Vocabulary Knowledge and Field Dependence/Independence Cognitive Styles

Subject Areas :

Nassim Golaghaei ¹ , Mortaza Yamini ²

1 - دانشجو
2 - عضو هیات علمی

Received: 2012-12-28 Accepted : 2013-01-22 Published : 2013-03-04

Keywords: GEFT, Keywords: Field dependence, passive vocabulary, active vocabulary,

Abstract :

    Abstract This article is primarily bidirectional in that it is concerned with two fields of cognitive styles of field-dependence/independence on the one hand and breadth of vocabulary knowledge on the other hand. In other words, this research is primarily intended to investigate the nature of the students' vocabulary knowledge in the field of passive and active knowledge of L2 words as a whole with regard to their preferred cognitive style of field –dependency/independency. The research method was that 60 juniors were selected. They were then bisected to two groups on the basis of their preferred cognitive styles of field-dependency / independency. Three types of tests, the passive version of Vocabulary Levels Test, the Productive Version of the Vocabulary Levels Test, and the Group Imbedded Figures Test were administered to a group of 60 undergraduate students majoring in the field of English Language Teaching. The conclusion drawn after the analysis of the data was that the participants in the field-independent group outperformed their field-dependent counterparts dealing with both passive and productive vocabulary levels. Finally, the findings of this research could be interpreted as being supportive of the idea that the field-dependent/independent cognitive style could be considered as an effective factor influencing the learners' vocabulary learning in the field of second language acquisition.

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