ERIC Number: EJ1093765
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016
Pages: 22
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0957-1736
EISSN: N/A
A Case Study: Writing a Spanish Dictionary as a Collaborative Task among Beginner Students
Lopez, Nuria
Language Learning Journal, v44 n1 p52-73 2016
This article reports a small-scale study carried out in a beginners' Spanish class of second year undergraduate students. The purpose of the study was to investigate the effectiveness of a vocabulary task in terms of its impact on vocabulary acquisition, the learners' approach to vocabulary learning and their motivation and engagement. The task consisted of the creation of a Spanish dictionary as a collaborative task. The results indicate that the task enhanced vocabulary acquisition in this course. Positive results were also obtained in relation to the learners' perceived usefulness of the task and to their approach to vocabulary learning. However, the irregular improvement in vocabulary acquisition among learners and some results from the group interviews conducted at the end of the study suggested that although the Dictionary task was generally successful in terms of enhancement of vocabulary acquisition and students' motivation, it nevertheless needs complementing with follow-up vocabulary activities that provide students with further opportunities to recycle the words introduced in the dictionary.
Descriptors: Undergraduate Students, Second Language Learning, Spanish, Dictionaries, Collaborative Writing, Vocabulary Development, Case Studies, Task Analysis, Student Motivation, Learning Activities, Introductory Courses, Instructional Effectiveness, Outcomes of Education, Language Tests, Questionnaires, Focus Groups, Foreign Countries, Interviews
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: United Kingdom (Newcastle upon Tyne)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A