Introduction

In earlier chapters, I have surveyed a diverse range of work on second language vocabulary assessment and proposed three dimensions which allow us to locate the different types of measure within a common framework. Conventional vocabulary tests – which I would describe as predominantly discrete, selective and context independent – are effective research tools for certain purposes and are routinely administered in second language teaching programmes around the world. Existing tests of this kind will continue to be used and new ones devised. They work best in assessment situations where it makes sense to focus on vocabulary as a discrete form of language knowledge and to treat lexical items as individual units of meaning. At a time when the pendulum in language-teaching methodology is moving back to a greater emphasis on form-focused instruction, there is renewed interest in giving explicit attention to learners' mastery of the structural features of the language, including its lexical forms.

However, I have also set out to show that conventional tests cannot meet all of our contemporary needs for vocabulary assessment. We need to broaden our thinking about the topic to incorporate a larger range of measures, ones that are embedded, comprehensive and/or context dependent. In the main body of this chapter, I want to review some current areas of work on second language vocabulary, which will provide additional evidence for my view that a wider perspective is required, and then explore the implications for further developments in vocabulary assessment for the future.