Journal Article

Vocabulary Instruction for English Learners: A Systematic Review Connecting Theories, Research, and Practices

Kuo, Li-Jen, Chen, Lu, Lin, Jr-An, Zeng, Yanfang, Shen, Haoran

2025

Overview

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.

• Publisher: MDPI AG
• Subject: Academic Achievement / Academic Language / Analysis / Computational linguistics / Constructivism / Direct Instruction / Education / Educational Methods / Educational Practices / Educational Strategies / Educational Trends / Elementary Education / Elementary Schools / English as a second language / English as a second language learning / English Learners / English learners/English as a second language learners/English as a foreign language learners / Knowledge / Language / Language processing / Language Proficiency / Learner Engagement / Learning Activities / Linguistics / Literacy / Literacy programs / Meta Analysis / Methods / Morphology / Native Speakers / Natural language interfaces / Psycholinguistics / Reading comprehension / Reading Instruction / Reading Skills / reading theory / second language acquisition / Semantics / Social construction / Social constructionism / Sociocultural factors / Sociocultural theory / Students / Study and teaching / Systematic review / Teaching / Teaching Methods / Text Structure / Theoretical linguistics / Theory / Trend Analysis / United Kingdom / Vocabulary / Vocabulary development / Vocabulary instruction / Writing instruction