This presentation first describes the beneficial features of a hypothetical program of vocabulary study. These features include spaced rehearsal, adaptive learning, increasing retrieval difficulty, the use of an appropriate word counting unit, the presentation of both audio and orthographic forms, the use of context, and the use of the learners’ L1. Findings in the research literature on vocabulary learning are easy to understand, yet difficult to apply to a vocabulary program in practice. As a result, vocabulary programs often fail to help students reach their potential. The second part of the presentation describes the challenges faced, the great assistance received and steps taken when the presenter piloted, created, and administered an institution-wide research-informed vocabulary program.
Stuart McLean is an instructor at Osaka Jogakuin University. He holds an M.S.Ed. (TESOL), a Ph.D. in Forensic Medicine, and a P.G.C.E. He is currently an Applied Linguistics doctoral student at Kansai University. He has published in Reading in a Foreign Language, Vocabulary Learning and Instruction, Language Teaching Research, TESOL Quarterly, System, Applied Linguistics, and Language Assessment Quarterly.

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