Vocabulary growth in an English as a foreign language context

Abstract

This study examines vocabulary growth in two dimensions, receptive and controlled productive, and the interrelationship between these dimensions. The study focuses on the 2000, 3000, 5000 and academic word list levels. Data were collected from 41 high school students in China. The participants completed a pre-test in the third week of the first semester, and a post-test ten weeks later. The findings indicate that: (1) both receptive and controlled productive vocabulary knowledge grow significantly at some vocabulary levels after ten weeks of study; (2) the growth is greater overall in controlled productive vocabulary knowledge than in receptive vocabulary knowledge; (3) receptive vocabulary size is larger than controlled productive vocabulary size at all vocabulary levels; and (4) the gap between receptive and controlled productive vocabulary size lessens after ten weeks of instruction. The study, in considering the findings, reflects on the relationship between classroom focus and vocabulary learning.