Vocabulary knowledge is a key component for literacy skills as well as the development of communication deemed important for students to succeed in university. Gaining adequate receptive vocabulary knowledge would enhance a university student’s comprehension of academic texts. This descriptive study aims to investigate the receptive vocabulary knowledge among English major university students in Malaysia and Thailand. The sample comprises 80 English major students from Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UniSZA), Malaysia and 86 English major students from Prince Songkla University (PSU), Thailand. A Vocabulary Size Test (VST) adopted from Nation and Beglar was employed to gather the primary data from the respondents about their receptive vocabulary knowledge. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21.0 was used for data analysis. Results showed that, on average, UniSZA students had a higher VST score (44.64%) compared to that of PSU students (20.92%). The higher average score gained by UniSZA students was mainly due to early exposure to formal English education in schools. This study recommends preparing students with explicit academic vocabulary instruction, particularly in the beginning semester of an English programme, to meet the academic and professional needs of English major students in future. Keywords: Receptive vocabulary, productive vocabulary, Vocabulary Size Test (VST), breadth of vocabulary knowledge, depth of vocabulary knowledge.Cite as: Yunus, K., Mohamad, M., & Waelateh, B. (2016). The breadth of receptive vocabulary knowledge among English major university students. Journal of Nusantara Studies, 1(1), 7-17.
This qualitative study aimed to explore the perceptions of 12 international English teachers (from the UK, the USA, Australia, Indonesia, and the Philippines at four universities in Thailand) towards World Englishes (WE), Thai English (TE), and the feasibility of incorporating WE into English language teaching (ELT) classrooms. Based on semi-structured interviews and qualitative content analysis, findings revealed that the participants demonstrated positive views and did not deny the existence of WE and TE, although their rules, vocabularies, pronunciations, and accents diverge from British English (BrE) and American English (AmE). Furthermore, the participants regarded different English varieties as symbols and representations that reflect users’ cultural and national identities. For implementations in ELT, while the majority disapproved, valued unequally, marginalized, and questioned the legitimacy of WE, others viewed that allowing learners to experience English diversity would be a sound preparation for changes in English linguistic landscapes and the realistic use of today’s English.
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