Receptive and Productive Arabic Academic Vocabulary Mastery: A Study of Students in Malaysian Public Universities

Abstract

The issue of learning Arabic among university students is closely related to the mastery of Arabic academic vocabulary (AAV). This study aimed to investigate the mastery of the receptive and productive Arabic academic vocabulary amongst Malaysian Public Universities students. 126 Arabic students from 6 public universities have been selected via purposive sampling method. In order to collect the data, researchers used a set of receptive and productive academic vocabulary tests. 50 academic vocabularies have been used from a list of academic vocabulary provided by Davies and Gardner (2013). The research data were analysed using SPSS v25 (Shapiro-Wilk Test, Kruskal-Wallis Test and Post-Hoc Bonferroni Test). The results shows that the productive test scored higher compared to the results of the receptive test. The findings showed that there are significant differences as compared to the findings of previous vocabulary studies where almost all earlier research indicates that receptive test achievement is usually better than productive test achievement. Researchers argue that this is probably due to the more difficult academic vocabulary features, the number of words used in receptive questions is more than productive tests as well as a less effective test formats to be applied to Arabic language learners as foreign languages. Contribution/ Originality:The main finding of this study is that the achievement of productive academic vocabulary is higher than the achievement of receptive vocabulary among students who are learning Arabic as a foreign language. This finding is slightly different from the previous studies conducted among native speaker students. Since academic vocabulary is more technical in nature, it is possible that appropriate test should be used for foreign languages.

Augmented Reality Technology in Learning Arabic Vocabulary from the Perception of University Students

“…This Arabic morphology is important for identifying the root words of Arabic words, including nouns, verbs, and adjectives. This helps students acquire Arabic vocabulary [33] [54]. In addition, knowledge of morphology is significant for students when reading Arabic words without diacritical marks, as it complements their understanding of syntax, sentence structure, and discourse context.…”

“…Furthermore, the vocabulary terms 'receptive' and 'productive,' or better known as 'passive' and 'active' vocabulary, are often spoken according to different aspects [33]. Both terms are related to the primary language skills of reading, listening, speaking, and writing.…”

“…This means that receptive vocabulary knowledge refers to the words that students understand and comprehend when they read or listen to a text. Vocabulary learning is typically presented in a receptive format, where the teacher provides the meaning of the word and uses it in a sentence, but only requires the students to pronounce and spell it [33].…”