In:Research Methods in Vocabulary Studies
Philip Durrant, Anna Siyanova-Chanturia, Benjamin Kremmel and Suhad Sonbul
[Research Methods in Applied Linguistics 2] 2022
► pp. vii–xiv
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Published online: 22 September 2022
https://doi.org/10.1075/rmal.2.toc
https://doi.org/10.1075/rmal.2.toc
Table of contents
Part I.Introduction
Chapter 1.Introducing vocabulary research
1.What is vocabulary research?
2.Areas of vocabulary research
3.Key concepts
3.1Vocabulary knowledge
3.1.1Breadth vs. depth of vocabulary knowledge
3.1.2Aspects of vocabulary knowledge
3.1.3Receptive vs. productive knowledge
3.1.4Automaticity and psycholinguistic processes
3.1.5Lexical organisation
3.2Frequency
3.3Defining lexical items
3.3.1How should we divide the flow of language into units of vocabulary?
3.3.2How should we combine units of vocabulary into vocabulary types?
3.3.3Formulaic language
4.Overview of the book
Part II.Describing vocabulary in use: Corpus linguistics
Chapter 2.Corpus linguistics and vocabulary research
1.What is corpus linguistics and why is it important?
2.Corpus linguistics, linguistic theory, applied linguistics, and vocabulary
3.What vocabulary-related issues can be addressed in corpus linguistic research?
3.1Researching how words are used
3.2Researching how vocabulary differs across contexts
3.3Helping us understand language development
3.4Creating and evaluating pedagogical materials
3.5Creating instruments for vocabulary research
4.Conclusion
Chapter 3.Fundamental considerations in corpus linguistics
1.Theorizing corpus linguistics
2.Representativeness in corpus design
2.1Balance
2.2Corpus size
2.3Representativeness as an ideal and the importance of metadata
3.Encoding, markup, and annotation
4.Conclusion
Chapter 4.Methods in corpus linguistics
1.Two ways of analysing a corpus
2.Studying frequency
2.1Frequency lists
2.2Dispersion
2.3Co-occurrence
2.4Calculating association measures
2.4.1Expected frequency and observed frequency
2.4.2Co-occurrence tables
2.4.3Calculating association measures
2.5Comparing frequencies
3.Studying language in context
3.1Using concordancers: sampling and sorting
3.2Using concordancers: search terms
4.Commonly used corpus tools and resources
4.1Corpora
4.2Tools for building a corpus
4.3Tools for analysing a corpus
5.Conclusion
Chapter 5.Key topics in corpus linguistics
1.Variation in word use across proficiency levels
1.1Lexical density
1.2Lexical diversity
1.3Lexical sophistication
1.4Semantic measures
1.5Conclusion
2.Vocabulary lists
2.1Issues in creating vocabulary lists
2.1.1What counts as an item of vocabulary?
2.1.2What doesn't frequency tell us?
2.1.3Is there a stable core vocabulary?
2.2Conclusion
Additional readings and resources
Part III.Examining vocabulary in the mind: Psycholinguistic approaches
Chapter 6.Psycholinguistics and vocabulary research
1.Off-line versus on-line
2.What vocabulary-related issues can be addressed in psycholinguistic research?
2.1Sensitivity to frequency in language processing
2.2Familiarity and predictability
2.3Age-of-acquisition effects in lexical processing
2.4Ambiguity in lexical processing
2.5Cross-language activation
2.6Learning of novel vocabulary items
2.6.1Repetition effect in vocabulary learning
2.6.2Textual enhancement, captioning, glossing, and multimodality
3.Conclusion
Chapter 7.Fundamental considerations in psycholinguistic research
1.Methodological considerations
1.1Experimental design
1.2How many participants?
1.3How many items?
1.4Confounding variables
1.5Using non-words
1.6Data analysis
2.Practical considerations
2.1Instructions, practice session, and piloting
2.2Text presentation
2.3Forms and questionnaires
2.4Other considerations
2.5Conducting psycholinguistic research via the Internet
3.Conclusion
Chapter 8.Psycholinguistic methods
1.Reaction time measures
1.1Priming paradigm
1.2Self-paced reading
1.3Other reaction time tasks and paradigms
2.Eye movements
3.Event-related brain potentials
3.1N400
3.2P300
4.Measuring productive language use
4.1Measuring the production of spoken language
4.2Measuring the production of written language
5.Conclusion
Chapter 9.Key topics in psycholinguistic vocabulary research
1.Role of phrase frequency in formulaic language comprehension
2.Role of phrase frequency in formulaic language production
3.Conclusion
Additional readings and resources
Part IV.Measuring vocabulary knowledge: Vocabulary testing
Chapter 10.Researching vocabulary tests
1.What is vocabulary testing research and why is it important?
2.Defining the construct of vocabulary knowledge
3.Conclusion
Chapter 11.Fundamental considerations in researching vocabulary tests
1.Principles of good practice in language testing
1.1Reliability
1.2Validity
1.3Washback, practicality and authenticity
2.Operationalizing the construct
2.1Frequency and item sampling
2.2Unit of counting for item sampling
2.3Cognates
2.4Test formats
2.5Translations
2.6Modality
3.Conclusion
Chapter 12.Methods in Researching Vocabulary Tests
1.Researching test scores
1.1Classical Test Theory (CTT)
1.2Item Response Theory (IRT)
1.3Further analyses
2.Researching test content and processes
3.Researching test use
4.Popular vocabulary tests and how they have been researched
4.1Measurements of breadth of vocabulary knowledge
4.1.1Yes/No Checklist tests
4.1.2Vocabulary Levels Test (VLT)
4.1.3Vocabulary Size Test (VST)
4.1.4Tests of productive vocabulary knowledge
4.2Measurements of depth of vocabulary knowledge
4.2.1Word Associates Format (WAF)
4.2.2Vocabulary Knowledge Scale (VKS)
4.2.3Test of English Derivatives (TED)
4.2.4Collocation measures
4.2.5Test batteries assessing more than one aspect of word knowledge
5.Conclusion
Chapter 13.Key topics in vocabulary assessment research
1.Item format effects
2.Cognate effects
3.Sampling effects
4.Conclusion
Additional readings and resources
Part V.Understanding vocabulary development: Teaching and learning
Chapter 14.Research on vocabulary development
1.L2 vocabulary development: A complex process
2.Approaches to learning vocabulary
2.1Incidental learning
2.2Semi-incidental learning
2.3Intentional learning
3.The learning burden of lexical items
3.1Phonological and orthographic features
3.2Morphological and grammatical features
3.3Semantic features
3.4Intra-language similarity
3.5Inter-language similarity
3.6Frequency
4.Conclusion
Chapter 15.Fundamental considerations in vocabulary development research
1.Participant sampling
1.1Sample size
1.2Individual differences
2.Target item selection
2.1Number of items
2.2Item properties
2.3Issues related to formulaic sequences
3.Development of tasks and materials
3.1Task type
3.2Authentic or invented texts
3.3Contextual clues
3.4Lexical coverage
4.Measuring gains
4.1Multi-aspect measurement
4.2Sensitive measurement
4.3Delayed measurement
5.Other considerations
6.Conclusion
Chapter 16.Methods in vocabulary development research
1.Experimental methods
1.1Pretest-posttest design
1.2Time-series design
2.Correlational methods
3.Computational modelling
4.Case studies
5.Conclusion
Chapter 17.Key topics in vocabulary development research
1.Vocabulary learning from audio-visual input
1.1Materials: Visual and textual clues
1.2Measurement: spoken vs. written modality
1.3Conclusion
2.Evaluating explicit vocabulary exercises
2.1Spaced Practice
2.2Errorless learning
2.3Conclusion
3.Tracking vocabulary development
3.1Multicomponent vocabulary assessment
3.2Computational simulations of formulaic language development
3.3Conclusion
Additional readings and resources
Part VI.Working across areas
Chapter 18.Working across areas
1.Models for working across areas
2.Challenges of working across areas
2.1Criteria of a good corpus for use in other areas
2.2Interpreting corpus data for the purposes of other areas
3.Conclusion
References
Index
