Vocabulary studies and language learning psychology: towards greater interdisciplinary collaboration
It is with great pleasure that we share this call for papers for a EuroSLA sponsored event hosted at the University of Nottingham titled Vocabulary studies and language learning psychology: towards greater interdisciplinary collaboration.
Scope and intended audience
This one-day workshop will bring together researchers from two thriving research areas within the field of SLA: vocabulary studies and language learning psychology. Each field has a mature and vibrant research literature, yet, while both areas have sought to tap into one another, there has been little meaningful cross-pollination between the two. This is despite explicit calls for greater interdisciplinary collaboration from both sides and has resulted in imperfect and incomplete accounts of the interconnection of both areas into SLA.
The overarching aim of this workshop is to provide a space where researchers from both disciplines can come together, to reflect on their research practices, to inspire new directions, and to act as a sandpit seeking to bring together future collaborations/research teams. We are pleased to announce the following plenary speakers:
- Prof Stephen Ryan (Waseda University)
- Dr Bea González-Fernández (University of Sheffield)
- Dr Bérénice Darnault (Université Bretagne Sud)
This one-day workshop will begin with a set of plenary lectures, with speakers reflecting on perennial challenges to interdisciplinary collaboration between these areas and collaborative, practical opportunities to overcome them, speaking from the perspectives of language learning psychology, vocabulary studies and around cross-cutting interdisciplinary potentials, including reflections on implications for pedagogy as pertinent to broader SLA theory and practice.
The day will conclude with an invited roundtable discussion and Q&A. Joining the plenary speakers we are pleased to announce the following two invited discussants:
- Dr Paweł Szudarski (University of Nottingham)
- Dr Ikuya Aizawa (University of Nottingham)
This highly participatory end to the workshop will begin with invited discussants reflecting on their own interdisciplinary work in this space and sharing comments on key themes emerged throughout the workshop and their reflections on critical issues, questions and concerns for future interdisciplinary collaborations in this space. We will welcome the voices of all participants to contribute to what we hope will be a lively concluding debate.
Call for Papers: Short talks (15 minutes)
We recognise that there is already some exciting work happening in this space. To form the heart of this one-day workshop, we invite abstracts for short talks (15 minutes) to share work in development, in progress or recently completed that consciously straddles both disciplines. We anticipate that the workshop will bring together experienced researchers, early career researchers and postgraduate students. We welcome abstracts from all, and particularly from early career researchers.
Short talk proposals can draw on any aspect of vocabulary learning and teaching (including learning single words and multi-word units, vocabulary knowledge at receptive and productive aspects, testing vocabulary knowledge) and any psychological individual difference variable(s) (for example motivation, willingness to communicate, anxiety). Following these short talks, in an extended lunch and networking session, we will invite these speakers to take the lead in parallel themed group discussions, to further share their experiences and any challenges faced, and to discuss potential for future work in these and related areas.
In person/hybrid participation
Invited plenaries and short talks will be given in person, with workshop participants able to register for hybrid/online access to stream these sessions live. Themed group and roundtable discussions will be accessible in person only.
Abstract submissions
Abstracts should be a maximum of 300 words and submitted via email to eurosla-24@nottingham.ac.uk by 12pm/noon Wednesday 6th November.