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Since its inception, form-focused instruction (FFI) has been associated with grammar, with only a handful of studies examining its potential for vocabulary development (e.g., Laufer, 2006). Meanwhile, there has been an unresolved dispute between the two approaches of Focus on Form (FonF) and Focus on Forms (FonFs) in terms of their degree of efficiency. This classroom-based study sought to identify the most efficient FFI-driven approach in tapping learners' lexical as well as comprehension gains by drawing largely on the protocols provided in Ellis (2008) and Laufer (2005). Eighty-eight Iranian students in four intact classes at Allameh Tabataba'i University (two FonF, one FonFs and one meaning-focused) were presented with a series of teacher-designed mini-lessons. Their medium of exposure was video podcasts (newscasts). Students' gains were measured by active immediate and delayed vocabulary and comprehension tests. A series of between-groups multivariate analyses of variance revealed that both FonF groups outperformed the FonFs in terms of all three variables. This indicates that the tendency to analyze words in isolation, despite intensive rehearsals typical of FonFs, failed to outweigh the FonF conditions in which contextual associations are prioritized. The findings of the study could provide useful avenues for FFI-driven vocabulary learning and instruction.

Incidental vocabulary learning is often seen as superior to direct instruction on many occasions. Meanwhile, upon the emergence of the World Wide Web, second language (SL) learners have been introduced to 'podcasts' (recorded audio and video online broadcasts) which could be authentic sources of vocabulary learning. The relatively recent phenomenon of video podcast (vodcast) might be considered as a reliable complementary source of input to the written text or the audio track which are predominantly used to represent the platforms of SL instruction. To examine this assertion, three groups of Iranian EFL learners (n=63) were independently exposed to different modes of input (the reading text, audio track, and vodcast) during a series of classroom sessions under highly controlled circumstances. Immediate and delayed passive recall tests of vocabulary were administered to investigate their incidental gains. A multivariate analysis of variance revealed that both dependent variables (immediate and delayed recall) were significantly affected by the input modes. The post-hoc tests indicated no significant difference between the written and the audio groups while the vodcast group significantly outperformed the other two. The rich contextual clues made available by this audiovisual source seem to account for its superiority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]