Vocabulary Learning in a Content-Based ESL Classroom: An Interactional Perspective

Vocabulary Learning in a Content-Based ESL Classroom: An Interactional Perspective

The present study attempted to describe the process of I.2 vocabulary teaching and learning in a communicative, content-learning English classroom, with particular attention to the features of participants' interaction and the learning context. To this end, a multi-ethnic ESL class from a U. S. public elementary school was observed and recorded via non-participant observation. The results showed that learners' pick-up and use of L2 words and phrases were greatly influenced by peer's lexical choices as well as subsequent teacher reactions. The learners were active monitors of the ongoing class interaction and fast adopters of the seemingly favored L2 expressions, who kept testing out the meaning and usage of those words in similar situations. More importantly, the instructional goal of the lesson and teaching activities, the context of preceding interactions, and learners' knowledge about the topic were also important factors to determine their comprehension and the use of English expressions in a given context. From these results it was implied that future studies should incorporate more information on the interactional aspects of the learning process that occur in a communicative classroom context as a means to describe the nature as well as the effect of L2 vocabulary learning and instruction.