Vocabulary: a framework for grading (original) (raw)

EFLLex: A Graded Lexical Resource for Learners of English as a Foreign Language

2018

This paper introduces EFLLex, an innovative lexical resource that describes the use of 15,280 English words in pedagogical materials across the proficiency levels of the European Framework of Reference for Languages. The methodology adopted to produce the resource implies the selection of an efficient part-of-speech tagger, the use of a robust estimator for frequency computation and some manual post-editing work. The content of the resource is described and compared to other vocabulary lists (MRC and BNC) and to a reference pedagogical resource: the English Vocabulary Profile.

Choosing Words to Teach: A Novel Method for Vocabulary Selection and Its Practical Application

TESOL Quarterly, 2019

Vocabulary learning materials and vocabulary learning research have a common objective of promoting effective vocabulary instruction (Schmitt, 2008), but in practice vocabulary learning materials tend to reflect materials writers' repertoire and intuition primarily (Tomlin-son, 2011). In an effort to develop a stronger interface between research and practice, this article introduces a novel method for word selection based on words' frequency, usefulness, and difficulty (Laufer & Nation, 2012). The researchers retrieved the frequency of 191 words and collocations targeted in a North American intensive English program from the Corpus of Contemporary American Eng-lish (COCA) and COCA-Academic, and collected usefulness and difficulty ratings from 76 experienced ESL instructors. Frequency correlated moderately with usefulness and difficulty, which supported the value of including usefulness and difficulty ratings as word selection criteria. A cluster analysis revealed five distinct groups of target words, which differed in frequency, usefulness, and difficulty. Teaching of the target words could be prioritized according to this sequence. This study introduces a step-by-step approach for materials writers, curriculum designers, and teaching professionals to identify word groupings in a potential list of target words, using a combination of objective and subjective data, with the prospect of creating more effective and more efficacious vocabulary learning materials.

TESOL INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL Special Issue-Teaching, Learning, and Assessing Vocabulary

Trends in Vocabulary Research Marina Dodigovic, Stephen Jeaco, Rining Wei 1 A New Inventory of Vocabulary Learning Strategy for Chinese Tertiary EFL Learners Xuelian Xu, Wen-Cheng Hsu 7 “I Used Them Because I Had to . . .”: The Effects of Explicit Instruction of Topic-Induced Word Combinations on ESL Writers Jelena Colovic-Markovic 23 The Effect of Input Enhancement on Vocabulary Learning: Is There An Impact upon Receptive And Productive Knowledge? Christian Jones, Daniel Waller 48 Vocabulary Teaching: Insights from Lexical Errors Mª Pilar Agustín-Llach 64 Lexical Transfer in the writing of Chinese learners of English Marina Dodigovic, Chengchen Ma, Song Jing 79 Helping Language Learners Get Started with Concordancing Stephen Jeaco 91 Self-assigned Ranking of L2 Vocabulary Heidi Brumbaugh, Trude Heift 111 Recognition Vocabulary Knowledge and Intelligence as Predictors of Academic Achievement in EFL Context Ahmed Masrai, James Milton 128 Using Category Generation Tasks to Estimate Productive Vocabulary Size in a Foreign Language Shadan Roghani, James Milton 143 How General is the Vocabulary in a General English Language Textbook? Hedy McGarrell, Nga Tuiet Zyong Nguien 160 A Corpus Comparison Approach for Estimating the Vocabulary Load of Medical Textbooks Using The GSL, AWL, and EAP Science Lists Betsy Quero 177

The available lexicon: A tool for selecting appropriate vocabulary to teach a foreign language

This study aims to provide foreign language professionals with a sound methodology for selecting a suitable lexicon apropos of their students' level in the language. The justification of said selection is, herein, rooted in a cognitive argument: If we are able to observe the manner in which words are organized within the mind, we will be better able to select the words needed for the natural process of communication. After analyzing over lists of lexical availability compiled by previous analyses, this study puts forth a glossary filtered by way of an objective procedure based on the mathematical concept known as Fuzzy Expected Value. I begin first by rigorously defining the concept of lexical availability and then thoroughly examining and explaining the manner in which I have obtained the results. Next, I employ the cognitive theory of prototypes to expound upon the organizational apparatus which arranges words within speakers' minds. Subsequently, and in accordance with objective criteria, a lexical selection is proposed. To end, I contemplate and muse upon the significance of a program that would enable us to identify the most appropriate vocabulary according to the students' level of linguistic competence. In order to further substantiate this study, it will be juxtaposed with the specific notions outlined by the curriculum of The Cervantes Institute. Moreover, it will relate to the teaching levels proposed by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) and Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).

SECOND LANGUAGE VOCABULARY ASSESSMENT: CURRENT PRACTICES AND NEW DIRECTIONS

International Journal of English Studies, 2007

This paper surveys some current developments in second language vocabulary assessment, with particular attention to the ways in which computer corpora can provide better quality information about the frequency of words and how they are used in specific contexts. The relative merits of different word lists are discussed, including the Academic Word List and frequency lists derived from the British National Corpus. Word frequency data is needed for measures of vocabulary size, such as the Yes/No format, which is being developed and used for a variety of purposes. The paper also reviews work on testing depth of knowledge of vocabulary, where rather less progress has been made, both in defining depth as a construct and in developing tests for practical use. Another important perspective is the use of vocabulary within particular contexts of use or registers, and recent corpus research is extending our understanding of the lexical features of academic registers. This provides a basis for assessing learners’ ability to deploy their vocabulary knowledge effectively for functional communication in specific academic contexts. It is concluded that, while current tests of vocabulary knowledge are valuable for certain purposes, they need to be complemented by more contextualised measures of vocabulary use.