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This study reports on vocabulary learning through service-learning (SL) where Spanish L2 learners participated in a story-time program with bilingual children. The descriptive, observational, and qualitative analysis of data sources (e.g., journals, vocabulary assessments) describes language learning “sowing” events (van Lier 2000) that supported vocabulary learning/teaching goals: extending learners’ meaningful use of the target language, increasing their usable vocabulary, and equipping them with strategies to take charge of their own lexical development (Nation 2013). Framed through sociocultural perspectives, findings show that learners retained vocabulary targeted through their service as a result of doing with the language in a context in which language exchanges were meaningful, creative, and unscripted. Moreover, the activity’s demands required that learners discover new mediational means, which promoted the evolution of their vocabulary learning strategies from conventional practices to more diversified, complex, and involved ones.

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Este estudio describe el aprendizaje de vocabulario de un grupo de estudiantes de español como segundo idioma al participar en un programa de lectura para niños bilingües implementado como un proyecto de aprendizaje a través del servicio. Para el análisis, se examinaron de forma cualitativa varias fuentes de datos a fin de identificar lo que van Lier (2000) calificó como “momentos de siembra” en el proceso de aprendizaje, así como aspectos de la experiencia que fomentaran las metas referidas a la enseñanza del vocabulario (Nation 2013). Los resultados fueron interpretados desde una perspectiva sociocultural y demostraron que los estudiantes retuvieron el vocabulario que les permitió lograr algo por medio de la lengua en un contexto en donde las interacciones lingüísticas fueron significativas, creativas y espontáneas. También, los estudiantes descubrieron nuevos métodos de mediación al incorporar estrategias de aprendizaje más diversas, complejas y aplicadas.

The benefits of corrective feedback (CF) for second language (L2) learning are empirically attested, and multiple factors mediating CF effectiveness have been investigated. However, the timing of oral CF has received less attention given most research examines corrections provided immediately after an error. Delayed CF also warrants investigation; it occurs naturally in L2 classrooms and may be an appealing alternative in online learning contexts. Existing CF timing research shows either no significant differences between immediate and delayed CF, or advantages for immediate CF. To elucidate mixed findings, more CF timing studies are needed, especially those considering the effects of factors such as CF type, linguistic target and communication mode. Regarding communication mode, the effect of CF timing on errors made during text-based synchronous computer-mediated communication (SCMC), for instance, has received less attention. Examining text-based SCMC is important given its empirically attested benefits for L2 learning, and in some cases its advantage over face-to-face interaction for fostering CF effectiveness. Investigating the role of CF timing on errors made in text-based SCMC will contribute to efforts to maximize CF effectiveness in online learning environments, which are becoming increasingly common. In this study, 30 third-year learners of Spanish as a foreign language completed a one-way information-gap task with an interlocutor using Skype text-chat. On vocabulary errors, learners received either immediate or delayed error repetition plus recast, or no CF. Results revealed both CF groups significantly outperformed the comparison group on an oral picture description task, with no significant differences between immediate and delayed CF. Results may be due to the salience of the CF modality, type, and target.