RT Journal Article
T1 L2 Spanish vocabulary teaching in US universities : instructors’ beliefs and reported practices
A1 Sánchez Gutiérrez, Claudia Helena
A1 Robles García, Pablo
A1 Pérez Serrano, Mercedes
AB ABSTRACT: Studies on teachers’ beliefs about vocabulary learning and teaching have focused, so far, on English as a second language (L2), or foreign language (FL), in different contexts but little attention has been given to other L2s and FLs. In this study, 15 Spanish L2 instructors at large universities were interviewed in order to better understand where they stand when it comes to (1) the importance they give to vocabulary, as compared to grammar, in their classes, (2) how they decide which words to teach, and (3) how they assess students’ word knowledge. These interviews were subsequently analysed following Grounded Theory. Most instructors declared favoring grammar over vocabulary in their courses because the former is seen as more challenging and useful than the latter and because institutional practices and materials also present such a preference. When it comes to vocabulary selection, most of them declared feeling insecure in their decisions due to lack of access to useful resources and to vocabulary goals not being stated clearly anywhere in the syllabi. This lack of clarity when it comes to vocabulary learning goals also results in doubts about the usefulness of even evaluating word learning at all and an overreliance on informal assessments.
PB Sage
SN 1362-1688
YR 2025
FD 2025
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/125260
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/125260
LA eng
NO Sánchez-Gutiérrez, Claudia H., et al. «L2 Spanish vocabulary teaching in US universities : instructors’ beliefs and reported practices». Language Teaching Research, vol. 29, n.º 2, 2025, pp. 677-699, https://doi.org/10.1177/13621688221074443
NO FUNDING: The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/ or publication of this article: The first author received a Small Grant in Aid of Research from the Academic Senate of the University of California, Davis.
NO University of California, Davis
DS Docta Complutense
RD 26 feb 2026