ABSTRACT
One of the ways of increasing vocabulary knowledge is to learn new words and lexical phrases as single items. This chapter focuses on this topic from several perspectives. The first main section clarifies how different types of vocabulary learning can be classified according to two continua: (1) intentional and incidental learning and (2) isolated and integrated learning. The second identifies and discusses advantages and disadvantages of teaching single words as compared to other options for vocabulary instruction. The third focuses on instructional implications of research on single-word learning to date, including studies demonstrating the effectiveness of increased repetition of target words; presenting target words in an enhanced manner, such as by increasing talker, speaking-style, or speaking-rate variability; and providing learners with opportunities to retrieve target words on their own. Future directions for theory, research, and informed instruction are also discussed.
