2013/11/21 by Jang Ho Lee, Ernesto Macaro · 120 citations
Arts and Humanities · Psychology · #Context (archaeology) #EFL/ESL Teaching and Learning #English language #Language acquisition #Language proficiency #Linguistics #Mathematics education #Psychology #Second Language Acquisition and Learning #Second Language Learning and Teaching #Second language #Teaching method #Vocabulary #Vocabulary development
paper · doi:10.1111/j.1540-4781.2013.12044.x
published in Modern Language Journal 97(4), 887-901 (Wiley)
openalex publication_date 2013/11/21 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/26
This study examines the effects of teachers' language use—first language Korean (L1) or second language English (L2)—on the vocabulary acquisition and retention of two age groups: elementary school children after only a few years of English study ( n = 443) and adults at university with demonstrably higher levels of proficiency ( n = 286). Its context is the frequent recommendation by policy makers that L2 teachers should maximize the use of the target language and do so from the very beginning of instruction. We focused on the effects of language use on vocabulary learning because vocabulary teaching frequently involves L1 use even in an otherwise L2 communicative classroom. Our findings suggest that both age groups benefit from links being made with the L1, but that young learners benefit more and that differences in L2 proficiency levels, which often accompany age differences of L2 instructed learners, are a possible contributing, though not a deciding, factor in this conclusion.