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Vocabulary size revisited: the link between vocabulary size and academic achievement

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Treffers-Daller, J. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6575-6736 and Milton, J. (2013) Vocabulary size revisited: the link between vocabulary size and academic achievement. Applied Linguistics Review, 4 (1). pp. 151-172. ISSN 1868-6311

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To link to this item DOI: 10.1515/applirev-2013-0007

Abstract/Summary

Many researchers have tried to assess the number of words adults know. A general conclusion which emerges from such studies is that vocabularies of English monolingual adults are very large with considerable variation. This variation is important given that the vocabulary size of schoolchildren in the early years of school is thought to materially affect subsequent educational attainment. The data is difficult to interpret, however, because of the different methodologies which researchers use. The study in this paper uses the frequency-based vocabulary size test from Goulden et al (1990) and investigates the vocabulary knowledge of undergraduates in three British universities. The results suggest that monolingual speaker vocabulary sizes may be much smaller than is generally thought with far less variation than is usually reported. An average figure of about 10,000 English words families emerges for entrants to university. This figure suggests that many students must struggle with the comprehension of university level texts.

Item Type:Article
Refereed:Yes
Divisions:Arts, Humanities and Social Science > Institute of Education > Language and Literacy in Education
ID Code:29879
Uncontrolled Keywords:vocabulary size, receptive vocabulary, vocabulary testing, academic achievement
Publisher:De Gruyter
Publisher Statement:The final publication is available at www.degruyter.com
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