A1 Journal article (refereed)
Building word knowledge through integrated vocabulary explanations in ESL tutorials (2023)

Duran, D., & Kääntä, L. (2023). Building word knowledge through integrated vocabulary explanations in ESL tutorials. Linguistics and Education, 75, Article 101182. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.linged.2023.101182

JYU authors or editors

Publication details

All authors or editors: Duran, Derya; Kääntä, Leila

Journal or series: Linguistics and Education

ISSN: 0898-5898

eISSN: 1873-1864

Publication year: 2023

Publication date: 09/05/2023

Volume: 75

Article number: 101182

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Publication country: United States

Publication language: English

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.linged.2023.101182

Publication open access: Openly available

Publication channel open access: Partially open access channel

Publication is parallel published (JYX): https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/88783

Abstract

This conversation analytic study explores how a tutor and tutees collaboratively negotiate word knowledge in English as a second language (ESL) tutorials. Specifically, we focus on integrated vocabulary explanations, where explaining the meaning and use of a word is intertwined with teaching its spelling and pronunciation. The data come from 18 hours of dyadic and multi-party tutorials held at an urban community college in the USA. The findings show that for the participants such aspects of word knowledge as orthography, pronunciation, associations, connotations, syntax and grammatical functions form an essential part of vocabulary work. Notably, we argue that negotiations of these integrated vocabulary explanations are realized through multimodal resources, drawing on linguistic, prosodic, embodied and material resources, among others. The findings highlight the unique context of these ESL tutorials that affords individualization and immediacy, enabling tutors to be responsive to the tutees’ second language (L2) learning needs. The study also has implications for tutor education and classroom instruction with regard to the development of L2 word knowledge.

Keywords: second language; English language; words; vocabulary (knowledge); pronunciation; conversation analysis; language learning; language teaching

Free keywords: vocabulary explanations; pronunciation; ESL tutoring sessions; L2 learners; conversation analysis

Contributing organizations

Ministry reporting: Yes

VIRTA submission year: 2023

Preliminary JUFO rating: 2