Analysis of the Vocabulary Activities Used in English Textbooks

Jin-Kyong Lee (이진경)

Analysis of the Vocabulary Activities Used in English Textbooks

Modern English Education
Abbr : MEESO
2012, 13(4), pp.89-107
Publisher : The Modern English Education Society
Research Area : Humanities > English Language and Literature > English Language Teaching

Jin-Kyong Lee ¹

¹대구가톨릭대학교

Accredited

ABSTRACT

This study’s aim is to analyze textbook vocabulary activities to see which aspects of vocabulary knowledge are given attention in classroom instruction. Nine textbooks were examined and Brown’s (2011) categorization of vocabulary knowledge was used as the reference for identifying activities. On the whole, the results revealed that vocabulary activities were not adequate in terms of quantity and the balance of the focused aspects of knowledge. Textbook activities mostly focused on the formal aspects while meaning-related and use-related aspects followed. Unlike previous research, activities focusing on spoken form of a word were more dominant than activities for form-meaning link. The difference seems to arise from the existence of fixed sections for pronunciation practice in the textbooks examined. Meaning-related activities increased as the school-level went up while use-related aspects were minute. Across school-levels, activities in the elementary textbooks are concentrated on the formal aspects of vocabulary knowledge. Middle school and high school textbooks also do not show a variety of activities. Considering the importance of vocabulary learning in language development and the role of a textbook in the classroom instruction, textbook writers and teachers need to incorporate more systematically sequenced activities into textbooks and teaching. Some pedagogical suggestions on textbook development were presented.

KEYWORDS

vocabulary activity, vocabulary knowledge, textbook

Citation status

* References for papers published after 2023 are currently being built.

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