Profiling Receptive and Productive English Polysemous Phrasal Verbs among Thai EFL High School Learners

Abstract

Vocabulary has long been a concern for English learners and researchers since it plays a vital role in the use of languages. To use a language naturally in context and communicate effectively, learners need to be familiar with phrasal verbs, which are a part of vocabulary. Therefore, this study investigated Thai high school learners’ receptive and productive knowledge of English polysemous phrasal verbs. Two hundred eighty-six Thai EFL high school learners participated in the study. These participants were aged 16-18 and were in grades ten-twelve at a public school. All participants were given four different tests. Three measures of polysemous phrasal verbs were developed and validated to assess the learners’ receptive and productive knowledge of polysemous phrasal verbs. The other was used to measure their vocabulary size. The data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics, including t-tests, ANOVA and correlational and regression analyses. The study results indicated that Thai EFL high school learners had intermediate knowledge of English polysemous phrasal verbs. The receptive knowledge test scored higher than the controlled and free productive knowledge tests. Furthermore, the findings demonstrated a positive relationship between vocabulary size and English polysemous phrasal verb knowledge receptively and productively. The correlation analysis also revealed that several dimensions of English polysemous phrasal verb knowledge were interrelated. Overall, this study provides empirical evidence that English polysemous phrasal verb knowledge of Thai EFL learners develops along the receptive and productive continuum. This study also indicates that polysemous phrasal verbs are multidimensional and incremental. Future research would benefit from longitudinal studies with different L1 and education levels.

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