Türk İngilizce öğretmen adaylarının genel ve akademik sözcük bilgisi yeterliliklerinin ve performanslarının çapraz kesişimli inclemesi

The aim of this study was to evaluate the general and academic lexical competence and performance of Turkish ELT majors at Education Faculty at Anadolu University. On this purpose, building on the collective strengths of theoretical and empirical studies in literature, a tentative dimensional framework of second language general and academic lexical competence and performance was developed for the present study, incorporating the receptive (i.e. size; how many words they know, depth; how well they know) and productive vocabulary knowledge measures (lexical use and lexical diversity).Through multiple test approach, the general and academic lexical competence and performance of 371 students attending to 1st year first semester, 1st year second semester, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th year were investigated in a cross-sectional design. A battery of tests was used for general and academic vocabulary knowledge; Vocabulary Level Test, developed by Schmitt et al (2001) was used to measure the participants? receptive general and academic vocabulary size. Additionally, Word Associates Test (Read, 2000) was given to examine the participants? depth of vocabulary knowledge. To determine the participants? general and academic lexical performance, Vocabprofile and WordSmith Tools analyses were employed on the participants? argumentative essays and the lexical frequency profiles and lexical diversity were obtained. In addition, a Test of Academic Vocabulary was developed on the basis of Academic Word List for further analysis on receptive and productive academic vocabulary.As a result of descriptive analyses, it was found that the ELT majors in this study had large general and academic vocabulary size and depth, which significantly differed in terms of years. However, this vocabulary knowledge appeared to be considerably less in production so it was observed that they could not reflect their receptive vocabulary knowledge in their free production tasks; essay writing.In terms of developmental patterns, the results confirmed the incremental nature of vocabulary learning due to differing developmental routes of each dimension. Some fluctuation in the size, lexical use and diversity were observed owing to the effect of word frequency level (i.e. high, low frequent and academic) and year of education. The sharp increases from the 1st year first semester to 2nd year indicated the effect of their education on the participants? lexical competence and performance. Additionally, the fluctuations at the participants? lexical competence and performance in terms of high and low frequent vocabulary showed the effect of word frequency levels.In the further analysis on the participants? academic lexical competence and performance, it was found that there was a kind of linear development in the size and production of academic vocabulary. Furthermore, the correlation analyses on the sub-dimensions showed that all were interrelated and interdependent. Thus, these results denoted the interdependent developments of the different dimensions of lexical competence and performance.Consequently, Turkish ELT majors? general and academic vocabulary knowledge differed incrementally across the years and their lexical competence (i.e. receptive dimensions) and performance (i.e. productive dimensions) did not follow the same developmental tracks in this study.