1. Applied Linguistics (Language Teaching and Learning)
Farahman Farrokhi; Mohammad Zohrabi; Nava Nourdad; Aysan Bolandnazar
Abstract
Vocabulary is a powerful carrier of meaning in a language, and developing vocabulary knowledge is an essential task in the process of enhancing a foreign language. The current study explores vocabulary knowledge as a multi-component construct by analyzing various vocabulary components’ relationships ...
Read More
Vocabulary is a powerful carrier of meaning in a language, and developing vocabulary knowledge is an essential task in the process of enhancing a foreign language. The current study explores vocabulary knowledge as a multi-component construct by analyzing various vocabulary components’ relationships and acquisition order in an Iranian EFL context. Moreover, this study aims to provide a better conceptualization of EFL vocabulary knowledge. A total of 170 Iranian EFL learners were evaluated using eight vocabulary tests that assessed recall and recognition knowledge of derivatives, form-meaning link, multiple meanings, and collocations, following Nation’s (2022) framework. First, correlational analyses indicated that all measured word knowledge components were interrelated. Moreover, the Implicational Scaling analysis uncovered a uniform trend in vocabulary acquisition for these components, suggesting that recognition knowledge is obtained before recalling knowledge across all aspects. Therefore, the hierarchy pattern indicated that the participants with knowledge of higher aspects are highly likely to know the lower aspects. Furthermore, Confirmatory Factor Analysis indicated that word knowledge in this context can be conceptualized as a unidimensional construct. A comprehensive understanding of the nature of vocabulary knowledge and the interrelationships among its components can provide critical insights into the role of vocabulary acquisition in EFL contexts.
1. Applied Linguistics (Language Teaching and Learning)
Mehri Mokhtarzadeh; Hadi Farjami; Monireh Mokhtarzadeh
Abstract
The present study investigates the potential impact of inspirational quotes on improving English abstract vocabulary recall. To achieve this, a multiple-choice Oxford Quick Placement Test (OQPT) of 60 items including vocabulary and grammar component was administered as the proficiency test to a sample ...
Read More
The present study investigates the potential impact of inspirational quotes on improving English abstract vocabulary recall. To achieve this, a multiple-choice Oxford Quick Placement Test (OQPT) of 60 items including vocabulary and grammar component was administered as the proficiency test to a sample of 63 second-semester male and female students aged 18 to 22, studying English Translation in Semnan University, Iran. The 40 upper-level language students were selected and randomly assigned into two groups of 20 as an experimental group and a control group. The experimental group was exposed to inspirational quotes for one month and the control group was instructed abstract vocabularies through plain sentences. At the end of the treatment, a cued recall achievement test was used to measure the participants’ immediate recall of the target words. Two weeks after the treatment, the same test was administered to explore the delayed recall of participants and to estimate the effect of inspirational quotes on long term recall of abstract vocabulary by the experimental group compared with that of the control group. Analysis of immediate and delayed cued recall achievement tests confirmed the hypotheses that inspirational quotes had a significant effect on both immediate and delayed recall of abstract vocabulary. Based on these findings it is concluded that inspirational quotes can be utilized not only as a supportive context for teaching and learning of abstract vocabulary but also as motivational, emotional, and meaningful pedagogical sources.