Teaching and learning English vocabulary in a Spanish context

Abstract

Although the problem of teaching and learning vocabulary has experienced a great development in the last decades, in the contemporary context, teaching vocabulary knowledge is still a major challenge on all levels. The present article attempts to tackle and solve some of the issues encountered by both teachers and students in the classroom regarding vocabulary knowledge. This article presents a study examining the effects of the Vocabulary Box, Kick Me Activity, and the Vocabulary Survey in 2nd-year ESO1 students, to show if the method of learning words has an impact on the student learning process. Results are based on the final written test, student observation, and student survey. Different methods produced significant variations in achievement scores, and the data-collection instruments showed that students had a preference for the Vocabulary Box and selected the Kick Me Activity as a second choice. This empirical study produces findings linked to the interaction of students with different dynamic and stimulating tasks that encourage not only participation, fun and engagement, but also vocabulary knowledge acquisition.