The Role of Receptive and Productive Forms of Vocabulary Testing in Lexical Diversity and Lexical Cohesion Aspects of L2 Writing
Subject Areas : Journal of Language, Culture, and Translation
Dariush Aliakbari
1
,
Morteza Aslrasouli
2
,
Davud Kuhi
3
1 - Ph.D. Candidate, English Language Department, Maragheh Branch, Islamic Azad University, Maragheh, Iran
2 - Ph.D., English Language Department, Maragheh Branch, Islamic Azad University, Maragheh, Iran
3 - Ph.D., English Language Department, Maragheh Branch, Islamic Azad University, Maragheh, Iran
Keywords: Receptive vocabulary testing, Productive vocabulary testing, Lexical diversity, Lexical cohesion, L2 descriptive writing,
Abstract :
While both reader and text variables are crucial for second language (L2) learners' success, the impact of the latter has been understudied in the literature. This study investigated the distinct roles of receptive and productive vocabulary testing formats in influencing the lexical diversity and lexical cohesion of L2 descriptive writing. Sixty Iranian English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students were randomly assigned to a control group and two experimental groups. Vocabulary knowledge was assessed using Cloze tests (receptive) and C-tests (productive), followed by two descriptive writing tasks evaluated with computational tools. One-way ANOVA revealed that the C-test group produced more lexically cohesive essays, while the Cloze-test group exhibited greater lexical diversity in their descriptions. These findings offer valuable insights for language teachers and curriculum designers, highlighting the potential of incorporating both receptive and productive vocabulary measures to enhance various aspects of L2 writing performance.
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