Appendix A: Receptive Vocabulary Test

Thank you for participating in this research project. The aim of this part of the project is to discover
international students and EFL learners' receptive vocabulary of the most frequent academic lexis in
TESOL literature. As such, it entails a multiple choice test of the 40 most common academic words
found in published TESOL research articles.

Name:

TESOL Qualification (State the degree currently studying):

Assessment Questions

The assessment consists of 40 multiple choice questions. Read each question carefully and select the
correct option by ticking the relevant check box. Do not use dictionaries or any other aids to answer
the questions.

1. "The analysis of the 20 videos created by the students revealed a range of quality in their work."
Which option offers a synonym for "range?"

diversity
similarity
limitation

extension

2. "This study reveals how homepages are shaped by social factors." Which option offers the most
appropriate definition of "factors?"

direct interference that determines a result

an influence that contributes to a result

an influence irrelevant to a result

an influence that contaminates a result

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 .

3. " Language such as English are inevitable tied to British or US culture.” Which option offers the
most appropriate definition of “culture?”

the gross domestic product and gross national product of a particular nation

the patents and copyrights granted to a particular person, organisation or corporation

the familial connections and customs of a particular band or tribe

the ideas, arts, artefacts, customs and social behaviour of a particular group or society

4. "The criteria for selecting episodes for analysis were that they were typical of the routines
observed." Which option is a synonym for "analysis?

exclusion
examination

elaboration
extemporization

5. "In order to serve as a positive role model for students, it is essential that EFL teachers will be
willing to take risks in the target language." Which option offers the most appropriate synonym
for "positive?"

affirmative
opposing

partial
reluctant

6. "It is strongly recommended that teachers reinforce target language use." Which option offers
the most suitable definition for "target?”

a suggestion
a possibility
a theory

an objective

7. "A review of literature was conducted to explore strategies and techniques." Which option
offers a synonym for "conducted?"

undertaken
delegated

identified
expected

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 .
8. "Classroom tasks tend to focus on top-down rather than bottom-up processing." Which option
offers a definition for "focus?"

to concentrate on
to include in

to exclude from
to elaborate on

9. "The findings indicate that adult EFL learners have developed distinct attitudes towards L1
and L2 reading." Which option offers the most appropriate synonym for "attitudes" in the
previous sentence?

qualifications

perspectives
experiences

knowledge

10. "It is suggested that social interaction is of major importance in developing language
capacity." Which option offers a definition of "interaction?"

unilateral action

bilateral inaction
unreciprocated action

reciprocal action

11. "There is a need to improve elicitation methods so as to avoid misinterpretation of

responses." Which option offers the most appropriate definition of "method?”

a theory informing how to accomplish something

a textbook outlining how to accomplish something

a particular procedure or framework for accomplishing something

a general intuition informing how to accomplish something

12. "The two participants taught students with similar English proficiency levels." Which option
offers a synonym for "similar?"

disparate

comparable
appropriate

contrasting

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 .
13. "A focus on language forms in the context of communication may promote learning in that the
forms may be easier to recall when encountered in similar contexts." Which option offers a
synonym for "context" in the sentence above?"

situation
vocabulary

textbook
viewpoint

14. "It is by understanding the learning process that educators can find ways to improve the
effectiveness of teaching." Which option provides the most appropriate definition of
"process?"

a number of learning objectives in the curriculum

a range of existing critical thinking skills

a detailed marking rubric

a series of goal-oriented actions

15. "Many of the ESL textbooks identified contain stories about the experiences of new
immigrants." Which option offers the most appropriate synonym for "identified?" .

overlooked

analysed
implemented

discussed

16. "The study found that the participants were above the mean on the reading comprehension
section in the IELTS Reading Test." Which option is a synonym for "section?"

component
instruction
method
system

17. "The findings indicate that teachers give differential attention to lexical items." Which
options offers the most appropriate definition for "item" in the sentence above?
an implicit theme

an entire text
a global idea

a specific component

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 .

18. "Hereby it will be argued that teacher research will be advantageous in examining classroom
reality over research conducted by outsiders." Which option offers a definition of "research?"

a casual observation

a summary of personal reflections

a collection of photographic documents

a systematic investigation

19. "L1 readers become able to transfer their L1 reading ability to L2 texts." What is the most
appropriate definition of "transfer" in the previous sentence?

to apply existing skills to a different situation

to learn new skills to replace existing skills

to apply existing skills incorrectly in a new situation

to stop using existing skills in a new context

20. "The primary data were the blog posts produced by students." Which option offers a definition
of "data?"

calendar dates
personal details

evidence for analysis

online software

21. "Interaction with mentors was perceived by novice teachers as useful for professional
development." Which option offers the most appropriate definition of "professional?"

requiring extensive training and formal qualifications

requiring prior work experience and common sense

requiring research experience and a Ph.D.
requiring basic skills and a high school certificate

22. "Professional expertise is partially a matter of achieving the goals of a specific professional
community." Which option offers a synonym for "specific?"

common

general
particular

obscure

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 .

23. "The training programme involved strategy application practice and self-evaluation of their use of
the strategy." Which option offers a synonym for "evaluation?"

implementation

judgment
analysis

description

24. "The findings indicate that the lexical load of text produced for children is similar to that of text
intended for older learners." Which option offers the most appropriate definition of "text" in the
sentence above?

a written work

an artwork
a digital publication

a debate

25. "The interview focussed on identifying events relevant to the construction of his learner
identity." Which option offers a synonym for "relevant?"

unexpected
immaterial
applicable
contrary

26. "Awareness has been raised by exploring how gatekeepers influence the content of texts within
specific discourse communities." What is the meaning of "awareness" in the previous sentence?

explanations on how to do something

ability to perform a specific task

knowledge of a particular practice

frameworks informing daily practice

27. "Publishing provides an opportunity to have their voices heard by an international community of
teachers." What is the meaning of "community" in the previous sentence?

education

scholarship
association

corporation

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 .
28. "The transmission approach to pedagogy involves giving rather than negotiating or constructing
information." Which option offers the most appropriate definition of "approach" in the
previous sentence?

a general philosophy of teaching and learning

a set of instructions for teaching and learning

a delineated theory of teaching and learning

a personal opinion of teaching and learning

29. "Philosophical discussion has the power to enhance students' communication skills and
thinking abilities." What is the meaning of "communication" in the sentence above?

conversation
interpretation

analysis
argumentation

30. "There are constraints on oral L2 development which may arise from learner internal
individual differences." What is the meaning of "individual" in the previous sentence?

relating to a particular group

relating to a particular person

relating to important matters

relating to general matters

31. "There is evidence that students benefit from instruction that suits their preferences."
What is the meaning of "evidence" in the previous sentence?

proof
opinion

hearsay
literature

32. "There are two key issues that require further discussion." Which option offers a synonym
for "issues?"

problems
options

requirements
possibilities

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 .

33. "This paper reports on an investigation into the effect of pair work on a word-building task."
Which option offers the most appropriate definition of "task" in the sentence above?"

obligation

pastime
assessment

activity

34. "Gender is a significant influence on the data." Which option offers a synonym for
"significant?"

negligible

meaningless
neutral
important

35. "We observed how a learner noticed and analysed the generic features of
discipline-specific texts." Which option offers a synonym for "features?”

choices

ideologies
themes

characteristics

36. "We consider methods conducted in previous studies." Which option offers a synonym for
"previous?"

positive
prevalent

pertaining
prior

37. "Teachers play an influential role in learners' behaviour in the classroom." Which option
offers the most appropriate synonym for "role" in the previous sentence?

satirisation

function
obligation

characterisation

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 .

38. "Less proficient language learners may have to make greater use of repair strategies when
in non-L1-speaking contexts." Which option offers a definition for "strategy?"

a deliberate technique

a natural ability
a mandatory policy

a predetermined schedule

39. "The findings demonstrate that errors can be viewed as occupying various positions on the
lexico-grammatical continuum." Which option offers the most appropriate definition of
"errors" in the previous sentence?

a personal opinion

a systematic mistake
a subconscious attitude
a culture-specific language feature

40. "In academic contexts, the ability to write from sources is highly valued." Which option is a
synonym for "academic?"

scholarly
professional

vocational

paralegal

Thank you for your participation!

A copy of the answer key can be requested from gmvdw067@uowmail.edu.au

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 Appendix B: Consent Form

EDGT991 – Researching TESOL Perspectives and Practices

The student researcher has provided me with information regarding the data collection that is
required for a mini-research project for the Subject EDGT991 – Researching TESOL Perspectives and
Practices, which is part of the Master of Education (TESOL), provided by Dr Mark Fraser at University
of Wollongong.

I understand that if I consent to participate:

 the data from the receptive vocabulary test will be reported and discussed in the research
article required to pass the subject,
 the data from the text provided by you will be reported and discussed in the research article
required to pass the subject, and
 the statements made during the interview will be recorded and sequentially reported and
discussed in the research article required to pass the subject.

I understand the purposes of this research, as outlined in the research proposal provided. I understand
that I will be provided with a pseudonym and my real name will not be disclosed at any time. I
understand that my participation is voluntary and can be withdrawn at any time for any reason. I
understand that there is no financial incentive for my participation. I can ask any questions about my
participation, the research, or the data and will be provided with a copy of the final draft version of
the research report before its submission. I understand that I am invited to verify the accuracy, add
further information and/or clarifications to the interview data as presented in the final draft report.

If I have any concerns or complaints in regards to how my data has been collected or how the interview
was conducted, I can contact Dr Mark Fraser, Lecturer of the subject EDGT991, University of
Wollongong.

By signing below, I consent to participate in this mini-research project conducted by student

researcher Gijsbertha M. van de Water.

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By signing this document, I acknowledge that I have read and understood the reasons for my
contribution, i.e. data collection and sequential interview, and I agree, as a volunteer, that data
collected can be used anonymously in the student interviewer's academic assignment.

Participant:
Name: (Please print full name in block letters)

Signature:

Date:

Student Researcher:
Name: (Please print full name in block letters)

Signature:

Date:

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 Appendix C: Interview Questions

LEARNER HISTORY

1. Did you study English at primary/secondary/tertiary levels?

2. What was the nature and language of your Bachelors/Master’s degree? Where were these

degrees conducted?

3. Did you attend an EAP college or private tuition?

4. How did you study vocabulary at school and university?

5. Did you conduct extensive reading projects?

6. Has your vocabulary learning changed over the years?

RECEPTIVE VOCABULARY TEST

7. What is your impression of the vocabulary test?

8. Do you feel you knew the test items?

9. Do you feel that the questions revealed the correct answer?

10. Do you feel that the stems were authentic?

11. Did you encounter unfamiliar word? What do you do in these instances?

PRODUCTIVE VOCABULARY

12. Do you still actively learn vocabulary?

13. What motivates you to learn vocabulary?

14. Do you undertake vocabulary awareness activities?

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 15. Do you conduct genre studies?

16. Do you do any rote learning of vocabulary?

17. What is the relationship between your teaching practice and vocabulary learning?

18. Do you feel that your vocabulary knowledge expands or consolidates through teaching?

19. Do you think that being in an Anglophone context has an influence on vocabulary

knowledge?

20. Do you receive literacy support as part of the Ph.D. programme?

21. How do you determine the language of a text you write?

22. What do you pay attention to when proofreading and editing?

23. Do you use any software to assist with word choice, e.g. to find

synonyms/antonyms/collocations?

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 Appendix D: The 50 Most Frequent AWL Items in TRAC

Item Occurrence Item Occurrence

1 research 849 26 methods 192
2 data 641 27 factor 181
3 analysis 518 28 section 178
4 text 501 29 identified 175
5 academic 497 30 positive 170
6 communication 362 31 features 164
7 task 354 32 qualitative 159
8 strategies 352 33 awareness 158
9 found 341 34 errors 156
10 target 328 35 attitudes 156
11 specific 311 36 legal 152
12 community 307 37 range 147
13 context 299 38 issues 140
14 focus 289 39 interaction 135
15 process 287 40 previous 134
16 professional 280 41 evident 131
17 role 275 42 motive 128
18 items 274 43 conducted 125
19 individual 264 44 topic 124
20 transfer 257 45 relevant 121
21 significant 254 46 evaluation 119
22 instruction 237 47 resource 113
23 culture 232 48 project 113
24 approach 215 49 acquire 113
25 similar 193 50 authors 110

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