Vocabulary Instruction for English Learners: A Systematic Review Connecting Theories, Research, and Practices
Vocabulary instruction is pivotal to literacy development. While extensive research has been conducted, few studies have examined how research translates into practice and how theory informs it. This study addresses this gap by identifying theories guiding vocabulary instruction in leading practitio...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2025-02-01
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| Series: | Education Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/15/3/262 |
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| author | Yanfang Zeng Li-Jen Kuo Lu Chen Jr-An Lin Haoran Shen |
| author_facet | Yanfang Zeng Li-Jen Kuo Lu Chen Jr-An Lin Haoran Shen |
| author_sort | Yanfang Zeng |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Vocabulary instruction is pivotal to literacy development. While extensive research has been conducted, few studies have examined how research translates into practice and how theory informs it. This study addresses this gap by identifying theories guiding vocabulary instruction in leading practitioner-oriented journals in the field, assessing trends and practices, and examining shifts over the past decade. The systematic review critically extends the scope of existing research in two directions. First, it focuses on English learners (ELs), a growing K-12 population globally. Second, literacy theories were utilized to identify the frameworks that guided vocabulary instruction for ELs. The results reveal the predominance of instructional practices guided by schema and psycholinguistic theories, followed by social constructivism and sociocultural theories. Furthermore, the findings underscore the importance of adapting vocabulary instructional practices to meet the developmental needs of ELs at different grade levels. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-d5191e59be3641699dbcf3379e5021da |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2227-7102 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Education Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-d5191e59be3641699dbcf3379e5021da2025-08-20T02:11:05ZengMDPI AGEducation Sciences2227-71022025-02-0115326210.3390/educsci15030262Vocabulary Instruction for English Learners: A Systematic Review Connecting Theories, Research, and PracticesYanfang Zeng0Li-Jen Kuo1Lu Chen2Jr-An Lin3Haoran Shen4Department of Teaching, Learning, and Culture, Texas A&M University, 4232 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843, USADepartment of Teaching, Learning, and Culture, Texas A&M University, 4232 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843, USADepartment of Teaching, Learning, and Culture, Texas A&M University, 4232 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843, USADepartment of Teaching, Learning, and Culture, Texas A&M University, 4232 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843, USADepartment of Teaching, Learning, and Culture, Texas A&M University, 4232 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843, USAVocabulary instruction is pivotal to literacy development. While extensive research has been conducted, few studies have examined how research translates into practice and how theory informs it. This study addresses this gap by identifying theories guiding vocabulary instruction in leading practitioner-oriented journals in the field, assessing trends and practices, and examining shifts over the past decade. The systematic review critically extends the scope of existing research in two directions. First, it focuses on English learners (ELs), a growing K-12 population globally. Second, literacy theories were utilized to identify the frameworks that guided vocabulary instruction for ELs. The results reveal the predominance of instructional practices guided by schema and psycholinguistic theories, followed by social constructivism and sociocultural theories. Furthermore, the findings underscore the importance of adapting vocabulary instructional practices to meet the developmental needs of ELs at different grade levels.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/15/3/262vocabulary instructionreading theorysecond language acquisitionEnglish learners/English as a second language learners/English as a foreign language learnerssystematic review |
| spellingShingle | Yanfang Zeng Li-Jen Kuo Lu Chen Jr-An Lin Haoran Shen Vocabulary Instruction for English Learners: A Systematic Review Connecting Theories, Research, and Practices Education Sciences vocabulary instruction reading theory second language acquisition English learners/English as a second language learners/English as a foreign language learners systematic review |
| title | Vocabulary Instruction for English Learners: A Systematic Review Connecting Theories, Research, and Practices |
| title_full | Vocabulary Instruction for English Learners: A Systematic Review Connecting Theories, Research, and Practices |
| title_fullStr | Vocabulary Instruction for English Learners: A Systematic Review Connecting Theories, Research, and Practices |
| title_full_unstemmed | Vocabulary Instruction for English Learners: A Systematic Review Connecting Theories, Research, and Practices |
| title_short | Vocabulary Instruction for English Learners: A Systematic Review Connecting Theories, Research, and Practices |
| title_sort | vocabulary instruction for english learners a systematic review connecting theories research and practices |
| topic | vocabulary instruction reading theory second language acquisition English learners/English as a second language learners/English as a foreign language learners systematic review |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/15/3/262 |
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