how a real-world task influences incidental vocabulary learning in Korean high school EFL students and identifies factors affecting this process.Twenty-eight male students, grouped in pairs, created travel-guide videos about a tourist site.To measure vocabulary learning and retention, students completed a pre-test, an immediate post-test, and a delayed post-test, assessing both receptive and productive knowledge.Vocabulary learning was calculated as the percentage of unfamiliar words correctly answered on each post-test.Results showed that immediate receptive learning was 24%, delayed receptive learning was 25.6%, immediate productive learning was 17.8%, and delayed productive learning was 17.1%.The study also found that prior vocabulary knowledge (PVK) and word frequency significantly impacted learning outcomes: students with higher PVK learned approximately four times more than those with lower PVK, and words encountered multiple times were learned twice as effectively as single-exposure words.Additionally, students provided valuable feedback on their vocabulary learning, offering practical insights for future curriculum design. . 28 2 1 . , , , . , , , , 24%, 25.6%, 17.8%, 17.1% ., , . , .