Abstract
The current study reports on an intervention study that investigated the effects of interactive storybook reading on foreign language (FL) vocabulary development, particularly gains in knowledge of sound-to-picture (meaning) correspondences (SPC) and sound-to-letter correspondences (SLC) of target items, in Japanese primary school learners of English. Two sets of a four-lesson unit entailing shared storybook reading and extension activities were implemented with an intact class of 38 children in Year 5. The results showed that intervention effects were pronounced in the SPC vocabulary scores in both units, whereas few significant gains were made in knowledge of SLCs. The observed intervention effects and lack thereof are discussed in terms of the research principles gleaned from the interactive storybook reading literature.
