Exploring the Relationship Between Language Aptitude, Vocabulary Size, and EFL Graduate Students’ L2 Writing Performance

A study on the relationship between language aptitude, vocabulary size, working memory, and L2 writing accuracy

“…It is believed that L2 learners who exhibit excellent inductive abilities and higher grammatical sensitivity would do better in grammatical decoding and content organization, while learners who exhibit greater phonetic coding ability seem to excel in spelling and produce accurate writing output (Kormos, 2012). While the literature is filled with studies on the factors that influence the writing process (Kormos, 2012; Yang et al, 2019), working memory (WM) has received little attention in L2 writing studies (Kormos, 2012; Mavrou, 2017). D'Mello and Mills (2014) stated that WM's interaction with other variables tends to influence the writing output.…”

“…As L2 writing requires allocation of cognitive resources at each step of the writing process (utilizing the long‐term memory to retrieve vocabulary and syntactical items and further revising the accuracy of how they have been used in their specific contexts by subconsciously or consciously retrieving grammatical knowledge), ID in the usage of cognitive abilities may lead to variation in learners’ performance and engagement in writing tasks (Kellogg, 1996). While a number of studies such as Bacsa and Csíkos (2016), Wang (2019), and Yang et al (2019) have examined the role of ID in various language skills, Kormos (2012) asserted that L2 writing has not been investigated thoroughly and he stipulates “little is known about how learners’ differences affect L2 writing processes, the quality of the written text produced, the way L2 learning skills are acquired, and the extent to which learners can learn about the target language through writing” (p. 390). Therefore, building on the proposition given by Kormos (2012) and Yang et al (2019), the current study is set to investigate how WM, vocabulary size, and LA affect learners' L2 writing performance.…”

“…While a number of studies such as Bacsa and Csíkos (2016), Wang (2019), and Yang et al (2019) have examined the role of ID in various language skills, Kormos (2012) asserted that L2 writing has not been investigated thoroughly and he stipulates “little is known about how learners’ differences affect L2 writing processes, the quality of the written text produced, the way L2 learning skills are acquired, and the extent to which learners can learn about the target language through writing” (p. 390). Therefore, building on the proposition given by Kormos (2012) and Yang et al (2019), the current study is set to investigate how WM, vocabulary size, and LA affect learners' L2 writing performance.…”

English Students’ Vocabulary Size and Level at a Private University in West Java, Indonesia

“…Besides, the tests can also be used as a tool for teachers to monitor the growth of learners' vocabulary, evaluate the success of a program to reach its objectives, and know the right language learning instruction, materials, and curricula for the students (Beglar, 2010). Also, the result of vocabulary size and level can be used to envisage the students' reading comprehension ability (Laufer, 1997;Qian, 2002), writing quality (Llach & Gallego, 2009;Schoonen et al, 2011;Yang et al, 2019). The research of Alavi and Akbarian (2012) shows that the students' vocabulary level can inform teachers about the students' Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) performance specifically for guessing vocabulary, completing required detail, and mentioning the main idea of the text.…”

“…Gibriel (2017) has found that the second and the fourth semester Egyptian English as Foreign Language (EFL) students, respectively, know approximately 6.751 and 7.566 word-families. In China, the research result of Yang et al (2019) shows that Chinese graduate students averagely know 7.274,75 wordfamilies. Ozturk (2016) has examined the receptive vocabulary growth of 174 English language learners who have studied at an English Program at a university in Turkey by using VST.…”