これまで継続的に行なつて来た英語科の教育心理学的研究のつづぎとして,今回は英単語の問題をとりあげた。それも既習め英単語に限定し,これを単独で示す場合と,文中で示す場合とではどのようた相違があるかを各方面から検討した。この結果を要約すると次の如くなる。第1に,単語の理解は文中単語の方が単独単語よりずつとよい。第2に,中学3年から文脈の助けが飛躍的に増大する第3に,学業成績の上位群と下位群の生徒の相違をみると,文脈の利用の点から,そこに1年の開きがあり,これは中学3年の段階でみられる。第4に,学業不振の生徒の実態をとらえるために,同一の単語の正答率を発達的に分析してみると,学業不振の生徒は中学2年で学習するようた基本的た単語もわかつていないことが明らかにされた。

This investigation was made to ascertain how much context helps students to understand the meaning of English words. Subjects : 584 students in Tokyo (7th-1lth grades) For this purpose two forms of special tests for each grade were made : The words for which students were required to give Japanese equivalents and the words which were used contextually in sentences were selected from those which the students had already learned. The words given alone in form' (A) tests were tested in form (B) tests in context. The other words given alone in form (B) tests were tested in form (A) tests in context. Form(A) tests and form (B) tests were given to different groups (nearly equal in ability). The results were as follows : (1) Words in sentences were easier to understand than those given alone. C2) The percentage of understanding increased with grade level. There was a spurt at the 9th grade level. (3) The above results were also true in investigations controlled by I.Q, and in those using twins. (4) Context helped the superior students more than the inferior ones. The former showed a higher percentage of undersanding at the 9th grade ; the latter at the 10th grade. (5) The knowledge of word has relation to general English ability. Superior students in the words tests showed better results not only in our all-round English test but also in the English ability checked by teachers in the following year. (6) The result of the presunt word test have rather high relation with those of the word test given by us in the previous year. (7) The same words tested at the grade advaced. Inferior students did not know even the word thy had learned in the lower grade, while most of the superior ones knew those words. (8) Analysis of the mistakes made by students showed : Mistakes due to the similarity of pronunciation and word form decreased in sentences, especially in the higher grades.