On the Relationships of Iranian EFL Learner’s Crystallized and Fluid Intelligences with their Vocabulary Size
Subject Areas : Journal of Teaching English Language Studies
Samaneh
Maroufolzakerin
1
(English Department,Islamic Azad University,Mashhad,Iran)
Akram
Faravani
2
(English Department,Islamic Azad University,Mashhad,Iran)
Keywords: vocabulary size, Fluid Intelligence (Gf), Crystallized Intelligence (Gc),
Abstract :
The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationships of Iranian EFL Learner’s Crystallized and Fluid Intelligences with their Vocabulary Size. The Participants of the study were 100 male and female learners from Islamic Azad University of Mashhad in TEFL course that are ranged from 20 to 40 years old. To administer the study, an experimental and quantitative analysis was conducted and the relationship between variables was measured using three instruments namely, Baddeley’s (1968) Grammatical reasoning Test for Fluid intelligence, Persian C-Test (2015) for crystalized intelligence, and Nation’s (2012) vocabulary size Test. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 21. First, correlational analyses were conducted to find out correlation coefficients between the variables. Then, multiple coefficient tests were done to find Beta weight of variables. The results obtained from correlational analyses showed that there is a significant relationship between crystallized intelligence and vocabulary size, while there is no significant relationship between learners’ fluid intelligence and their vocabulary size. Besides, regression analyses showed that the model consisting of both crystallized and fluid intelligences explains a small but significant portion (8%) of the variance in vocabulary size. It was also concluded that fluid intelligence does not significantly predict vocabulary size, but crystallized intelligence significantly predicts vocabulary size. The study implies that crystalized intelligence should be considered in language learners’ curriculum to achieve the teaching and learning purposes.
Baghaei, P., & Tabatabaee, M. (2015). The C-Test: An integrative measure of crystallized intelligence. Journal of Intelligence, 3, 46–58.10.3390/jintelligence3020046 [Google Scholar]
Beglar, D. (2010). A Rasch-based validation of the Vocabulary Size Test. Language Testing, 27, 101-118.
Cattell, R.B. (1963). Theory of fluid and crystallized intelligence: Acritical experiment. Journal of Educational Psychology, 54(1), 1-22.
Cattell, R. B. (1971). Abilities: Their structure, growth, and action. Oxford, England: Houghton Mifflin.
Carrell, P. L. & Eisterhold, J.C. 1983. "S cherna theory and ESL reading pedagogy". TESOL Quarterly 18:553-573
Eckes, T., & Baghaei, P. (2015). Using testlet response theory to examine local dependencyin C-Tests. Applied Measurement in Education, 28, 85–98.
Gardner, H. (1983). Frames of Mind. New York: Basic Books
Horn, J. L. Integration of structural and developmental concepts in the theory of fluid and crystallized intelligence.In R. B. Cattell (Ed.), Handbook of Multivariate Experimental Psychology. Rand McNally,Chicago, 1966.
Horn, J. L. Organization of abilities and the development of intelligence. Psychological Review, 1968, 75,
242-259.
Horn, J. L. Organization of data on lifespan development of human abilities. In L. R. Goulet and P. B.
Baltes (Eds.), Lifespan Developmental Psychology. Academic Press, New York, 1970.
Horn, J. L. and Cattell, R. B. Refinement and test of the theory of fluid and crystallized intelligence. Journal of Educational Psychology, 1966, 57, 252-270.
Horn, J. L. and Cattell, R. B. Age differences in fluid and crystallized intelligence. Acta Psychologia, 1967,
26, 107-129.
Nation, I. (2006). How large a vocabulary is needed for reading and listening?. Canadian modern language review, 63(1), 59-82.
Nation, P., & Kyongho, H. (1995). Where would general service vocabulary stop and special purposes vocabulary begin?. System, 23(1), 35-41.
Nation, I. S. (2013). Learning Vocabulary in Another Language Google eBook. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Nation, I. S. P., & Beglar, D. (2007). A vocabulary size test. The language teacher 31(7), 9-13.
Primi, R., Ferrão, M. E., & Almeida, L. S. (2010). Fluid intelligence as a predictor of learning: A longitudinal multilevel approach applied to math. Learning and Individual Differences, 20(5), 446-451.
Kensinger, E. A., & Corkin, S. (2009). Cognition in aging and age related disease. In P. Hof and Ch. Mobbs (Eds.). Handbook of the neuroscience of aging (pp. 249-259). Academin Press.
Laufer, B., & Nation, P. (1999). A vocabulary-size test of controlled productive ability. Language testing, 16(1), 33-51.
Waring, R., & Nation, I.S.P. (1997). Vocabulary size, text coverage and word lists. In: N. Schmitt and M. McCarthy (Eds.), Vocabulary: Description, acquisition and pedagogy (pp. 6-19). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.