English L2 Vocabulary Learning and Teaching: Concepts, Principles, and Pedagogy

Accessible to experts and non-experts alike, this text is a comprehensive entry to teaching and learning vocabulary in ESL and EFL contexts. Firmly grounded in research, it presents frameworks and methods for teaching vocabulary to English L2 speakers. Overviewing key topics as well as providing in-depth research analyses and critiques, Zwier and Boers address all major areas of vocabulary pedagogy and instruction.

Organized in four parts, chapters cover the nature of vocabulary and strands of vocabulary research; curricular approaches; and techniques and activities. Readers are introduced to key topics, including teaching multiword expressions, assessment, discourse, and instruction at different levels. Each chapter includes questions, prompts, and activities to foster discussion. A foundational textbook for courses on L2 instruction and teacher-training courses, it is an essential text for students and scholars in TESOL and Applied Linguistics, and provides the pedagogical grounding future English L2 teachers need to effectively teach vocabulary.

Lawrence J. Zwier is the Associate Director for Curriculum and Instruction in the English Language Center at Michigan State University, USA.

Frank Boers is Professor of Applied Linguistics and TESOL at the University of Western Ontario, Canada.