Aural vocabulary, orthographic vocabulary, and listening comprehension

Abstract Vocabulary is a key variable to successful listening comprehension. Research has explored the relationship between aural and orthographic vocabularies and listening comprehension. This current study examined the relationships among aural vocabulary, orthographic vocabulary, and listening comprehension within the same Japanese cohort in an integrated manner. The test data of 155 Japanese EFL students, who took identical aural and orthographic vocabulary tests (the listening vocabulary levels test [LVLT] and new vocabulary levels test [NVLT], respectively) and a high-stakes listening test (Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC) for Parts I and II), were analyzed. The results indicated that aural and orthographic vocabulary are closely related but not identical. Moreover, orthographic vocabulary is more connected to the word- and propositional-level understanding of extended texts than to aural vocabulary for the Japanese group. More specifically, the 2,000-word and 4,000-word level and the academic vocabulary of the orthographic vocabulary predicted 27% of the variance of the listening comprehension test performance, whereas only the academic words of the aural vocabulary predicted 8%.