PROPOSED UNIFIED VOCABULARY BUILDINGCOMPONENT FOR EXISTING CURRICULUM
Kathryn Yamagishi
Kanda University of International Studies
ABSTRACTThe focus of this study was to pilot a vocabulary component for future
implementation in the existing curriculum of a first year required CALL (computerassisted language learning) course at a Japanese university. The vocabularycomponent aimed to increase students’ high- frequency vocabulary knowledge
and to help them apply a range of vocabulary- learning strategies. Nation and
Macalister’s (2020) systematic approach to curriculum design was used as abasis for this study and it used high frequency vocabulary from the New General
Service List (NGSL) (Browne et al., 2013). Data was gathered from pre- and postquestionnaires, pre- and post- treatment tests, and ongoing observations ofstudents’ performance throughout the semester. The implementation oftreatment involved students studying from Quizlet (www.quizlet.com), a
computer word card application that helps personalise instruction. Although thetreatment period was of a short span, improvements in the participants'
receptive high frequency vocabulary knowledge were seen in this pilot study. In
addition, invaluable information was gained through questionnaire responses
and focus group discussions for the implementation of the proposed vocabularycomponent.

INTRODUCTION
In most general English classes, and other English courses as well, teachers do not usually
have much extra time for direct vocabulary instruction. Yet vocabulary underlies all four skills(reading, writing, listening, and speaking), thus playing a crucial role towards language
proficiency. Wadden et al. (2018) recommend devoting considerable out-of-class study to it,“because vocabulary learning is a formidable task, an important component of a tertiarylevel language course should also involve training the learners in how to learn vocabulary” (p.
93). Therefore, teachers should direct students’ attention toward applicable strategies andraising awareness of the variable methods and tools available in their vocabulary-building
endeavours.
Most vocabulary-learning strategies can be applied to a wide range of vocabulary and areuseful at all stages of vocabulary learning (Nation, 2013). They also enable students tobecome more autonomous learners, distributing the control of learning away from theteacher. Importantly, teachers need to understand and rehearse the arguments for giving
time for strategy training. This is because they need to convince students of the value ofworking on strategies and they may need to convince other teachers too.
Ideally, the vocabulary component of a language course should be guided by a set of welljustified principles (Nation, 2013). These principles should have a key influence on “content
57

and sequencing (what vocabulary is focused on and how it is divided into stages), format andpresentation (how the vocabulary is taught and learned), and monitoring and assessment(how learning is measured)” (p. 573). In the planning of this vocabulary component, theauthor tried to focus on some of the specific principles under the above sub-topics Nation
provides. These principles are introduced and discussed throughout the paper.
Research Background Review
Wadden et al. (2018) posit the typical Japanese student enters university with an English
vocabulary of 2,000 to 4,000 words. While this provides a good base for further language
learning, it challenges the classroom teacher, because individual students have not acquired
the same core vocabulary beyond the initial 1,500 or so words the students have learned injunior high and high school. Research shows there are significant gaps in their basic
vocabulary, and due to prior instruction, students’ word knowledge tends to be receptive
rather than productive (Wadden et al., 2018).
Deliberate learning that aids in productive knowledge is an important component of secondlanguage vocabulary learning whilst vocabulary teaching has only a limited role to play in thelearning of vocabulary. Students need to realise that there are other ways of increasing
vocabulary size which require less teacher effort and less classroom time, and which havenumerous other benefits (Nation, 2013). Of course, learning words in context is of great
importance too. He stipulates it is not a case of either/or proposition but in fact a both/andpractice.
Nation’s Four Strand Approach
Nation’s four strands approach (Nation, 2013) is based on the idea that a well-balanced
language course should consist of four major strands. The four strands represent learning
from: 1) comprehensible meaning-focused input, 2) meaning-focused output, 3) languagefocused instruction, and 4) fluency development. All strands can be applied to learning
without a teacher. As the vocabulary component the author proposed was not a course of
itself, the two major organizing principles focused on were the first and third strands, that is,meaning-focused input and language-focused learning.
There is growing evidence (Ellis, 2005; Williams, 2005, as cited in Nation, 2013) that language
learning benefits if there is an appropriate amount of usefully focused, deliberate teaching
and learning of language items. From a vocabulary perspective, this means that a courseshould involve the direct learning and study of vocabulary.
Students need to be able to effectively choose and learn vocabulary using word cards andother decontextualised ways of learning. Here decontextualised implies that the vocabulary
learning is not occurring in normal use but is deliberately focused on words as part of thelanguage system (Nation, 2013). The focus is directed towards the spelling, pronunciation,
grammar, meaning and use of the words. This then leads into the following discussion onwhat words teachers should have students focus on.
Overview of Word Frequency
Working from a frequency list for priority will give students the words in the order in which
they will find the most returns for their effort (Kitano, 2020). The word list used in this casestudy was the New General Service List (NGSL) (Browne et al., 2013). It is based on frequency
and developed from corpus data. Unfortunately, students do not usually learn words in order58

of frequency, but as they start to use the language, the words with high frequency arenecessary to understand almost everything.
If students are encouraged to look up unknown words individually, high recurrence can aid in
reinforcing the student’s knowledge of high frequency words. “However, the methods ofEnglish instruction in Japan emphasize repetition over varied input, and there are not theopportunities for comprehensible input over the course of students’ learning years as is
usually the case for foreign language learners in other countries'' (Kitano, 2020, p. 23).
Understandably then, they have not had the opportunity to meet these high frequency
words or get reinforcement for their meaning and usage through experience. This results instudents not recognizing, or having vague or mistaken ideas of what the words mean.
The NGSL
The NGSL checks students’ knowledge of the 2,800 most used words in the English language.
It covers about 92% of most general English books, magazines, and newspapers (Browne etal., 2013).
The New General Service List Test (NGSLT) is a diagnostic test of written receptive
knowledge of the NGSL. It is made up of 100 items, 20 for each of five approximately 560word bands of the NGSL. Stoeckel and Bennet (2018) explain that the NGSL was divided into
these five bands, for two reasons. First, it is not uncommon for learners in English as a foreign
language contexts to have large gaps in high frequency word knowledge. Therefore, thepoint at which learners no longer have mastery of the majority of the words can be identified
with greater accuracy.
This in turn enables teachers and students to design plans of study which address individual
student needs with more precision. Second, one complete 560-word band is a reasonable
goal for a semester of study. It sounds like a lot, but if one considers that most non-beginners
will have knowledge of some words in each band they will not actually be learning the entire
band of 560 words from scratch. This means that the actual learning burden would besomewhat less than 560 words (Stoeckel & Bennett, NGSL website, 2013). Determining
which band or level the student should focus on helps individualise study and saves theunnecessary work of having to review words they already know.
Computer-Assisted Vocabulary Learning
Computer-assisted vocabulary learning clearly has several advantages that distinguish itfrom other kinds of learning. It can provide fast and easy access to a wide range of resources
including other learners. It can provide immediate feedback on success and progress. This inturn can help engage and motivate learners. It can monitor and control learning conditions
such as noticing, retrieval, and creative use (Nation, 2013). It can adapt to the performanceof the learner and programs can store results and remember students’ progress. Importantly,
computer applications can also be utilised as self-study support media outside of classroom
instruction.
QuizletThe application used for this study was Quizlet. Quizlet is a computer word card applicationthat personalises instruction and makes studying vocabulary easy. Students can choose
which of Quizlet’s seven different study modes works best with their style of learning. It helps
students work on vocabulary from the language-focused learning strand, in that students arelearning from word cards, doing grammar exercises, spelling, and pronouncing words whilst
59focusing on meaning. Quizlet tracks their learning and provides instant feedback. It is
designed to be a self-study tool and not an assessment tool.
Teachers play a huge role connecting students with Quizlet and helping them to take controlof their own learning by using the application tools to improve. To facilitate this process
Quizlet provides information about how students are using the application in the classprogress feature for teachers. Quizlet’s class progress gives a detailed view of the students
who have begun or completed their study sessions, as well as those who might need a little
more encouragement. Teachers can also see aggregate data on the terms students missmost often to least often, which helps pinpoint the concepts which need further review.
Research Questions
Research has shown (Kitano, 2018) that students’ vocabulary knowledge gradually declines
after entering university. This study aimed at trying to counter that by implementing aneffective vocabulary-building component as a part of the required general English course forfreshman university students. The overall goal was to increase students’ usable vocabulary
size and to help them apply a range of vocabulary-learning and coping strategies. The
research questions are:
1. What vocabulary learning strategies do students find effective?
2. To what degree does student knowledge of NGSL improve through use of the
Quizlet application?
3. Is it necessary to make this vocabulary component a required part of the course
grade?
The first question was answered by distributing a questionnaire (see Appendix A) to students
in week 1 of the trial. They answered questions related to previous vocabulary experienceand use, and responded to sentence statements using a Likert scale rating. The second
question was answered by issuing the same NGSLT both as pre- and post-tests. Finally, thethird question was measured in terms of observing students’ performance, responses, andmotivation throughout the case study.
METHODS
Designing the Vocabulary Component of a Language Course
The following design of the proposed vocabulary component was based on Macalister andNation’s (2020) systematic approach to curriculum design (see Appendix B). The goals of the
vocabulary component of this Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) course were toincrease students’ usable vocabulary size and to help them apply a range of vocabularylearning and coping strategies. A ‘usable’ vocabulary size indicates that students need to not
only increase the vocabulary they know but also develop the fluency and skill with which they
can use that vocabulary in the four language skills (Nation, 2013).
The fastest and most direct way to determine where students are in their vocabularydevelopment is to directly test their vocabulary knowledge (Nation, 2013). By using the
NGSL as a diagnostic test, gaps in students’ high frequency knowledge became identifiable.
Notably however, direct tests of vocabulary do not show whether learners are able to makeuse of the vocabulary they know, and they do not show learners’ control of essential
vocabulary-learning strategies like guessing from context, dictionary use and direct
60

vocabulary learning. Throughout the semester, this point became all the more prominent as
the author tried to determine the correct matching of students’ test results with the NGSL
Quizlet sets made available.
Environment analysis involves discovering features of teachers, students and theteaching/learning situation which may help or hinder learning. The course designer needs toconsider how well informed the staff are about teaching and learning vocabulary as this willin turn determine the level of induction required for the course (Nation, 2013).
Questioning how motivated the students are will determine how ambitious the teacher can
set the learning goals. If students are not highly motivated, then regular vocabulary tests,
discussion of vocabulary-learning goals and reward activities may be needed. The result ofenvironment analysis should be a short list of factors that will have a strong effect on thedesign of the course (Nation, 2013). The factors that the author conferred were:● an overview of NGSL, 2,800 high-frequency words and diagnostic testing necessary,● a training video or presentation convincing teachers of the benefits of teaching aunified vocabulary component favourable,● a required and systematic component of course grades desirable as many students
not highly motivated,● time set aside for in-class facilitated learning in the computer labs (majority of work
to be done as self-study) necessary,● students proficiency levels vary, thus allowing for autonomy beneficial.
Participants
The participants in this study were 36 undergraduate students at a private university in
Kanagawa, Japan. They were made up of two classes, one of which was majoring inInternational Understanding and the other majoring in Tourism and Hospitality.
Procedures
Lesson 1
All classes were conducted online and not in a direct face-to-face classroom setting due tothe COVID-19 pandemic. In the first week (lesson 1), the vocabulary building case study was
introduced. Students were informed it was a trial for a unified vocabulary component for
future courses. The students who opted to participate in the study completed and submitted
a consent form along with a vocabulary learning questionnaire. This was a Likert scale survey
questioning how effective they thought certain vocabulary building strategies were in
relation to their personal learning experience (see Appendix B).
Lesson 2
In the second week, a diagnostic test used from Browne’s NGSL website was administered.
This enabled the author to personalise students’ focus in terms of the level they had the mostgaps in and direct them towards studying appropriate vocabulary sets.
Lesson 3
In the third week, the NGSL 1001~2000 (university version) word list with Japanesetranslation for each word was distributed. While the list of English words is the same,colleagues “adjusted the Japanese definitions on our list to represent the most central
meanings of the words” (Kitano, 2018, p. 2). Participants were asked to highlight any words
61they did not know. One of the principles of vocabulary teaching under the content andsequencing sub-topic posits the opportunity to learn the various aspects of what is involved
in knowing a word. Therefore, the multiple meaning senses for “knowing a word” wereintroduced: knowing how to spell it, knowing how to pronounce it, knowing how to write it,knowing what the collocates are (words in context), and knowing how to use the word in a
sentence (Browne, 2020).
The reasoning behind administering this list was so that students would be aware of the gaps
in their vocabulary knowledge. In addition, “having students mark unknowns on a list of highfrequency words can provide teachers with information about specific deficiencies and canalso aid students by resulting in a list of words to study” (Kitano, 2018, p. 4). This activity may
also give them a more tangible result than simply a test score number.
Lesson 4
Diagnostic test results (see Appendix C) were made available on the learning management
system (LMS) for students. They were asked to look at their individual results. The 5 levels
and what they represent were then explained. An example test result was used todemonstrate what level the exemplary student should be focusing on.
The Quizlet application was then introduced and its many benefits in relation to thestrategies it reinforces were described. The students were shown the class folder and the
NGSL 50 word sets they could select from (see Appendix D). The 7 modes available for eachstudy set were then demonstrated. Students were informed that Quizlet is designed to be aself-study tool and that it tracks their learning and provides instant feedback. The login
process was then demonstrated and students were then asked to complete this process inclass, which ensured everyone was able to access the application successfully.
Lesson 5~11
It was then demonstrated that the author was able to monitor students’ progress. Students
were encouraged to attempt to complete one set (50 high frequency words) every week.
Students’ progress continued to be monitored and encouragement provided.
Lesson 12
A questionnaire based on students’ opinions and insights into how the vocabularycomponent can be improved on, what worked well and what they saw as potential pitfalls or
issues future students may succumb to was administered. A meeting with a focus group of
students who made concerted efforts throughout the study was conducted in order to hear
their insights and self-study experiences in using the Quizlet application. Finally, a post test
was conducted for the purpose of measuring any improvement in their high frequency
vocabulary knowledge.
RESULTS
Student attitudes towards the trial vocabulary component tasks and training were examinedthrough pre- and post-questionnaires and focus group discussion. Consent was received
from respondents for their answers to be used for this study. The results are discussed interms of the problems encountered, and some suggestions for providing appropriate
training to learning through the computer application both in and outside of class.
In response to the first research question, “What vocabulary learning strategies do students
find effective?”, the questionnaire showed the range of strategies students are using are not62

in fact as extensive as they could be. Table 1.1 below shows the frequency range of effective
vocabulary learning strategies. Each question number listed in table 1.1 pertains to a specificstrategy (see Appendix A). Four questions had a mean of 4 or above. Three questions (2,3, &6) produced the same mean result of 4.08. Two of these questions were pertaining to wordlists. Precisely, “learning words from word lists helps me learn vocabulary” and “using a word
list and hiding the word meanings helps me learn vocabulary”.
The third strategy involves both receptive and productive skills in that “saying the word aloud(listening and repeating) helps me learn vocabulary”. The fourth highest ranked strategy
with a mean of 4 implies that students find it effective in “consulting an online or electronic
dictionary for word meaning and pronunciation”. This is in accordance with Nation’s belief
that successful language learners make good use of resources, especially of online
dictionaries. Importantly the most successful language learners tend to be the ones who
devote time to their study and independently seek learning opportunities (Nation, 2013).
Table 1.1 Vocabulary Learning Questionnaire Results
Question
Number
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.

Strongly
Disagree
1
0
0
3
4
0
0
0
1
0
2
0

Disagree Neither

Agree

4
0
3
7
9
1
6
4
6
0
5
0

7
13
14
10
10
12
9
10
10
15
9
26

17
10
5
11
8
9
7
12
16
11
15
5

Strongly
Agree
7
13
14
5
5
14
14
10
3
10
5
5

Mean
3.41
4.08
4.08
3.19
3.08
4.08
3.86
3.72
3.22
3.97
3.27
4

Standard
Deviation
3.04
3.63
3.66
2.88
2.81
3.65
3.50
3.33
2.82
3.51
2.92
3.50

The pre- and post- treatment test results are shown in Tables 1.2 and 1.3. Table 1.2 represents
students who improved on their overall NGSL test score in comparison with those that did
not. Table 1.3 shows a breakdown of students' results of each NGSLT level in graph format.
Table 1.2 NGSL Test Score Comparison
Class Codes
Number of participantsParticipants who improved
Participants with no improvement

Class A
21
20
1Class B15
12
3

Overall Totals
36
32
4

As can be seen from the results in Tables 1.2 and 1.3, after one semester of high frequency
vocabulary focused study, students were able to make significant gains. In examination of
the second research question “to what degree does student knowledge of NGSL improvethrough use of the Quizlet application”, the author confidently answers “to a satisfactory
degree”. Table 1.2 shows 32 students of 36 improved on their overall NGSLT score within this63

short time span. In addition, table 1.2 indicates every level of the post-test resulted in ahigher overall percentage than the initial diagnostic test administered. These areencouraging outcomes that resulted from deliberate, decontextualised self-study of highfrequency words.
Table 1.3. NGSL Pre and Post-Test Results

NGSL Pre & Post-Test Results
100%
90%

80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Level 1

Level 2

Level 3
Pre-Test

Level 4

Level 5

Post-TestDISCUSSION
Research has shown the deliberate learning of vocabulary to be such an efficient andeffective way of learning that, in terms of speed of vocabulary growth, a course which
includes both incidental learning from message-focused activities and deliberate learning
will be much better than one that relies only on incidental learning (Nation, 2013).
Implementing deliberate learning using applications outside the classroom, however, canintroduce new issues.
Technology itself will often need to be explained when demonstrating the range of functions
available. Teachers will inevitably be involved in helping students log in
successfully or
addressing possible connection or technical problems that may arise. Ongoing support andliaison with students are required to ensure learner engagement with the technology. When
analysing the post-treatment “learning high-frequency words through Quizlet”
questionnaire (see Appendix E), this became all the more evident. Student statements
included, “It was difficult to know how to use the parts (modes) of this application”, “I think
it is easier to use paper notebooks for word [sic] than to use Quizlet application”, and “it wasdifficult for me to use the Quizlet application”. Although the seven learning modes Quizlet
offers in lesson 4 were covered, this explanation alone was clearly not sufficient. It is evident
that, after initial induction to the application being used in class, impromptu student training
and consultation is essential for required results (Tran, 2016).

64

Students were not monitored to the extent they could have been, and this resulted in somestudents just not doing the work. Admittedly, the participants for this trial study were
volunteers in that this component did not affect their final grade. Making the vocabulary
learning component compulsory would potentially rectify this issue. This opinion was also
reflected in the discussion forum conducted in which students implied if the vocabulary study
was a required component of their course, they would have ensured they completed the
NGSL sets on a weekly basis. In answering the third and final research question, “is it
necessary to make this vocabulary component a required part of the course grade?”, theauthor would strongly recommend it is. Through monitoring and assessment, this ensures
accountability and potentially helps with motivation.
Clearly it is very important that learners focus on the most useful vocabulary at the present
stage of their learning. Fortunately, there is a growing awareness of this. Well-designed
computer programs need to draw on frequency information and should also have theflexibility for teachers and students to play a part in choosing the vocabulary to focus on(Nation, 2013). Quizlet enables the teacher to source pre-made vocabulary sets suited to thestudents’ levels. Giving students a choice of which sets to study (in relation to their gaps inhigh frequency words) also allows for both flexibility and autonomy.
Finally, in analysing the responses to the English vocabulary learning strategies students
thought were effective, learning from word lists, saying words aloud (listening and repeating)and consulting online dictionaries featured as common strategies. Entering new words into
a personalised vocabulary online application or using vocabulary building applications suchas Quizlet, Memrise or NGSL builder were ranked lower or deemed not as effective. These
results may simply dictate which strategies the students were familiar with and those they
were not. Further analysis and research would be needed to compile any definite conclusions.
CONCLUSION
By piloting a proposed vocabulary component, this study aimed to increase students’ highfrequency vocabulary knowledge and to help them apply a range of vocabulary-learning andcoping strategies. A lot is new in the first year of university, so without encouragement andreminding, many students forget about their vocabulary goals (Kitano, 2018). Some students
have considerable gaps in their high frequency vocabulary knowledge and need to be awarethat this may be the reason why they are struggling with English.
If tested towards the end of the first year of college, many first-year students’ vocabularyknowledge may actually decrease; this was shown in Kitano’s (2018) vocabulary module
results. This shows that, in some cases, not enough attention is spent on vocabulary learningin the first year of university study. Bringing a vocabulary component into lessons andexplaining the importance vocabulary plays in learning a second language, whilst providing
students a variety of strategies and tools in working towards building their vocabularyknowledge, will also help direct them towards successfully improving their proficiency.
Limitations and Further ResearchThis study was conducted online and not in a direct face-to-face classroom setting. This
posed some technical difficulties in terms of initial signing of consent forms, administering
the diagnostic test online and having students attempt to highlight unknown words on the1001-2000 NGSL in PDF format. None of these obstacles would have been of concern underin-class circumstances.
65

As the participants in this trial study had volunteered, the author could not assert they study
the recommended weekly vocabulary sets relative to their proficiency level. As a result, somestudents only ever registered in Quizlet and did not study any sets at all. As for the proposed
setting, students would be held accountable as they would be required to complete thevocabulary building component as part of their CALL class overall grade.
Regarding the distributed word list with Japanese translation, aside from having students
highlight the words (1001-2000 NGSL) they thought they did not “know”, no further action
was taken to implement this list into the case study. The author had planned on having
students make their own personalised word card sets on Quizlet based on these results, but
realised this was overly ambitious for a volunteer group. It would be entirely achievable,
however, to set this task as a self-study constituent as part of a required course.

REFERENCES
Browne, C. (2020). Developing lexical competence: From theory to classroom practise toonline application (Temple University Japan Campus).
Browne, C., Culligan, B., & Phillips, J. (2013). The New General Service List.
http://www.newgeneralservicelist.org
Brown, H. D. (2007). Teaching by principles: An interactive approach to language pedagogy,
3rd ed. Pearson, Longman.
Kitano, M. L. (2018). The high frequency word gap: What words don’t students
know?. Concern, 5(19). www.researchgate.net/publication/329365658
Kitano, M.L. (2020). Foreign Language Course Meeting Booklet. Faculty of International
Studies, Language Education Committee, Bunkyo University.
Macalister, J., & Nation, I. P. (2020). Language curriculum design. Routledge.
Nation, I. S. (2013). Learning vocabulary in another language. Cambridge University Press.
Nation, P., & Chung, T. (2011). Teaching and testing vocabulary. In Long, M. H. & Doughty,
C. J. (Eds.). The handbook of language teaching. (Vol. 63, pp. 543-559). John Wiley & Sons.
Pauwels, P. (2018). How advanced students approach intentional vocabulary study. The
Language Learning Journal, 46(3), 293-310. https://doi.org/10.1080/09571736.2015.1078398
Stoeckel, T., Ishii, T., & Bennett, P. (2018). A Japanese-English bilingual version of the newgeneral service list test. JALT Journal, 40(1), 5. https://doi.org/10.37546/JALTJJ40.1-1Tran, P. (2016). Training learners to use Quizlet vocabulary activities on mobile
in Vietnam with Facebook. JALT CALL Journal, 12(1), 43-56.
https://doi.org/10.29140/jaltcall.v12n1.201

phonesWadden, P., Browne, C., & Nation, P. (2018). Teaching and learning vocabulary in theJapanese university. In P. Wadden, & C. C. Hale (Eds.), Teaching English at Japanese
universities (pp. 84-96). Routledge.
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APPENDIX A
Vocabulary Learning Questionnaire
語彙学習アンケート
Which English vocabulary learning strategies do you think are effective?
どのような語彙学習方法が効果的だと考えていますか。
What works well for you? どの方法が自分に合っていますか。
Circle your response on a scale from 1 through 5:
あなたの解答を 1 から 5 の段階を丸で囲んでください。
1 Strongly Disagree 2 Disagree 3 Neither Agree Nor Disagree 4 Agree
5 Strongly Agree
１全く同意しない ２同意しない ３どちらでもない ４同意する
５大いに同意する
1. Making and utilizing word cards helps me learn vocabulary.
1 2 3 4 5
単語カードを作ったり使用したりすることが、私の語彙学習の役に立つ
2. Learning words from word lists helps me learn vocabulary.
1 2 3 4 5
単語リストから単語を学ぶことが、私の語彙学習の役に立つ
3. Using a word list and hiding the word meanings helps me learn
vocabulary.
1 2 3 4 5
意味や訳の部分を隠して単語リストを使うことが、私の語彙学習の役に立つ
4. Using a word list without hiding the word meanings helps me learn
vocabulary.
1 2 3 4 5
意味や訳の部分を隠さず単語リストを使うことが、私の語彙学習の役に立つ
5. Repetitive writing of new words helps me learn vocabulary.
1 2 3 4 5
新規に学習する単語を何度も書くことが、私の語彙学習の役に立つ
6. Saying the word aloud (listening & repeating) helps me learn vocabulary.
1 2 3 4 5
単語を声に出して読む（聞いて繰り返す）ことが、私の語彙学習の役に立つ
7. Spelling words out aloud e.g. ‘amongst’ “A M O N G S T” helps me learn
vocabulary.
1 2 3 4 5
単語を発音しながら、その単語を書くことが、私の語彙学習の役に立つ（例：amongst なら、AMONGST と声に発音しながら書く）
8. Entering new words into a personalized vocabulary notebook (on paper)
67

helps me learn vocabulary.

1 2 3 4 5

自分専用の語彙学習ノート（紙媒体）に新規に学習する単語を記入するようことが、
私の語彙学習の役に立つ
9. Entering new words into a personalized vocabulary online application
helps me learn vocabulary.
1 2 3 4 5
自分専用の語彙学習アプリ（デジタル）に新規に学習する単語を追加することが、私の語彙学習の役に立つ
10. Reading graded readers (extensive reading) helps me learn
vocabulary.

1 2 3 4 5

学習レベルに分けられた文章を読むこと（多読）が、私の語彙学習の役に立つ
11. Using vocabulary building applications e.g. Quizlet, Memrise,
NGSL Builder etc. helps me learn vocabulary.
1 2 3 4 5
Quizlet や Memrise、NGSL Builder などの学習アプリを使うことが、私の語彙学習の役に立つ
12. Consulting an online or electronic dictionary for word meaning andpronunciation helps me learn vocabulary.
1 2 3 4 5単語の意味や発音をインターネット上の、または電子の辞書を使うことが、
私の語彙学習の役に立つ

Additional questions in relation to your vocabulary learning habits.
以下はあなたの語彙学習の習慣に関連した質問です
1. If you use or have used vocabulary building applications, which ones have you used and did you
like using them? Did you find them effective?
語彙学習アプリを現在使っている、もしくは過去に使っていた方に質問です。どのアプリを使用していましたか。どのアプリがあなたにとって合っていましたか。また、それらのアプリが効果的であると思いましたか。

2. Which of the strategies from the above questionnaire do you feel work well for you? Give reasonsfor your beliefs.
上記のアンケートの中の、どの学習方法があなたにとって効果的だったと思っていますか。
理由を添えてお答えください。
3. Which of these strategies were you taught in junior high or high school?
68上記のアンケートの中の、どの学習方法を、中学校・高等学校で扱っていましたか。
4. Do you have any other methods or strategies for learning vocabulary (not mentioned in thequestionnaire) that you think work well for you?
上記のアンケートの中の方法以外で、あなたが効果的だと思った語彙学習方法があれば教えてください。
5. Which strategies have you tried but didn’t like or found were not effective for you? Please explain
why not.
過去に行った語彙学習方法の中で、自分に合わなかった、もしくは効果的ではないと判断した学習方法があれば、理由を添えてお答えください。

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APPENDIX B: MACALISTER AND NATION’S (2020) ELEMENTS OF CURRICULUMDESIGN
Environment
Analysis
Evaluation

Needs Analysis

Monitoring andAssessment

Format andPresentation

Principles

Goals, Content,
Sequencing

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APPENDIX C: NGSL TEST RESULT EXAMPLENew General Service List Test Results
Name:
Teacher: Kathryn Yamagishi
Class:
This is your result of the test of the New General Service List, a vocabulary list that covers
around 2,800 of the most useful English words for language learners.
There are 5 levels in the test, each covering around 560 words. Ideally, you should aim for ascore between 80% to 100% in each of the levels.

Vocabulary Level

Score

First 560 words

Level 1

85%

Second 560 words

Level 2

80%

Third 560 words

Level 365%

Fourth 560 words

Level 455%

Fifth 560 words

Level 550%

Overall Score: 67/100

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APPENDIX D CLASS FOLDER OF THE NGSL 50-WORD SETS72

APPENDIX E: LEARNING HIGH-FREQUENCT WORDS THROUGH QUIZLET

Learning High-Frequency Words throughThis is a short questionnaire in relation to your vocabulary study of the 2,800 high-frequency words
using the word card sets on Quizlet. You can answer in Japanese or English.

Quizlet を活用した高頻出語の学習について
こちらは、Quizlet におけるワードカードを活用した 2,800 語の高頻出語の語彙学習に関する
簡単なアンケートです。回答は日本語・英語どちらでも構いません。

Circle your response on a scale from 1 through 5: あなたの解答を 1 から 5 の段階を丸で囲んでください。
1 Strongly Disagree 2 Disagree 3 Neither Agree nor Disagree 4 Agree 5 Strongly Agree
１全く同意しない ２同意しない ３どちらでもない ４同意する ５大いに同意する

1. The teacher explained how to log in to Quizlet and gave sufficient support in using this application.
2.教員は Quizlet のログイン方法について説明し、このアプリケーションの使用に関して十分な支援を行いました。
1 2 3 4 5
2. I enjoyed using the Quizlet application and felt it helped motivate me in learning new vocabulary.
私は、Quizlet を楽しむことで、新出語彙を勉強するモチベーションが上がることを実感しました。
1 2 3 4 5
3. I was able to individualize my vocabulary study by choosing which word card sets I should study
according to my NGSL test results.
私は、NGSL テストの結果に沿って勉強するべきである単語カードセットを自ら選ぶこと
で、この語彙学習を自分自身専用のものとして活用することができました。
1 2 3 4 573

4. I made use of most of the 7 study options available on Quizlet.
私は、Quizlet にて利用可能な 7 つの学習機能のほとんどを利用しました。
1 2 3 4 5

5. I felt the 50-word card sets were too long to study in one sitting.
私は、50 枚もの単語カードセットは、一度に学習するには多すぎると感じました。
1 2 3 4 574

6. I wanted to study beyond the 2,800 high frequency word card sets available (they were too easy forme).
私は今回利用可能だった 2,800 語の高頻出語だけではなくより多くの単語を学びたいと思いました。(今回学習した 2,800 語は私にとって簡単すぎたため)
1 2 3 4 5
7. I feel it would be necessary to make this vocabulary study a required component of an English
course so that I would actually do the study.
私はこの語彙学習が英語の必修クラスの単位取得に必要であると判断したため、この学習を行いました。
1 2 3 4 5
8. The teacher should check to see who is studying the word card sets on a weekly basis. It should be
a % of the final grade.
教員は週単位で誰がワードカードを勉強しているのかを確認すべきです。そして、それを最終成績の何割かに反映するとよいと思います。
1 2 3 4 5
9. This vocabulary study should predominantly be carried out as homework, but time should also be
set aside in class for self-study using this application.
この語彙学習は主に家庭学習として実行されるべきではありますが、クラス内でもこのアプ
リケーションを使った自主学習時間を設けるとよいと思います。
1 2 3 4 5
10. If this vocabulary study and Quizlet application were introduced and explained in class in thecomputer labs (not online) it would have been easier to begin using and I probably would have been
more motivated to study.
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もしこの語彙学習と Quizlet のアプリケーションが、大学のコンピューター室で(オンラインではなく)対面形式で導入、説明されていたとしたら、アプリケーションを使用し始めるのはより容易くなっており、私はより熱心に学習に取り組んでいたことだろうと思います。
1 2 3 4 5

*Additional feedback, comments, thoughts you have on the implementation and use of thisvocabulary component and application.
語彙学習やこのアプリケーションについて、追加のフィードバック、コメント、感想などありましたら、こちらにご記入ください。

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