Research conducted by Muhang Li (Research Student) from the Department of Applied Linguistics has been published in System, a leading international journal in applied linguistics.

This study revisited the common view that presenting semantically related words together (e.g., “apples” and “oranges”) impedes second language (L2) vocabulary learning by synthesizing 27 primary studies in a meta-analysis.

The analysis revealed that while a temporary detrimental effect emerged during lexical training, there was no strong evidence of a negative impact on final learning outcomes. Furthermore, the findings suggest that factors such as "training time per session" and the "provision of context" can turn these negative effects into positive outcomes for L2 vocabulary learning. 

Publication Details:
Li, M., Uchihara, T., Nakata, T., & Murphy, V. (2026). The effectiveness of semantic clustering on vocabulary learning: A multilevel meta-analysis

For further details, please visit: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2026.104141