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The Relationship between L2 Lexical Knowledge and Phonological Memory in Adult Male and Female EFL Learners at Different Language Proficiency Levels

Author Affiliations

  • 1Department of English Language, College of Foreign Languages, Khorasgan (Isfahan) Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, IRAN

Res. J. Recent Sci., Volume 4, Issue (10), Pages 93-98, October,2 (2015)

Abstract

The current study examined the relationship between phonological memory (PM) and L2 lexical knowledge among male and female adults in an EFL context. The number of participants was 368 (180 males and 188 females). Based upon the scores obtained from the Quick Placement Test, the participants were assigned to three levels of language proficiency, i.e. beginner, lower intermediate, and advanced. PM was measured by nonword repetition (NWRP) and nonword recognition (NWRC) tests, and L2 lexical knowledge was assessed by Vocabulary Levels Test (VLT) in the first week of an intensive six-week English course. Afterward, Pearson correlations were conducted through SPSS 21. The findings showed that adult male/female EFL learners’ L2 lexical knowledge and PM tests were moderately high correlated in the beginning and lower intermediate levels of language proficiency.

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