Ordforrådsundervisning

Ordforrådsundervisning (vocabulary instruction) is the systematic teaching of word knowledge within language education. It aims to develop both receptive and productive vocabulary so learners can understand texts and express themselves clearly. The concept covers meanings, pronunciation, form (morphology and orthography), syntactic behavior, collocations, and usage across registers. It applies to first-language literacy, second-language learning, and multilingual settings, with emphasis on high-frequency words, academic lexis, and domain-specific vocabulary. Instruction often combines explicit teaching of word meanings with opportunities for repeated exposure in authentic reading, listening, speaking, and writing tasks.

Principles and methods: explicit instruction of meanings and pronunciation; morphology, word formation, and word families; teaching of collocations and semantic fields; use of context, dictionaries, and digital tools; strategies such as guessing from context and using word parts. Pedagogical approaches include direct teaching, vocabulary notebooks, semantic mapping, and integration with reading. Assessment combines formative checks with vocabulary size tests and reading measures. Effective ordforrådsundervisning features explicitness, varied practice, and alignment with literacy goals. Research indicates explicit vocabulary instruction yields improvements in word knowledge and reading comprehension, with effects influenced by learner age, language status, and instructional quality.