Evaluating the roles of breadth and depth of aural vocabulary knowledge in listening comprehension of EFL learners: An investigation applying auditory measures

The present study evaluates the relationship between aural vocabulary knowledge and listening comprehension in English as a foreign language (EFL), which is under-researched. In particular, the study has a focus on the importance of the phonological properties of vocabulary knowledge to detect the role of vocabulary knowledge in listening comprehension among 137 EFL learners in China. A newly developed auditory version of Vocabulary Levels Test (VLT) (Schmitt, Schmitt, & Clapham, 2001) and the Word Associates Test (WAT) (Read, 1998) were adopted in the study. A TOEFL listening subtest was used to measure the EFL learners’ listening performance. Biovariate correlations and hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to examine the associations between listening performance and aural vocabulary knowledge encompassing both breadth and depth dimensions. It was found that aural vocabulary knowledge plays a crucial role in listening performance. The breadth of aural vocabulary knowledge appears to be a more significant predictor of listening performance than the depth of vocabulary knowledge. These findings highlight the role of the aural dimensions of vocabulary knowledge in determining listening success. Specifically, it draws our attention to the contribution of aural vocabulary knowledge to the quality of listening comprehension.