the variability of students’ efl vocabulary knowledge: efl proficiency, type of high school and the length of learning english

The current study aimed to explore receptive and productive vocabulary knowledge among 278 (n = 278) freshmen efl students in bosnia and herzegovina. their vocabulary knowledge was measured by vocabulary levels tests targeting words that belong to 2000, 3000 and 5000 frequency levels. this vocabulary knowledge was assessed in relation to a few factors, namely, the self-rated overall english proficiency, the average efl grade during elementary and high school, the type of high school attended, and the length of formal efl learning. the students achieved much higher scores on the receptive than productive knowledge measure, the former ranging from m = 9.94 to m = 13.95, and the latter from m = 4.45 to m = 8.78, with the gap between receptive and productive scores being the greatest between scores for 3000 frequency level words. the results of manova and anova statistical tests showed that all the aforementioned factors, except for the length of learning english, significantly impacted both receptive and productive efl vocabulary knowledge. this study is expected to significantly contribute to current understanding of efl learning, and vocabulary knowledge development as its integral part, in the global south context. it will offer both students and teachers a valuable assessment of the current situation, along with practical guidelines for further improvement in this respect.