Adult Learners' Approaches to Learning Vocabulary in Second Languages

Abstract

How do adult second language (L2) learners approach the task of vocabulary learning and what mnemonic procedures do they use to help themselves retain the lexical items that they are learning in their L2? These questions were first investigated in an exploratory study with 50 beginning and advanced English as a Second Language (ESL) learners then through four case studies of ESL learners and eight case studies of French as a Second Language learners. The research identified two distinct approaches to vocabulary learning in an L2, a structured and an unstructured approach that differed in five aspects: (a) the extent to which learners engaged in independent study, (b) the range of self‐initiated learning activities in which learners engaged, (c) the extent to which learners recorded the lexical items they were learning, (d) the extent to which learners reviewed such records, and (e) the extent to which they practised using vocabulary items outside their L2 course.