A sample of 1,500 students in grades K-3 were selected from 80 Jordanian schools in a study of aural vocabulary scores. This study followed a pilot study in 1980 of an Arabic translation of the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test with Arabic-speaking children with limited English proficiency in the Dearborn, Michigan, public schools. The 1982 standardization of the Arabic Picture Vocabulary Test (APVT) provided an unusual opportunity to compare the academic performance of males and females in Jordan, and the sample was designed to provide a broad socioeconomic representation of Jordan. Data indicated that of the nine comparisons performed, six showed males scoring higher, and three showed females scoring higher on the APVT. These findings are compared with other studies and other orally administered vocabulary tests. Contains 16 references. (LB)