The effect of proficiency level on the rate of receptive and productive vocabulary acquisition

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of proficiency level on the rate of receptive and productive vocabulary acquisition, in conjunction with an examination of materials and instruction. The study was conducted with the participation of 68 beginner and elementary level students, and their teachers at the English Language Preparatory School of Tokat Gaziosmanpaşa University. The data was gathered through receptive and productive vocabulary tests, a one-to-one interview with teachers of the beginner and elementary groups, and materials analysis. After the administration of the pre-tests, the students continued their foreign language education for about three months until the administration of the post-tests. The quantitative analysis demonstrated that the students at both levels improved their vocabulary both receptively and productively; however, the students at the elementary level gained more words in a shorter period of time. The qualitative data analyses showed that instruction and the materials played a certain role in improving the students’ vocabulary acquisition. However, the elementary groups’ greater gains in vocabulary could not be satisfactorily explained by either the materials or instruction. It is possible that the results that could not be explained by either materials or instruction are because of differences in proficiency. The elementary students’ higher level of proficiency appeared to allow them to benefit more from the materials and instruction in terms of vocabulary acquisition. The study implied that teachers and curriculum designers should pay attention to the aim of the program. While selecting the materials and teaching methods, selected materials and teaching methods should be compatible with the aim of the program. The study also implied that providing a few more hours of instruction for the beginner students is not enough to help these students reach the same level of proficiency by the end of the year as higher level students. Even more hours of instruction per week and different instruction should be provided to lower level students in order to help them reach the required proficiency level by the end of the year.