The Relationship Between Depth of Academic English Vocabulary Knowledge and Academic Success of Second Language University Students

Abstract

This study investigates the relationship between depth of academic vocabulary knowledge and academic success among Saudi English-as-a-foreign-language university students. Fifty fourth-year university students majoring in English completed a vocabulary depth test, the Word Associates Test (WAT), based on the Academic Word List (AWL). Then, students’ grade point averages (GPAs) were obtained as a measure of academic success. Furthermore, a vocabulary learning strategy (VLS) questionnaire was administered to explore the students’ use of various VLSs. In addition, two focus group discussions were conducted to elicit participants’ views and experiences of English vocabulary learning. The scores on the WAT were positively correlated (r =.407, p