PASAA
Publication Date
2019-01-01
Abstract
Second language (L2) vocabulary depth, or how well learners know an L2 word (e.g., Meara, 1996), is a dimension of vocabulary knowledge that assists in L2 comprehension and production (e.g. Li & Kirby, 2014; Qian, 2002). The current study investigated the effects of two types of English L2 learning environments—formal English classrooms in Thailand and English exposure in an English-speaking country—on adult Thai speakers' (N=29) English vocabulary depth. Participants completed the Word Associates Test (Read, 1998), which measured the depth of their receptive vocabulary knowledge, and an elicitation task which required them to supply English collocations in a given context. Regression results based on both measures suggested that participants' previous length of English education in Thailand did not significantly predict their English vocabulary depth, but their length of stay in the US, which followed their English education in Thailand, significantly predicted the depth. The findings were in line with the theoretical proposals (e.g., Ellis, 2013) and previous empirical results (e.g., Parkinson, 2015) suggesting the superiority of an L2 immersion environment over an environment where an L2 is a foreign language in promoting the depth dimension of L2 word knowledge. Based on the results, pedagogical implications are discussed.
DOI
10.58837/CHULA.PASAA.57.1.5
First Page
101
Last Page
132
Recommended Citation
Supasiraprapa, Sarut
(2019)
"The Effect of Learning Environments on Thai Speakers' English L2 Vocabulary Depth,"
PASAA: Vol. 57:
Iss.
1, Article 5.
DOI: 10.58837/CHULA.PASAA.57.1.5
Available at:
https://digital.car.chula.ac.th/pasaa/vol57/iss1/5