Measuring the vocabulary Size of EFL Learners in Sudanese Secondary Schools

Abstract

This study aims at evaluating Sudanese EFL Secondary School students' performance on Paul Nation's Standardized vocabulary level tests. It also aims at examining the vocabulary size of Sudanese Secondary School students at Shendi Locality. Paul Nation's Vocabulary Levels Test (VLT). The study sample was selected from Shendi secondary schools (i.e. Abdullah Alhassan model secondary school for boys ,Kamil Ibrahim model secondary school for girls, ShendiAhlia for boys ,Qurish secondary school for girls and others. The study came out with the following results: Sudanese Secondary school students' vocabulary size word test falls within 1,000 frequency level, indicating that students are unable to gasp an average text. Sudanese Secondary School students who obtained higher marks in 1,000-word level also obtained higher marks in 2,000 –word level and vice versa. These results confirmed the high correlation between the two tests. Moreover, in Paul Nation's Vocabulary Levels Test (VLT) the more words Sudanese Secondary school students know, the better score his/her four skills. To most secondary school teachers as well as students, English grammar is the focus on their teaching and learning, not the vocabulary. The most important recommendation of this study is to use Pual Nation′s Vocabulary level test (VLT) in secondary level as a tool to assess students′ vocabulary size.