Is Refining The Use of Diverse Strategies and Techniques in L2 Vocabulary Learning Necessary?

Vocabulary instruction is instrumental in developing learners’ vocabulary knowledge as it facilitates them to improve all areas of communication — reading, writing, listening and speaking. L2 vocabulary acquisition differs from L1 vocabulary acquisition as the L2 learner has already developed a lexical understanding and semantic system linked to L1. In this review, Asma AlRashid analyses the different techniques and strategies to enrich and enhance Second Language (L2) vocabulary learning, and provides the solutions that may help overcome these issues with reference to some up-to-date teaching strategies and techniques for L2 vocabulary learning and teaching, thus accomplishing the aim of the article. 

1.0 Summary 

This study by AlRashidi (2021) discusses the strategies and techniques on how teachers can improve their teaching methods in second language vocabulary learning. To begin with, the purpose of the article is to refine the readers’ knowledge and teaching methods regarding vocabulary instruction. AlRashid first addresses the issues learners are likely to face during L2 vocabulary learning in detail — the necessity of large amounts of vocabulary to function in a language; the complexity of word knowledge; lack of sufficient input sources and rapid forgetting of learned words. He also presents several principles for effective instruction to enhance vocabulary learning — focus on the most frequently used words, exhibit words as input, understand the effect of extensive reading on vocabulary development, and guide the students to become an independent learner to improve their vocabulary knowledge. Along with the issues and principles that he surfaces, the author also provides some up-to-date teaching strategies and techniques for L2 vocabulary learning and teaching as solutions, including both explicit and implicit vocabulary instruction, the lexical approach, visual stimuli, word contrasting, and the facilitation of incidental learning. AlRashid’s takeaway throughout the entirety of the article was that teachers should evolve their vocabulary instruction towards a more positive vocabulary development for their learners. 

2.0 Review

The author seems to have achieved the aim of the article, which is to enlighten teachers about the different strategies and techniques of L2 vocabulary learning that can produce the best results. The article is well-organised, direct and concise as the author provides solutions in direct reference to the issues that he exposes. The author also references plenty of reliable and up-to-date sources to back up his claims. The issues that the author brings up are also relevant to the current trends and issues in L2 vocabulary learning. 

Throughout the article, the author has proved that his solutions towards the issues that he surfaced were indeed well thought out and adequate, addressing the areas of concern that he then expands on with references to some reliable sources. However, although the solutions he suggests may work in theory, the ever changing variables that come with the diverse learning styles and attitudes of learners may pose a problem towards its practicality. For example, in one of the author’s suggestions for a solution, he proposes that the teacher should provide visual stimuli for learners to associate new vocabulary with. Although this technique is an efficient way to ensure new vocabulary retention in theory, due to the learning styles of some learners, visual stimuli might not be of much help in the case of a non-visual learner. Even so, towards the end of the article, the author stresses and acknowledges that some of his suggested techniques may provide disadvantages as well as advantages, and that it is up to the teachers to decide which method of approach can provide the most efficient results. He also states that teachers should combine some of his suggested methods to produce the desired results. This aspect of the article shows that although the solutions presented by the author were well researched with solid evidence, ultimately, the effectiveness of the suggested solutions depends on how the teachers choose to apply them in a classroom setting. 

Overall, the article has the potential to act as a helpful reference to English teachers on the best approaches to point them towards effective L2 vocabulary learning for their students, with its various criticisms and evaluations on different techniques and approaches for issues that learners face. The article also prepares future teachers for potential issues that they may face with their students in the future, encouraging a proactive mindset for future TESL teachers. Refining the use of mixed techniques and strategies in L2 vocabulary learning is essential towards a more effective learning outcome, ensuring that the learners are able to learn optimally, and so that teachers are able to tackle specific issues with the relevant strategies expertly. 

3.0 Conclusion 

This critical review has evaluated the article “Using Mixed Strategies And Techniques To Enrich And Enhance L2 Vocabulary Learning” by Asma AlRashidi. The issues he raises in the research along with the principles and strategies to improve L2 vocabulary learning are well written without any inherent biases and are adequately supported by many L2 researchers. Furthermore, the findings of this study not only reflect the research questions but also highlights the extensive knowledge of different aspects of vocabulary principles and techniques that can assist both teachers to teach it, and learners to acquire it effectively and practically. On the whole, this study deliberately unveils the importance of reviewing the issues L2 learners face in vocabulary learning and to acquaint the teachers with the useful teaching techniques and strategies to develop effective vocabulary instruction.