Vocabulary knowledge and listening comprehension at an intermediate level in English and French as foreign languages

Abstract

Abstract The present study aims to replicate Stæhr’s (2009) study on the relationship between vocabulary knowledge and listening comprehension. To explore the generalizability of Stæhr’s findings, two experiments were conducted. However, the study changed the population (Flemish learners) and proficiency level of the materials in the first experiment (intermediate) and also the language in the second experiment (French). Our results generally confirm Stæhr’s findings. We also found a positive correlation between vocabulary knowledge and listening comprehension. Although our findings reveal that learners probably need fewer words for adequate listening comprehension at an intermediate proficiency level, our study also showed that learners who knew more words had higher listening comprehension scores. Finally, our study seems to suggest that learners might need less lexical coverage for intermediate listening.