Mohammad Amin Karafkan; Ali-Akbar Ansarin; Yaser Hadidi
Abstract
Among intriguing areas in vocabulary acquisition research are such variables as breadth and depth of vocabulary knowledge, and their predictability in writing performance. In this spirit, this study set out to determine how receptive breadth, productive breadth, and receptive depth of word knowledge, ...
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Among intriguing areas in vocabulary acquisition research are such variables as breadth and depth of vocabulary knowledge, and their predictability in writing performance. In this spirit, this study set out to determine how receptive breadth, productive breadth, and receptive depth of word knowledge, using word families, predict total writing task score and the vocabulary component of EFL learners’ narrative, descriptive, and argumentative writing performance. To this end, by administering Oxford Quick Placement Test to the learners enrolled in an advanced writing course, 70 (49 males, 21 females) EFL upper intermediate learners were selected as the participants of the study. To determine the participants’ receptive depth, and productive and receptive breadth of the word knowledge, the Word Associates Test, the Lex30, and the Vocabulary Size Test were administered to the participants respectively. The participants also undertook descriptive, narrative and argumentative writing tasks. The results of the correlation coefficients and regression analyses of the data specified that: a) receptive vocabulary breadth and depth significantly contributed to both overall writing and vocabulary component of narrative, descriptive and argumentative writing; b) The breadth of productive vocabulary knowledge measured by the Lex30 only correlated with the vocabulary component score as well as the total score of narrative, descriptive, and argumentative writing. The implications include the fact that lexical knowledge aspects can be systematically used in both developing syllabus materials and classroom teaching methodologies.
Saeed Mehrpour; Zahra Montasseri
Abstract
The present study investigated the effects of using the MoodleReader Module on Iranian EFL learners’ vocabulary depth and breadth. The participants of this study, chosen based on their availability, were 30 male and female Iranian EFL learners attending two intact reading comprehension classes. ...
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The present study investigated the effects of using the MoodleReader Module on Iranian EFL learners’ vocabulary depth and breadth. The participants of this study, chosen based on their availability, were 30 male and female Iranian EFL learners attending two intact reading comprehension classes. One class was assigned to the treatment group and the other one to the control group. Three tests measuring vocabulary breadth, depth, and partial knowledge of vocabulary were used to collect the data. The tests were administered in both classes at the beginning of the study as pre-tests; then, the treatment group received the MoodleReader as the extensive reading tool, while the control group used the traditional intensive reading program during three and a half months. At the end of the study, the three tests were once again administered to both classes as post-tests. To analyze the collected data, a set of paired and independent samples t-tests was run to compare the performance of the participants in both groups. The findings of the study indicated that the treatment group improved regarding all the three aspects of vocabulary knowledge, i.e., breadth, depth and partial knowledge and the control group improved in terms of vocabulary breadth, but not in terms of vocabulary depth and partial knowledge. The findings indicated that the application of the MoodleReader module affected the development of EFL learners’ vocabulary breadth, depth, and partial knowledge.
