Turkish EFL Learners’ Lexical Competence and Performance
Abstract
Vocabulary has been accepted as an important aspect of language learning in many studies. In the light of these studies in literature, the purpose of the present study is to evaluate the general and academic lexical competence and performance of preparatory class students at Kütahya Dumlupınar University, School of Foreign Languages. Within this aim, the current study investigated the students’ general and academic receptive and productive vocabulary knowledge and their interrelationships among each other. The participants of the study included 94 preparatory class students who were going to major at Department of English Language and Literature. Through multiple test approach, two different vocabulary tests, a writing task, and a speaking task were implemented. According to the results, the students had large general and academic vocabulary size and depth. However, they mostly preferred high frequent words more than low frequent and academic words. Moreover, their scores in productive vocabulary were lower than their receptive vocabulary knowledge scores. Therefore, it was observed that they could not reflect their lexical competence in their lexical performance.
Full Text:
PDFReferences
Aziez, F. (2011). Examining the vocabulary levels of Indonesia’s English national examination texts. Asian EFL Journal, 51(4), 1-14.
Chen, Q., & Ge, G. (2007). A corpus-based lexical study on frequency and distribution of Coxhead’s AWL word families in medical research articles (RAs). English for Specific Purposes, 26(4), 502-514.
Chung, T. M., & Nation, P. (2003). Technical vocabulary in specialised texts. Reading in a Foreign Language, 15(2), 103-116.
Clenton, J. (2008). Investigating the construct of productive vocabulary: Comparing different measures. In Martin Edwardes (Ed.), Proceedings of the BAAL Annual Conference (pp. 27-28). London: Scitsiugnil Press.
Cobb, T., & Horst, M. (2000). Vocabulary sizes of some City University students. City University (HK) Journal of Language Studies, 1, 59-68.
Cohen, A. (1986). Forgetting foreign language vocabulary. In B.Weltens, K.de Bot, & T. Van Els (Eds.), Language Attrition in Progress (pp. 143-158). Dordrecht, the Netherlands: Foris.
Cohen, J.W. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Coxhead, A., & Nation, P. (2001). The specialized vocabulary of English for Academic purposes. In J. Flowerdew, & M. Peadocks (Eds.), Research Perspectives on English for academic purposes (pp. 252-267). Cambridge: CUP.
Crossley, S. A., & Salsbury, T. (2010). Using lexical indices to predict produced and not produced words in second language learners. The Mental Lexicon, 5(1), 115-147.
Crossley, S. A., Salsbury, T., & McNamara, D. (2010). The development of polysemy and frequency use in English second language speakers. Language Learning, 60(3), 573-605.
Douglas, S. R. (2010). Non-native English speaking students at university: Lexical richness and academic success. Unpublished PhD Thesis. Alberta: University of Calgary.
Ehsanzadeh, I. S. (2012). Depth versus breadth of lexical repertoire: Assessing their roles in EFL students’ incidental vocabulary acquisition. TESL Canada Journal/Revue TESL Du Canada, 29(2), 24-24.
Ellis, N. (2002). Frequency effects in language processing. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 24(2), 143-188.
Fan, M. (2000). How big is the gap and how to narrow it? An investigation into active and passive vocabulary knowledge of learners. RELC Journal, 31(2), 105-119.
Griffin, G., & Harley, T. (1996). List learning of second language vocabulary. Applied Psycholinguistics, 17(4), 443-460.
Hellman, A. B. (2011). Vocabulary size and depth of word knowledge in adult-onset second language acquisition. International Journal of Applied Linguistics, 21(2), 162-182.
Hincks, R. (2003). Pronouncing the academic word list: Features of L2 student oral presentations. Proceedings of the 15th International Congress of Phonetics Sciences (pp. 1545-1548). Barcelona: Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Spain.
Ho, M. A., & Lien, H. (2011). The correlation between vocabulary knowledge depth and reading comprehension. Journal of Vocabulary Learning, 6, 9-34.
Hunt, A., & Beglar, D. (2005). A framework for developing EFL reading vocabulary. Reading in a Foreign Language, 17, 23-59.
Jenkins, J. R., Stein, M. L., & Wysocki, K. (1984). Learning vocabulary through reading. American Educational Research Journal, 21(4), 767-787.
Kalay, D. (2017). Foreign language learners’ evaluation of lexical competence and performance. Journal of Educational and Practice, 8, 78-88.
Karakoç, D. (2016). The impact of vocabulary knowledge on reading, writing and proficiency scores of B2.2 level Turkish students: A study with Anadolu University English Prep-School Students. Unpublished MA Thesis. Graduate School of Educational Sciences, Anadolu University, Eskişehir.
Kaur, J., & Hegelheimer, V. (2005). ESL students' use of concordance in the transfer of academic word knowledge: An exploratory study. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 18(4), 287-310.
Laufer, B. (1991). How much lexis is necessary for reading comprehension? In P.J.L. Arnaud & H. Bejoint (Eds). Vocabulary and Applied Linguistics (pp.126-132). Basignstoke: Macmillian.
Laufer, B. (1998). The development of passive and active vocabulary in a second language: Same or different? Applied Linguistics, 12, 255-271.
Laufer, B., & Goldstein, Z. (2004). Testing vocabulary knowledge: Size, strength, and computer adaptiveness. Language Learning, 54(3), 399-436.
Laufer, B., & Nation, P. (1995). Vocabulary size and use: Lexical richness in L2 written production. Applied Linguistics, 16, 307-322.
Laufer, B., & Paribakht, T.S. (1998). The relationship between passive and active vocabularies: Effects of language learning context. Language Learning, 48(3), 365- 391.
Laufer, B., Elder, C., Hill, K., & Congdon, P. (2004). Size and strength: Do we need both to measure vocabulary knowledge? Language Testing, 21(2), 201-226.
Lemmouh, Z. (2008). The relationship between grades and the lexical richness of student essays. Nordic Journal of English Studies, 7(3), 163-180.
Meara, P. M., & Alcoy, J. C. (2010). Words as species: An alternative approach to estimating productive vocabulary size. Reading in a Foreign Language, 22(1), 222-236.
Mehrpour, S., Razmjoo, S. A., & Kian, P. (2011). The relationship between depth and breadth of vocabulary knowledge and reading comprehension among Iranian EFL learners. Journal of English Language Teaching and Learning, 53(222), 98- 127.
Milton, J. (2009). Measuring second language vocabulary acquisition. Bristol: Multilingual Matters.
Mondria, J. A., & Wiersma, B. (2004). Receptive, productive, and receptive + productive L2 vocabulary learning: What difference does it make? In P. Bogaards, & B. Laufer (Eds), Vocabulary in a Second Language: Selection, Acquisition and Testing (pp. 79-100). Amsterdam: Benjamins.
Morris, L., & Cobb, T. (2004). Vocabulary profiles as predictors of TESL student performance. System 32(1), 75-87.
Mudraya, O. (2006). Engineering English: A lexical frequency instructional model. English for Specific Purposes, 25, 235-256.
Muncie, J. (2002). Process Writing and Vocabulary Development: Comparing Lexical Frequency Profile across Drafts, System, 30, 225-235.
Nagy, W. E., & Herman, P. A. (1987). Breadth and depth of vocabulary knowledge: Implications for acquisition and instruction. In M. G. McKeown, & M. E. Curtis (Eds.), The nature of vocabulary acquisition, (pp. 19-36). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Nagy, W. E., Anderson, R. C., & Herman, P. A. (1987). Learning word meanings from context during normal reading. American Educational Research Journal, 24(2), 237-270.
Nation, I. S. P. (2001) Learning vocabulary in another language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Nation, P. (1990). Teaching and learning vocabulary. Boston: Heinle & Heinle.
Pignot-Shahov, V. (2012). Measuring L2 receptive and productive vocabulary knowledge. Language Studies Working Papers, 4(1), 37-45.
Qian, D. D. (1999). Assessing the roles of depth and breadth of vocabulary knowledge. Canadian Modern Language Reviews, 56, 282-307.
Rashidi, N., & Khosravi, N. (2010). Assessing the role of depth and breadth of vocabulary knowledge in reading comprehension of Iranian EFL learners. Journal of Pan Pacific Association of Applied Linguistics, 14(1), 81-108.
Read, J. (2000). Word Associates Test. Retrieved on January 10, 2019 from www.lextutor.ca.
Santos, M. G. (2010). Depth of academic vocabulary knowledge: Investigating depth of academic vocabulary knowledge among language-minority community college students. Reflections on English Language Teaching, 9(1), 19-42.
Schmitt, N. (2010). Researching vocabulary: A vocabulary research manual. New York: Palgrave MacMillan.
Schmitt, N. (1997). Vocabulary learning strategies. In N. Schmitt & M. McCarthy (eds.), Vocabulary: Description, acquisition and pedagogy (pp. 199-227). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Schmitt, N., & Meara, P. (1997). Researching vocabulary through a word knowledge framework. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 19, 17-36.
Schmitt, N., Ng, J. W. C., & Garras, J. (2011). The word associates format: Validation evidence. Language Testing, 28(1), 105–126.
Schmitt, N., Schmitt, D., & Clapham, C. (2001). Developing and Exploring the Behaviour of Two New Versions of the Vocabulary Levels Test. Language Testing, 18(1), 55-88.
Tömen, M. (2016). The relationship between vocabulary size, lexical diversity, lexical density and EFL writing scores: A cross-sectional study. Unpublised MA Thesis. Graduate School of Educational Sciences, Anadolu University, Eskişehir, Turkey.
Tschirner, E. (2004). Breadth of vocabulary and advanced English study: An empirical investigation. Electronic Journal of Foreign Language Teaching, 1(1), 27-39.
Vermeer, A. (2001). Breadth and depth of vocabulary in relation to L1/L2 acquisition and frequency of input. Applied Psycholinguistics, 22(2), 217-234.
Vongpumivitch, V., Huang, J., & Chang, Y. (2009). Frequency analysis of the words in the Academic Word List (AWL) and non-AWL content words in Applied Linguistics research papers. English for Specific Purposes, 28, 33–41.
Webb, S. (2008). Receptive and productive vocabulary size. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 30, 79-95.
Webb, S. (2005). Receptive and productive vocabulary learning: The effects of reading and writing on word knowledge. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 27, 33-52.
Yüksel, İ., & Durmuşoğlu Köse, G. (2013). ELT majors' cross sectional evaluation of academic lexical competence and performance. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 4(2), 244-252.
Zareva, A. (2010). Multicompetence and L2 users’ associative links: Being unlike native like. International Journal of Applied Linguistics, 20(1), 2-22.
Zareva, A. (2007). Structure of the second language mental lexicon: How does it compare to native speakers’ lexical organization? Second Language Research, 23(2), 123-153.
Zareva, A. (2005). Models of lexical knowledge assessment of second language learners of English of higher levels of language proficiency. System, 33(4), 547- 562.
Zhang, D. (2012). Vocabulary and grammar knowledge in second language reading comprehension: A structural equation modelling study. The Modern Language Journal, 96(4), 558-575.
Zhong, H. (2014). The interface between receptive and productive vocabulary knowledge: Vocabulary knowledge as a multi-aspect construct. Unpublished PhD Thesis. University of Sydney, Australia.
Zhou, S. (2010). Comparing receptive and productive academic vocabulary knowledge of Chinese EFL learners. Asian Social Science, 6(10), 14-19.
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
ISSN 1305-578X (Online)
Copyright © 2005-2022 by Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies