L2 Vocabulary Learning and Teaching in an EFL Context from Teachers’ Perspective

Abstract

This study set out to explore teachers’ concepts and views of L2 vocabulary learning and teaching in a Korean context. 13 graduate students who had taken a graduate course of L2 vocabulary study participated in the study. Three sets of data were collected including a student survey, individual interviews, and field notes on class discussions. Findings of the study are as follows. First, most teachers changed their view of how L2 vocabulary is learned by recognizing that L2 vocabulary learning in EFL settings is more likely to occur through direct instruction rather than just indirect and strategy learning. Second, despite some mixed reactions, the teachers noted the need and importance of L2 vocabulary instruction. Third, the teachers were able to have a clear idea of how much and what to teach in their English vocabulary instruction. Finally, ‘analyzing the prefix or suffix of a word’ was found to be the most popular strategy to teach among the teachers. They were also able to increase their repertoire of English teaching activities and tasks to teach vocabulary and build up confidence as a result of taking the course