Second Language Vocabulary Teaching and Learning: Inspecting Alternatives and Analyzing Results

Abstract

For a long time now, the teaching and learning of L2 vocabulary has been underrated in second language acquisition (SLA). However, in the last three decades, there has been a reemergence of interest in this field and different proposals and perspectives have arisen that strengthen and encourage due attention. The purpose of this paper was to inquire into the effectiveness of the implementation of an array of vocabulary tasks to facilitate vocabulary acquisition. Three teachers of English at a private secondary school in Mar del Plata, Argentina, participated in this action research. Data were gathered by means of field notes, teaching activities, self- assessment reports and evaluation meetings. The results obtained shed some light on L2 vocabulary teaching and some new viewpoints are discussed that could help other language teachers develop conceptual knowledge to tackle lexical instruction. The decision to embark on this action research study led these three teachers to reflect upon their own teaching practice with regard to L2 vocabulary instruction and thus take cognizance of the importance of the inclusion of L2 vocabulary teaching on a regular basis in their classes. Finally, some suggestions for further research in this area were given. Keywords: vocabulary teaching/learning, L2 vocabulary, action research