This study seeks to explore the washback effect of the Malaysian University English Test (MUET), a high-stakes compulsory university entry test in the context of Malaysia. As simple and linear as it commonly appears, washback has been found to be far more complex than simply looking at the impact that a test might or might not have on the stakeholders. Therefore, this study aims to fill in this knowledge gap by systematically re-examining the beliefs on washback by investigating the relationship between the students’ perceptions of the MUET in terms of its importance and difficulty, with their language learning strategies whilst preparing for the test and after sitting the test. Using a mixed methods approach, a student questionnaire and student interview were utilised to elicit data from 30 male and 46 female students. The students were further divided into two groups, specifically those who were preparing for the MUET and those who had already sat the MUET. The findings suggest that preparing for the MUET encouraged the students to utilise a certain language learning strategy more compared to the others, specifically focusing on language skills that had not been formally tested before. Although the students’ perception did not significantly shape the students’ course of action when preparing for the test, it still had an impact on their overall view of the whole test-taking matter. This study is intended to add more insights to the less explored areas of washback, specifically the students’ perceptions and washback over time.

Acquiring adequate vocabulary knowledge is necessary for English language learners in order to be able to function effectively using the language. The study investigated the English language receptive vocabulary knowledge among Malaysian undergraduates in terms of word levels. The Vocabulary Levels Test (VLT) by Schmitt et al., (2001) was employed in order to assess the students’ receptive vocabulary knowledge at five different word levels. The result reveals majority of the students are weak in terms of their receptive vocabulary knowledge and most of them failed to reach the mastery level for all the five word levels; 40 (57%) of the students do not master the 2000 word level, 58 (83%) of the students do not master the 3000 word level, 65 (93%) of the students do not master the 5000 word level, 70 (100%) of the students do not master the 10000 word level and 65 (93%) of the students do not master the academic word level. The findings were useful insights on the English language receptive vocabulary knowledge among Malaysian university students in terms of word levels.

The current literature review of second-language learning (SLL) views second-language (L2) development as a complex system comprised of ecological interactions between multi-faceted agents that fluctuate over time, in constantly changing environments. This concept is in contrast with two dominant theories that have framed many existing studies in the field of SLL: the cognitive theory that sees cognition as the nucleus of SLL, and the socio-cultural theory that maintains that SLL occurs as a result of social and cultural forces. However, little research has been done to explore the dynamic nature of SLL in a deeply comprehensive manner, in order to explain the phenomenon. Therefore, this study aims to fill this gap of knowledge via a detailed investigation of how Business students at a Malaysian public university developed their English-speaking abilities in an L2 classroom context. A group of 31 undergraduate Business students (30 females and one male), as well as their English teacher, were involved in this case study, collecting data through classroom observations, interviews, a survey, as well as relevant curriculum documents, including academic records. The findings from the qualitative analysis via a unique model proposed in the study, based on a socio-cognitive theory, have revealed that learning to speak English is a complex process involving the ongoing physiological activities of adaptation and alignment. The notion of co-dependency exists between individual learners and their physical and conceptual resources, constituted in the social environment of the classroom, in order to perform the appropriate learning actions.

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One of the challenges for undergraduate students is coping with the demand for English language use at universities. Generally, vocabulary knowledge of learners affects how well learners can function in the language, whereby better vocabulary attainment enables more effective use of the language. Thus, it is vital to understand the vocabulary ability of university students to ensure that their overall English language proficiency could be enhanced. This study explores the receptive vocabulary profile of 35 novice business undergraduates at a public university in Malaysia. The profile was explored in terms of size and level. Two tests were administered -- the Vocabulary Size Test (Nation & Beglar, 2007) and Vocabulary Levels Test (Schmitt, Schmitt, & Clapham, 2001). In terms of size, the results indicate the average was 2971 word families (the maximum known was 3800). This is in line with their vocabulary level which reveals 97% of the students did not reach the mastery level of 3000 word family level i.e. have not acquired adequate vocabulary to be able to use the language. The study offers insights into the profile of receptive vocabulary of novice undergraduate students which could be used to enhance vocabulary teaching and learning at universities.   Keywords: Business undergraduates, receptive vocabulary profile, vocabulary level, vocabulary size, word families   Cite as: Lateh, N. H. M., Shamsudin, S., & Abdul Raof, A. H. (2019). English language receptive vocabulary profile: A case of novice business undergraduate students. Journal of Nusantara Studies, 4(2), 29-44. http://dx.doi.org/10.24200/jonus.vol4iss2pp29-44