Article contents

Paper title
Author(s)
Abstract
Article information
How to cite?
DOI
Copyright
Open access
References
Research Article

Investigating Iraqi EFL University Students’ Lexical Knowledge: A Cross-Sectional Study

Authors

  • Zaid Tareq Ahmed Student, Mustansiriyah University, College of Arts, Iraq
  • Istiqlal Hassan Ja’afar Assistant Professor, Mustansiriyah University, College of Arts, Iraq

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the development of Iraqi University EFL students’ lexical knowledge at the recognition and production level and to compare their performance concerning the two previous levels. It also aimed to measure their performance concerning the Academic Word List (AWL) proposed by Coxhead (2000). It appears that Iraqi Universities lack empirical evidence to determine students’ lexical knowledge growth regarding the English language, thus, this important aspect of language teaching is in the grey area. Therefore, this study tries to answer the following questions, firstly is to what extent the development of lexical knowledge which Iraqi EFL learners have approximately reached?, and secondly, does the level of lexical knowledge which Iraqi EFLs have gained enable them to use the language properly? The study was conducted by examining 120 undergraduate students from all stages at the Department of English language and Literature/ College of Arts/ Mustansiriyah University. The findings have proved that there is a significant development in lexical knowledge among the four stages of the department and it reached its peak at the fourth stage whose participants have scored higher than other stages in the test. Further, the findings demonstrated that the fourth stage undergraduate participants scored higher in the AWL. The other significant issue that this study has proved is that the incidental vocabulary learning is more efficient than the intentional vocabulary learning.

Article information

Journal

International Journal of Linguistics, Literature and Translation

Volume (Issue)

3 (9)

Pages

08-19

Published

2020-09-30

How to Cite

Ahmed, Z. T. ., & Ja’afar, I. H. . (2020). Investigating Iraqi EFL University Students’ Lexical Knowledge: A Cross-Sectional Study. International Journal of Linguistics, Literature and Translation, 3(9), 08–19. https://doi.org/10.32996/ijllt.2020.3.9.2

References

Coady, J. (2001). Research on ESL/EFL vocabulary acquisition: Putting it in context. In T. Huckin, M. Haynes, & J. Coady (Eds), Second Language Reading and Vocabulary Learning. New Jersey: Ablex Publishing Corporation Norwood.

Coombe, C. (2011). Assessing Vocabulary in the Language Classroom. Malaysian English Language Association, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Coxhead, A. (2000). A new academic word list. TESOL Quarterly, 34(2), 213–238.

Heaton, J. B. (1988).Writing English Language Test. Hongkong: Longman Group.

Kuder, G.F., Richardson, M.W. The theory of the estimation of test reliability. Psychometrika 2, 151–160 (1937). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02288391 [6] L.C. Deighton, (June 1959). Vocabulary Development In The Classroom. Teachers College ISBN-10: 0807712361

Laufer, B., & Nation, P. (1999). A Vocabulary-Size Test of Controlled Productive Ability. Language Testing.

Lewis, M. (1993). The Lexical Approach. Language Teaching Publications.

Meara, P. (1980). Vocabulary acquisition: A neglected aspect of language learning. Language Teaching and Linguistics Abstracts, 13, 221-246.

Milton, J. (2009). Measuring Second Language Vocabulary. New York: Multilingual Matters

Nation, I. S. P. (2001). Learning vocabulary in another language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Nation, I. S. P. (2013a). Learning vocabulary in another language (2nd ed.). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

Nation, I., (2011). Research into Practice: Vocabulary. Language Teaching, volume 44.

Nation, I.S.P. (1990). Teaching and Learning Vocabulary. New York: Newbury House

Nation, I.S.P. and Beglar, D. (2007). A vocabulary size test. The Language Teacher, 31(7), 9-13

Nation, P. (2001). Learning vocabulary in another language. Cambridge: England; Cambridge University Press.

Norrish, J. (1983). Language learners and their errors. London: Macmillan Press.

Read, J. (2000). Assessing vocabulary. United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press.

Richards, J. C. & Schmidt, R. (2002). Dictionary of language teaching and applied linguistics (3rd Ed.). London: Longman.

Richards, J.C. (2015). Key issues in language teaching. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Schmitt, N. (2000). Vocabulary in language teaching. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. [22] Schmitt, N. (2010). Researching Vocabulary: A Vocabulary Research Manual. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. [23] Schmitt, N. (2014). Size and depth of vocabulary knowledge: What the research shows. Language Learning, 64, 913-951.

T. Huckin, M. Haynes, & J. Coady (Eds). Second language reading and vocabulary learning. Norwood Press.

Webb, S. (2020). The Routledge Handbook of Vocabulary Studies. Routledge: 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN.

Downloads