RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN VOCABULARY ACQUISITION AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES AMONG MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS

Abstract

This paper explores the vocabulary acquisition of 143 middle school students from an East Malaysian school, examining its correlation with gender, attitudes, and perceived problems faced in vocabulary learning. Using the Contextualised Word Family (CONTEXTUALISED WORD FAMILY) model, the study tested the effectiveness of explicit vocabulary instruction over 30 sessions. The study utilised a one-group pretest-posttest design, measuring the learners’ vocabulary size through the Productive Vocabulary Levels Test (PVLT) and a questionnaire. The results showed an increase in vocabulary size with no significant difference based on gender, a very weak negative correlation with attitudes towards vocabulary learning, and mostly weak positive but significant relationships with three of the learners’ perceived problems faced in vocabulary learning. This study provides some important pedagogical implications for teacher practice and recommendations for future research.