The impact of vocabulary knowledge on reading, writing and proficiency scores of b2.2 level Turkish students: A study with Anadolu University English Prep-School students

This study is an attempt to clarify the incremental and multidimensional nature of foreign language vocabulary development and its relation to the participants' reading and writing performance and general language ability of English as a foreign language (EFL). With this principle aim, the current study investigated the relationship between the receptive and productive vocabulary knowledge, the relationship between receptive vocabulary knowledge and reading performance and the relationship between productive vocabulary knowledge and writing performance using their scores on vocabulary knowledge tests, a reading exam and a writing exam. Additionally, the lexical level of the compositions written by the participants and its relation to their productive vocabulary knowledge and the impact of both receptive and productive vocabulary knowledge on the participants' general language ability of EFL were also examined. 175 B2.2 level prep-school students studying at Anadolu University School of Foreign Languages, Eskişehir, Turkey participated in the study. The results revealed that the students' receptive vocabulary knowledge was larger than their productive vocabulary knowledge. It was also found that the contribution of vocabulary knowledge to the foreign language performances of reading, writing and proficiency was significant. Moreover, according to the Lexical Frequency Profile results, the lexical level of the student essays and the students' productive vocabulary knowledge were significantly related. Hence, by looking at the overall results of the present study, it might be suggested that vocabulary awareness should be created for foreign language students in their language learning process. Keywords: receptive vocabulary knowledge, productive vocabulary knowledge, lexical level, lexical frequency profile, reading, writing, proficiency