The Effects of English as Foreign Language Proficiency on Lexical Retention of Iranian Learners

Subject Areas : Journal of Teaching English Language Studies

Zinat Sha'bani ¹ , Mohammad Taghi Hasani ²

1 - Ph.D, Assistant Professor, Department of English Language and Literature, College of Humanities, Takestan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Takestan, Iran
2 - MA, Department of English Language and Literature, College of Humanities, Takestan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Takestan, Iran

Received: 2016-06-29 Accepted : 2016-08-02 Published : 2016-09-01

Keywords: Proficiency, lexical retention, Nouroz holidays,

Abstract :

This study aimed at investigating the effects of English as foreign language proficiency onlexical attrition of Iranian learners in Nouroz holidays. For this purpose, 90 students studiedEnglish translation at Qazvin Azad University were selected. They were sophomore and wereaccessible for the present study. After administering a proficiency test (OPT), 60 students wereselected according to the result of their OPT test for this study in which 25 students were maleand 35 were female. In Time 1 administration and just before Nouroz vacation, OPT(OxfordPlacement Test) was given to 90 participants to determine their level of proficiency and classifythem into three high, middle, and low groups of proficiency level according to their scores on thetest. Then, the devised test of receptive/productive vocabulary, modeled on The VocabularyLevels Test, was administered to the same participants to measure their acquisition of nounscovered in their Reading Comprehension book. The receptive/productive vocabulary test isadministered independently of the participants' final exam and before it. The results indicatedthat both types of tests were exposed to attrition. The results indicate that both types of tests wereexposed to attrition. Therefore, the hypothesis that both receptive and productive wordknowledge of learned vocabularies are more prone to attrition rather than retention after Englishdisuse by Iranian learners over Nouroz vacation is confirmed.

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