Developing Lexical Competence at Secondary School Introduction

Developing Lexical Competence at Secondary School
Introduction

A general aim in education today is that a competence-based approach emplies an essential shift in methodology and understanding content in language need to be based on a common philosophy of teaching and this implies a certain continuity and coherence in methodology.

Achieving communicative competence in second language can be enhanced by developing vocabulary learning and teaching. Similarly, problems in vocabulary learning and teaching can have serious negative effects on learner’s success in second language learning.
It is generally acknowledged among language teachers and learners that vocabulary is considered by both first-language and second-language researchers as an essential factor in language competence. Decarrico (2001, 285) points out that vocabulary learning is central to language acquisition whether it is a second, or a foreign language. Even in a learner’s mother tongue, there is an incessant learning of new words and new meanings for old words (Thornbury 2002, 1). Any learner of a foreign language knows very well that words are essential, and the lack of them leads to difficulties in communication situations. It is generally accepted that vocabulary is ‘the heart in learning a second language’, but the acquisition of a large number of vocabulary items may be one of the most difficult aspects of learning a second language for most L2 learners (Meara 1980, 221). Vocabulary is a very essential component of any language as well as the core of language learning and communication. Although vocabulary has always been a crucial part of language learning and teaching and communication, it is said that vocabulary teaching has not been receptive to problems in the area, and most language teachers have not fully recognized the great communicative advantage in developing an extensive vocabulary.
The aim of the research is to develop the learners’ communicative and linguistic competences through the development of vocabulary, to examine and describe types of vocabulary learning strategies.
The objectives of the present paper are

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  to explore the principles of language education policy
  
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  to identify the concept of competences
  
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  to develop the learners’ communicative and linguistic competences
  
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  to develop strategies of teaching vocabulary
  

The novelty of the research work is

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  to provide a basis for the development of communicative and lexical competences
  
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  to promote evaluation and self-assessment
  
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  to give the description of lexical competence and its components based on the CEFR
  
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  to identify the peculiarities and relevance of productive and receptive vocabulary.