Education Research and Scholarship in an Intercultural Context

Abstract

In this chapter, the research framework for a study that focused on the development of a second language vocabulary acquisition model in a tertiary setting is presented. This study is an investigation of lexical inferencing strategies specifically employed by second language (L2) learners, and focuses on whether the explicit teaching of effective vocabulary strategies benefited learners in developing vocabulary. The framework presented here draws on theories of learning from the fields of education, applied linguistics, vocabulary development, and cognitive psychology. Several theoretical standpoints on vocabulary development, and factors such as lexical representation, theoretical constructs in reading comprehension, and vocabulary processing in tertiary L2 learners, and socio-linguistics were considered in the design and inquiry process of the study, which was set in an intercultural context. The nature of scholarship involved in this exercise is referenced and its relationship to research paradigms is discussed.