I.S.P. Nation and Stuart Webb: Researching and Analyzing Vocabulary

Researching and Analyzing Vocabulary
I.S.P. Nation and Stuart Webb

Heinle, Cengage Learning, 2011, 355 pages
In the past two decades, research about learning and teaching second-lan-
guage (L2) vocabulary has increased greatly, so both teachers and researchers
will enjoy reading an engaging and accessible work in this area, Researching
and Analyzing Vocabulary. The authors have succeeded in presenting note-
worthy studies in important categories of L2 vocabulary research, including
step-by-step analyses that help readers to become better consumers of re-
search. More important, the information is presented in accessible language,
allowing the book’s 14 chapters to serve as a dynamic addition to the libraries
of anyone with an interest in lexical research.
Both Nation and Webb have numerous publications on lexical issues. In
this most recent work, however, they have written a more comprehensive
book in which they explain how to research various aspects of vocabulary,
offer expert analyses of existing studies, and enhance the likelihood that read-
ers might conduct lexical research. In addition, this text was written to serve
several types of readers including students engaged in research who seek to
further their understanding of issues in L2 vocabulary learning and research
and L2 instructors who wish to incorporate more evidence-based practices
into their vocabulary classrooms. Because the content of the book is quite
topic-specific, it is not intended for use as an introductory text on research
design, but rather for informing readers with an interest in L2 vocabulary.
The organization of Nation and Webb’s book facilitates its navigation. Read-
ers with a pedagogical focus will be drawn to the first two sections, that is, the
first seven chapters, which discuss both deliberate and incidental vocabulary-
learning and present several possible techniques that vocabulary teachers can
implement in their classrooms and, more important, the research that has been
conducted on these particular practices. The third section presents information
related to corpus-based research such as making and using word lists. Finally,
the fourth section presents information on assessing vocabulary knowledge.
Readers with an interest in developing research knowledge will benefit from
the presentation of multiple studies in all sections of the book as the authors
discuss and critique notable studies related to the topic covered in each chapter.
Also, researchers will benefit from the authors’ guidelines for conducting in-
quiries, discussion of potential research studies, and suggestions for designing
studies to bridge gaps in knowledge in specific areas of vocabulary acquisition.
A closer examination of any chapter of the book illustrates this consistent or-
ganization; in this review, I focus on Chapter 11.
Chapter 11 is dedicated to measuring vocabulary size. Nation and Webb
introduce this important topic by discussing its general value, noting that
vocabulary size “is clearly a major determinant of successful language use”
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VOLUME 30, NO 1, WINTER 2012
(p. 195). From this beginning, they discuss the specific questions that research
into vocabulary size can answer. Research focused on learners’ vocabulary
production is first analyzed, followed by an account of research examining
learners’ knowledge of dictionary words. The authors systematically review
the studies and explain any methodological weaknesses; these discussions
are useful for encouraging readers’ more diligent consumption of published
research and researchers’ design of rigorous studies of their own. Nation and
Webb then provide a step-by-step procedure for designing a dictionary study
and provide examples of studies that illustrate how each step can be accom-
plished. Another topic covered in this chapter is the creation of assessments
using vocabulary-frequency lists; descriptions, although brief, illustrate the
research that has been conducted, and they effectively pique the interest of
readers who are intrigued by this aspect of vocabulary-testing. The discus-
sion of vocabulary-size assessment reviews the issues identified earlier in the
chapter, as well as others such as whether a computerized test should be
used. Finally, Nation and Webb identify key research questions about assess-
ment that have yet to be answered and explain how to design a vocabulary-
size test for nonreaders. Because each of the 14 chapters is similarly
organized, readers can gain an appreciation of the wealth of knowledge con-
tained in this volume.
Overall, Researching and Analyzing Vocabulary is an intriguing and thought-
provoking read for both L2 vocabulary instructors and researchers. The
guidelines and procedures provided are useful for inspiring readers to con-
duct thorough self-directed reviews and analyses of research in their partic-
ular area of interest and to inform their consideration of published opinions
and research on L2 vocabulary.
Liz Giltner
The Reviewer
Liz Giltner is a third-year doctoral candidate in TESOL in the University of Central Florida in
Orlando. She has taught French for the past 11 years and is interested in conducting research
on corrective feedback for learners’ written work.
170 LIZ GILTNER

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I.S.P. Nation and Stuart Webb

TESL CANADA JOURNAL/REVUE TESL DU CANADA 169

170 LIZ GILTNER

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