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Vocabulary Learning and Instruction
Volume 11, Number 2 December 2022
Full issue: VLI_11_2 Download

Table of contents

Abstract
The Japanese context is a particularly rich area for a wide range of vocabulary research. I was therefore quite honored (and humbled) to be asked to serve as one of the discussants for the 2022 JALT Vocabulary SIG. The morning session of the Fall 2022 Vocabulary SIG included three papers that represent a range of topics that are common in vocabulary research. The first study (Eguchi, 2022) represents recent research on multivariate approaches to lexical sophistication, and highlights the importance of index selection, statistical choices, and the consideration of register when interpreting results. The second study (Al-Hoorie et al., 2022) highlights the wealth of vocabulary learning research that has been conducted in the last 30 years through a scoping review of research syntheses. The third study (Canning et al., 2022) represents an evaluation of one aspect of a substantive validity argument for a well-known receptive vocabulary knowledge test. The study highlights the idea that validity arguments are multi-faceted and that the evaluation of the validity of an assessment is an iterative, context-specific process, and is not represented by a one-time, one-size-fits-all study. Below, a brief summary of each study is provided, highlighting the particularly admirable qualities of each followed by suggestions for future research.

Citation
K. Kyle. (2022). Some trends in vocabulary research: A discussion of three papers presented at the JALT Vocabulary SIG. Vocabulary Learning and Instruction, 11(2), 38–47. https://doi.org/10.7820/vli.v11.2kyle

Abstract
Building on previous studies investigating the multidimensional nature of lexical use in task-based L2 performance, this study clarified the roles that the distinct lexical features play in predicting vocabulary proficiency in a corpus of L2 Oral Proficiency Interviews (OPI). A total of 85 OPI samples were rated by three separate raters based on a Common European Frame of Reference (CEFR) based rubric in terms of their linguistic range. The interview transcription was analyzed for 56 lexical and phraseological indices using modern natural language processing tools. The result of an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) revealed that the 56 indices tapped into 10 distinct factors of lexical use in OPI: three factors related to content words, three related to n-grams, three lexical collocation factors, and one function-word factor. A subsequent Bayesian mixed-effect ordinal regression indicated that six out of the 10 factors meaningfully predicted the CEFR levels on Range with reasonable accuracy (quadratic kappa coefficient = .81 with the human rating). The result highlights the distinct roles that multiple content-word, collocation, and function-word factors play in characterizing the linguistic range in a CEFR-based assessment of OPI. The implication for the assessment of lexical richness, as well as future directions of this research domain, are discussed.

Citation
Eguchi, M. (2022). Modeling lexical and phraseological sophistication in oral proficiency interviews: A conceptual replication. Vocabulary Learning and Instruction, 11(2), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.7820/vli.v11.2.Eguchi

Abstract
In this brief report, we present a scoping review of 31 second language (L2) vocabulary research syntheses published in the Web of Science from January 1990 to May 2022. The purpose of this undertaking was to understand what L2 vocabulary research synthesizers have aggregated and the investigative foci they intended to address. It was observed that most of the cataloged reports were experimental design meta-analyses, and thus there was room for future research syntheses in the vocabulary space to consider correlational research questions and hypotheses. Because systematic reviews were relatively scarce, there is also a need for these types of syntheses to be conducted in the future, especially those focused upon the observed quality of aggregated L2 vocabulary research.

Citation
Al-Hoorie, A. H., Vitta, J. P., and Nicklin, C. (2022). Research syntheses in L2 vocabulary research: A scoping review. Vocabulary Learning and Instruction, 11(2), 17–29. https://doi.org/10.7820/vli.v11.2.al-hoorie

Abstract
The substantive component of construct validity requires a confrontation between empirical test results and content relevance. The Vocabulary Size Test (VST) has been extensively validated in terms of empirical results. Less is known, however, about expert judgments of content relevance. The VST was constructed and validated according to the principle that frequency underlies vocabulary acquisition. This does not mean, however, that the two are equivalent. To better understand the construct of word difficulty as it is measured in VSTs, the results of two Rasch analyses, one on the VST, the other a Multi Facet Rasch Model (MFRM) of a questionnaire distributed to education practitioners were correlated (n = 80, r = 0.67, p < 0.001, 95% CI = [0.53, 0.77]). Semi-structured interviews were then conducted to explore how practitioners understand the concept of word difficulty. Findings indicate that word difficulty is understood to encompass more than frequency, validating recent research into the predictive power of lexical sophistication variables.

Citation
Canning, D. N., McLean, S., and Vitta, J. P. (2022). Rater judgments and word difficulty: Conceptualizing the substantive validity of the VST. Vocabulary Learning and Instruction, 11(2), 30–37. https://doi.org/10.7820/vli.v11.2.canning

Abstract
In this commentary, the following four papers have been reviewed and discussed: Vocabulary Learning Outside of the Classroom: Institutional Use of a Spaced Repetition Vocabulary Learning App (Mueller & Hays, 2022), Developing a Discipline-Specific Corpus and High-Frequency Word List for Science and Engineering Students in the Graduate School (Uehara et al., 2022), Rasch-based Instrument Validations for an Augmented Reality Vocabulary Acquisition Experiment (Dabrowski, 2022), and Orthographic Processing of Proper Names: A Proposal to Investigate the Orthographic Cue for Second Language Readers (Klassen, 2022).

Citation
Yamashita, J. (2022). A commentary on four papers in the second language vocabulary learning strand for the JALT Vocabulary SIG. Vocabulary Learning and Instruction, 11(2), 101–113. https://doi.org/10.7820/vli.v11.2.yamashita

Abstract
A standard treatment of proper names in second language (L2) vocabulary analyses is to categorize them as known items. This treatment is often supported by the assumption that the form of the proper name (i.e., the initial capital letter) and the context will indicate to the L2 reader that the item is a proper name. The aim of this work-in-progress report is to propose a methodological approach for investigating the claim that form facilitates proper name recognition for L2 readers, in particular for those whose first language (L1) employs a different orthography and writing system than English. While previous research has looked at the orthographic processing of proper names for L1 users, a gap exists in the literature for L2 readers. The assumption that L2 readers are skilled at identifying proper names from the initial capital warrants investigation as there are implications for the processing load in both pedagogical and testing situations. A proposed method to investigate the initial capital letter as a cue for L2 English proper name recognition is a name decision task, a variation on a lexical decision task, using English proper names and common nouns that are familiar to Japanese participants. Reaction times and error percentages to proper names with case type as a factor (i.e., initial capital letter or all lowercase) will be submitted to a linear mixed effects analysis.

Citation
Klassen, K. (2022). Orthographic processing of proper names: A proposal to investigate the orthographic cue for second language readers. Vocabulary Learning and Instruction, 11(2), 94–100. https://doi.org/10.7820/vli.v11.2.klassen

Abstract
The main purpose of this study was to provide validity evidence to support the creation and use of three instruments theorised to measure the existence of the form-meaning link between three sets of nonwords, and their assigned meanings within an experiment. The experimental study used a counterbalanced Latin square design to examine and compare three conditions of deliberate vocabulary study (word cards and two variations of tablet-based augmented reality) across three thematically constrained sets of controlled nonwords. The collected data gathered with the three delayed post tests conducted for each of the sets from the experiment were subjected to separate Rasch analyses, which are described in this study. The findings serve as evidence of construct validity and show: (1) the instruments performed as predicted by two a priori hypotheses, (2) the items were found to display good fit as to the expectations of the Rasch model, (3) each of the three instruments were found to be unidimensional, and (4) with no changes, these three instruments are expected to yield similar results if they were to be used to measure participants within a similar context from the same population.

Citation
Dabrowski, A. (2022). Rasch-based instrument validations for an augmented reality vocabulary acquisition experiment. Vocabulary Learning and Instruction, 11(2), 69–93. https://doi.org/10.7820/vli.v11.2.dabrowski

Abstract
Japanese graduate school students in the field of science and engineering need to read academic research in their second language (L2), and such tasks can be challenging. Studies showed a strong (0.78) correlation between vocabulary size and reading comprehension (McLean et al., 2020), and providing high-frequency word lists could enhance comprehension. In this work-in-progress, 1.35 million tokens of professor-recommended reading materials were used to investigate a method to create a vocabulary list that would benefit science majors in graduate school; the procedures to create a corpus and a high-frequency word list efficiently; and the steps required to create a cleaner corpus. This paper outlines a systematic literature-informed method that includes input from professors in the field; the combined use of tailored script in MATLAB and AntCont (Anthony, 2022) generated corpus and high-frequency words efficiently; and repeated comparison of original PDFs and the matching text files, then adding MATLAB script to deal with specific issues created by a cleaner text. This proposed method can be applied in other contexts to enhance the generation of high-frequency word lists.

Citation
Uehara, S., Haraki, H., & McLean, S. (2022). Developing a discipline-specific corpus and high-frequency word list for science and engineering students in graduate school. Vocabulary Learning and Instruction, 11(2), 57–68. https://doi.org/10.7820/vli.v11.2.uehara