Centre for Research in Language & Literacy (Vocabulary Studies) Seminar: Benefits of replication research: why we need replication studies to better understand the learning of L2 vocabulary, grammar and collocations

Benefits of replication research: why we need replication studies to better understand the learning of L2 vocabulary, grammar and collocations

External Speaker: Pawel Szudarski (University of Nottingham)

Replication research in SLA is under-represented (Marsden et al. 2018), but recently there has been an increasing amount of evidence showing that the field is recognising the need for conducting more replication studies (Andringa & Godfroid 2019; McManus, 2021). The aim of this talk is to discuss the importance of replication studies not only in terms of gaining more theoretical insights into the theory of L2 learning and teaching, but also increasing the quality of research practices and improving methodological rigour. In particular, I will report on two recent studies I have been involved in. The first one is an extension of Morgan-Short et al.’s (2018) investigation into the role of attention in input processing by L1-Polish learners of L2-Spanish, with proficiency and language of assessment explored as two key methodological factors. The other one is an ongoing multi-site project aimed at replicate Webb et al.’s (2013) findings on the effects of repetition in the learning of multi-word units (collocations) by learners of L2 English. In my discussion, I will address both the theoretical and practical aspects of these studies, highlighting the benefits of replication research and making methodological recommendation for future work focused on L2 lexical, grammatical and collocational competence.