Productive Vocabulary Competency of Hong Kong ESL Students and Mainland EFL Students

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Asian Journal of English Language Teaching ›› 2024, Vol. 33 ›› Issue (1) : 87-108.

Research Articles

Productive Vocabulary Competency of Hong Kong ESL Students and Mainland EFL Students

Pui Lun CHOW

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This study investigates the productive vocabulary knowledge of post-secondary associate degree students in Hong Kong and mainland China. Participants' productive vocabulary proficiency and lexical richness were analyzed using AntWordProfiler. The texts were compared to two-word lists: the New General Service List (NGSL) and the Academic Word List (AWL). The research also aims to explore the correlation between productive vocabulary proficiency and English language policy in the respective contexts of teaching English as a second language (ESL) in Hong Kong and teaching English as a foreign language (EFL) in mainland China. The findings challenge the assumption that years of ESL experience predict productive vocabulary competency, as extensive ESL learning histories did not result in higher lexical variation. This calls into question the input-proficiency assumption underlying many ESL pedagogical models. To address these issues, the study recommends an eclectic approach that integrates a Focus on Form (FonF) vocabulary training within an incidental approach, known as the incidental FonF approach. This approach combines incidental vocabulary learning with targeted exercises that employ diverse vocabulary learning strategies, aiming to enhance cognitive effort and engage- ment for effective vocabulary acquisition. The study contributes to the under- standing of productive vocabulary proficiency and provides insights for vocabu- lary teaching and learning in ESL and EFL contexts.

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Pui Lun CHOW. Productive Vocabulary Competency of Hong Kong ESL Students and Mainland EFL Students[J]. Asian Journal of English Language Teaching. 2024, 33(1): 87-108

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