The Gap between Receptive and Productive Vocabulary and Vocabulary Learning Strategies

The main aim of the present study is to investigate if there are vocabulary learning strategies that are related to the size of gap between EFL learners’ receptive and productive vocabulary. Fifty-one Korean college students majoring in English took the receptive and productive vocabulary size tests at 5000 word level and responded to a vocabulary learning strategy questionnaire. The results showed that: 1) the participants’ productive vocabulary size was smaller than their receptive vocabulary size; 2) the participants frequently used vocabulary learning strategies that are cognitively easier to process, such as verbal and written repetition of word forms; and 3) the participants with a smaller gap between receptive and productive vocabulary sizes more frequently used the following three strategies: ‘conversing with native speakers,’ ‘using new words in English conversation,’ and ‘using English-language media.’ It was suggested that these results indicate the importance of interactive output and context-based media input in narrowing the gap between receptive and productive vocabulary sizes.