ERIC Number: EJ686958
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2004-Sep
Pages: 38
Abstractor: Author
Reference Count: 36
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0023-8333
Testing Vocabulary Knowledge: Size, Strength, and Computer Adaptiveness
Laufer, Batia; Goldstein, Zahava
Language Learning, v54 n3 p399-436 Sep 2004
In this article, we describe the development and trial of a bilingual computerized test of vocabulary size, the number of words the learner knows, and strength, a combination of four aspects of knowledge of meaning that are assumed to constitute a hierarchy of difficulty: passive recognition easiest, active recognition, passive recall, and active recall hardest. The participants were 435 learners of English as a second language. We investigated whether the above hierarchy was valid and which strength modality correlated best with classroom language performance. Results showed that the hypothesized hierarchy was present at all word frequency levels, that passive recall was the best predictor of classroom language performance, and that growth in vocabulary knowledge was different for the different strength modalities.
Descriptors: Word Frequency, Vocabulary Development, Computer Assisted Testing, Recall (Psychology), English (Second Language), Second Language Learning, Language Tests
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers: N/A

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