31.121, Review: Applied Linguistics: Horst (2019)

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LINGUIST List: Vol-31-121. Wed Jan 08 2020. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 31.121, Review: Applied Linguistics: Horst (2019)

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Date: Wed, 08 Jan 2020 14:30:14
From: Oksana Bomba [oksanabomba at mail.usf.edu]
Subject: Focus on Vocabulary Learning

 
Discuss this message:
http://linguistlist.org/pubs/reviews/get-review.cfm?subid=36542197


Book announced at http://linguistlist.org/issues/30/30-2196.html

AUTHOR: Marlise  Horst
TITLE: Focus on Vocabulary Learning
SERIES TITLE: Oxford Key Concepts for the Language Classroom
PUBLISHER: Oxford University Press
YEAR: 2019

REVIEWER: Oksana Bomba, University of South Florida

SUMMARY

“Focus on Vocabulary Learning” by Marlise Horst offers an overview of key
topics related to learning and teaching second language vocabulary. From the
first pages of the book, the author highlights the importance of having
sufficient vocabulary knowledge, stating that nowadays it is considered to be
“the key to literacy and success at school” (p. 1). The book attempts to
provide principled and research-informed guidelines that would facilitate
vocabulary acquisition for English language learners. The book consists of
five chapters and every chapter covers a different angle in the area of
teaching and learning English language vocabulary. The author explores the
most relevant concepts from the language learning theory, introduces research
findings from the experts in the field, and considers how the new technologies
can enhance vocabulary learning in the classroom. Using corpus tools is viewed
as an effective method for identifying the most useful vocabulary
corresponding to the learners’ needs, for critically analyzing instructional
materials, and for providing learners with opportunities to infer the word
meaning through exploring multiple corpus-based examples of the word in use. 

To further explain and support the book claims, most of the chapters include
the so-called Classroom Snapshots in the form of the teacher-learner
transcribed interactions. These snapshots are prefaced with a set of critical
questions that draw the reader’s attention to the key points under
consideration and encourage self-reflecting. The author consistently
elaborates on each of the provided Classroom Snapshots, further explaining and
discussing the effective teaching strategies and key factors involved in
vocabulary learning. Chapters 2, 3, and 4 also incorporate the Spotlight
Studies in the form of concise summaries of the well-established research
studies that carry relevant implications in the book’s discussion. The book
also incorporates various Activities in the form of bite-sized assignments,
self-tests, and questions, facilitating the reader’s understanding of the book
material. The answers are conveniently located at the end of the book
activities followed by additional author’s explanations and comments. The
final part of the book includes the list of the sources suggested for further
reading and an appendix with useful electronic websites to facilitate the
teaching and learning of English vocabulary. This is followed by the glossary
that defines and reiterates the key terms and concepts from the book chapters.

Chapter One introduces the idea of creating corpus-based frequency lists as a
practical and efficient way of selecting and prioritizing which words to
teach. At the same time, the author points out that the final decision in
terms of vocabulary selection depends on the needs of the individual group of
students and their proficiency level. Next, the chapter outlines the three
dimensions of vocabulary development: the partial-precise dimension,
vocabulary depth, and receptive-productive continuum. It also discusses the
three main aspects of vocabulary knowledge: form, meaning, and use. The author
stresses out that it is important to be aware of multiple factors involved in
vocabulary knowledge which go way beyond word definition. To demonstrate this
point, the chapter provides a comprehensive table visualizing all the
components of vocabulary knowledge and including concise explanations for each
of them. The author explains that learner knowledge of specific vocabulary
evolves over time and repetitive practice is highly effective for successful
vocabulary acquisition.

Chapter Two focuses on theoretical groundwork and research findings related to
second language vocabulary teaching and learning, as well as considers the
ways of effectively applying the theoretical insights in a real-world
classroom. The chapter introduces multiple key concepts that contribute to the
reader’s understanding of the process of vocabulary acquisition and retention.
The author outlines the interdependence hypothesis, information processing,
noticing, incidental vocabulary learning, and the sociocultural perspective.
For instance, one of the multiple examples presents the classroom situation
where the teacher implements the sociocultural approach through reading and
thinking aloud on the possible meaning of unfamiliar words. This approach
requires proper training on the teachers’ side to be able to show the learners
how to use their existing linguistic repertoires and cognitive skills when
analyzing the new vocabulary. It encourages the learners to build on their
previous knowledge, brainstorm and share their personal association related to
the new vocabulary, thus forming a classroom community of active autonomous
learners. 

Chapter Three considers the specifics of vocabulary acquisition for young
learners in a primary school. It argues that the amount of exposure to English
input, the level of L1 knowledge, and family socioeconomic background all play
an important role in successful L2 vocabulary acquisition of young learners.
The author explains that teaching the new vocabulary may be achieved through
reading informational texts and focusing on the words that are necessary for
understanding the text. The teacher may also ask the students questions that
go beyond word use in the original reading and encourage them to produce their
own examples with the new word. Ideally, in the process of study learners
should be given multiple opportunities for spaced repetition of the newly
learned vocabulary. The vocabulary retrieval activities may include but are
not limited to playing games, drawing, reading stories, and solving puzzles.
The learners can also be trained to figure out the word meaning using cognate
clues, attending to morphological components, and paying attention to
contextual cues.

Chapter Four addresses the characteristics and peculiarities of vocabulary
acquisition for middle- and high school learners. Specifically, the author
notes that, when compared to young learners, adolescents are more advanced in
terms of memory capacity, cognitive skills, metalinguistic awareness, and
world knowledge. At the same time, this age category of learners also needs to
know a much larger amount of words. The author relates to existing research
findings favoring “using interesting, age-appropriate expository texts as a
starting point for designing deep vocabulary instruction for adolescents” (p.
119). This way, the learners can address both the word meaning and its use in
context, while the teacher can better explain the new word by referring to the
text. The author also advocates encouraging learners to become autonomous
learners who take control of their learning process. Thus, teachers can guide
and train their students to make informed guesses based on the provided
concordance examples from a corpus, create and practice using word cards, or
hypothesize the possible word meaning based on its morphemes. For instance,
writing the word on the card and adding its definition draws learners’
attention to both spelling and meaning, forming strong form-meaning
associations that promote deeper learning. Overall, the author highlights the
importance of providing adolescent learners with multiple opportunities for
retrieval and spaced repetition which are contributing to long-term retention.
The chapter concludes by stating that adolescent learners should be encouraged
to take control of their own learning and develop learning strategies that
facilitate acquiring new vocabulary on their own. 

Chapter Five provides responses to the list of statements posited in the first
book’s activity. It reiterates the key ideas about vocabulary knowledge
covered throughout the book. The reader is encouraged to first review their
initial answers to Activity 1.1 included at the beginning of the book and
reflect on how their understanding has evolved while reading the new material.
The author explains her position on each of the activity statements, focusing
on effective vocabulary teaching strategies, the amount of vocabulary the
learners from different age categories need to know, and the key factors
involved in different stages of vocabulary teaching and learning. The existing
research findings show that it is crucial for learners to acquire the
high-frequency list of vocabulary early on and provide learners multiple
opportunities for retrieval and repetition. This can be achieved through
reading stories that help to expose learners to high-frequency vocabulary and
develop fluency. The author stresses out that knowledge of a word presupposes
not just knowing its definition but understanding its synonyms, collocations,
morphological variants and proper use in the sentence. Teachers, in their
turn, should be aware of helpful strategies that facilitate vocabulary
acquisition such as drawing learners’ attention to cognates, training the
students to analyze the morphological parts of the unfamiliar word, or
inferring the word meaning from the given context. The author concludes her
book by stressing the importance of having a sufficient repository of
vocabulary knowledge since it may greatly determine students' success in all
areas of their life. Therefore, it requires responsible work and informed
awareness both from teachers and students.

EVALUATION

This book skillfully establishes the link between the theoretical claims about
vocabulary acquisition, the relevant empirical studies, and real-world
classroom scenarios. The author provides a strong justification for the given
recommendations and offers a set of practical solutions addressing potential
vocabulary learning and teaching challenges. It was especially enjoyable for
me to explore whether my understanding aligns with the claims from Activity
1.1. The author did an excellent job involving the reader in critical
self-reflection and guiding me through the material rather than simply
prescribing what is right and wrong. 

The book is infused with interesting summaries of empirical studies,
informative visuals, and analyses of the specific examples from the classroom
setting. The author encourages the reader to adapt and apply the provided
recommendations in their own classroom, based on their learners’ needs. One
recommendation that can make the reading even more enjoyable is numbering the
lines for the Classroom Snapshot transcripts and referring to the specific
line numbers in the follow-up analysis of the excerpts. Overall, after reading
the book it becomes clear that learning new vocabulary is an important but
challenging part of language learning. “Focus on Vocabulary Learning” is a
great resource both for educators and students who are willing to enhance
their expertise in various aspects of vocabulary acquisition.


ABOUT THE REVIEWER

Oksana Bomba is a doctorate student in Linguistics and Applied Language
Studies (LALS) at the University of South Florida. Her research interests
include second language acquisition, corpus linguistics, sociolinguistics, and
language teaching. She has taught English, Russian, and Introduction to
Linguistics in multiple contexts and to language learners from various age
groups and cultural backgrounds.





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