Teaching Vocabulary in a Second Language Classroom : A Critical Review

Teaching Vocabulary in a Second Language Classroom : A Critical Review

The purpose of the present paper is to review the effectiveness of different teaching approaches and the role of related variables in L2 vocabulary learning process as an attempt to help classroom teachers devise an appropriate method for their own teaching environment. Beginning with the practical issues involved in the definitional approach, it examines the theoretical principles and empirical findings of the semantic field approach, the contextual approach, and the keyword mnemonics approach Then, with regard to the inconclusive results from comparative studies, other intervening factors than the presentation and practice methods -such as target word features, learners' overall proficiency, and background knowledge of the learners- are discussed. Also highlighted is the critical role of classroom teachers to adopt each method for the characteristics of their learners. Finally, arguing that recent research has paid relatively less attention to developing productive knowledge and skills, the pedagogical value of teaching collocations and the lexical approach are explored as alternatives for a more appropriate and communicative use of L2 vocabulary.