The Impact of Attrition on Vocabulary Knowledge among Saudi Teachers

Abstract

This two-year longitudinal study tracks the extent of vocabulary attrition among Arabic-speaking English graduate teachers. Data were collected through pre-post tests of receptive and productive vocabulary knowledge. The results showed drastic attrition in vocabulary knowledge soon after the end of formal instruction followed by slight gain, although the gain was not quite back to the level of baseline achievement. Verbs and adjectives were more prone to attrition than nouns. The rate of attrition was greater for productive than receptive lexical knowledge. Interestingly, knowledge at peak attainment emerged as a predictor of attrition over time.