This study attempts to gain a deeper understanding of Thai EFL university learners’ vocabulary sizes and lexical collocations, both receptively and productively, and determine whether there is a significant relationship between them. Two hundred forty-two students majoring in English in the first and fourth years participated in this study. Four measures were used to assess the participants’ receptive and productive knowledge of vocabulary sizes and lexical collocations. The data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The results showed that Thai university learners achieved significantly higher performance on receptive knowledge than productive knowledge, both in the tests of vocabulary sizes and lexical collocations. Besides, the fourth-year learners outperformed the first-year learners in all tests. The analysis of these findings revealed the degrees of learning in both vocabularies and collocations. Like vocabularies, receptive knowledge of collocational knowledge is easier to acquire than productive knowledge. The correlational analysis of the findings also revealed a positive relationship between participants’ vocabulary sizes and collocational knowledge. Together, the current results indicate that the gain in Thai university learners’ receptive and productive knowledge of lexical collocations fosters their vocabulary sizes and vice versa. Therefore, such findings highlight the roles of lexical collocations in fostering vocabulary learning and growth.

lexical collocations, receptive knowledge, productive knowledge, Thai university learners, Vocabulary sizes

Al-Masrai, A., & Milton, J. (2012). The Vocabulary Knowledge of University Students in Saudi Arabia. TESOL Arabia Perspectives, 19(03), 13-19.

Alharbi, J. (2021). Vocabulary Knowledge among English Majors in a Saudi Arabia University. Technium Social Sciences Journal, 24, 169-184.

Alqarni, I.R. (2018). Saudi EFL Majors’ Productive Vocabulary Size. King Khalid University Journal for Humanities, 5(02), 71-92.

Beglar, D. (2010). A Rasch-based validation of the vocabulary size test. Language Testing, 27 (1), 101-118.

Begagić, M. (2014). English language students’ productive and receptive knowledge of collocations. Explorations in English Language and Linguistics, 2(1), 46-67.

Benson, E., Benson, M., & Ilson, R. F. (2010). The BBI Dictionary of English Word Combinations. Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing Company.

Bergström, K. (2008). Vocabulary and receptive knowledge of English collocations among Swedish upper secondary school students. Master Thesis. Stockholm University, Stockholm, Switzerland.

Boonyasaquan, S. (2006). The lexical approach: An emphasis on collocations. MANUTSAT PARITAT: Journal of Humanities, 28(1), 98-108.

Brashi, A. (2009). Collocability as a problem in L2 production. Reflections on English Language Teaching, 8(1), 21-34.

Chorbwhan, R., & McLellan, J. (2016). First Language Transfer and the Acquisition of English Collocations by Thai Learners. Southeast Asia: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 16, 16-27.

Daskalovska, N. (2016). Acquisition of three-word knowledge aspects through reading. The Journal of Educational Research, 109(01), 68-80.

ERTÜRK, Z.O. (2021). Factors Affecting Receptive and Productive Knowledge Of Collocations Of Tertiary Level Learners Of English In Turkey. Doctor Thesis, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey.

Hayashi, Y., & Murphy, V. (2011). An investigation of morphological awareness in Japanese learners of English. Language Learning Journal, 39(1), 105-120.

Henriksen, B. (1999). Three Dimensions of Vocabulary Development. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 21, 301-317.

Jeensuk, S., & Sukying, A. (2021a). An Investigation of High School EFL Learners’ Knowledge of English Collocations. Journal of Applied Linguistics and Language Research, 8(1), 90-106.

Jeensuk, S., & Sukying, A. (2021b). Receptive and Productive Knowledge of English Collocations among Thai EFL High School Learners. Journal of Humanities & Social Science, 19(01), 159-180.

Kadlecova, D. (2014). L2 collocations and the L2 mental lexicon. Master Thesis. Utrecht University, Utrecht, Holland.

Kotchana, S., & Tongpoon-Patanasorn, A. (2015). EFL learners’ vocabulary size: A case in the northeastern region of Thailand. ASEAN Journal of Education, 1(1), 9-26.

Laufer, B. (1998). The Development of Passive and Active Vocabulary in a Second Language: Same or Different. Applied Linguistics, 19(2), 255-271.

Laufer, B., & Nation, P. (1999). Vocabulary size and use: Lexical richness in L2 written production. Applied Linguistics, 16(3), 307-322.

Laufer, B., & Goldstein, Z. (2004). Testing Vocabulary Knowledge: Size, Strength, and Computer Adaptiveness. Language Learning: A Journal of Research in Language Studies, 54(3), 399-436.

McCarthy, M., & O’Dell, F. (2017). English Collocations in Use. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Meara, P., & Fitzpatrick. T. (2000). Lex 30: An improved method of assessing productive vocabulary in an L2. System, 28, 19-30.

Mungkonwong, P., & Wudthayagorn, J. (2017). An Investigation of Vocabulary Size of Thai Freshmen and Its Relationship to Years of English Study. LEARN Journal Language Institute Thammasat University, 10(2), 1–9.

Nation, LS.P. (2013). Learning Vocabulary in Another Language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Nesselhauf, N. (2003). The Use of Collocation by Advanced Learners of English and Some Implications for Teaching. Applied Linguistics, 24(2), 223-242.

Nontasee, W., & Sukying, A. (2021a). The Acquisition of Vocabulary Knowledge in Thai EFL High School Students. Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 6(01), 63-87.

Nontasee, W., & Sukying, A. (2021b). The learnability of word knowledge aspects in Thai EFL high school learners. Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies, 17(1), 34-55.

Noom-ura, S. (2013). English teaching problems and teachers’ needs for professional development. The 33rd Annual Thailand TESOL International Conference, 93-120.

Phoocharoensil, S. (2013). Cross-linguistic Influence: Its Impact on L2 English Collocation Production. English Language Teaching, 6(01), 1-10.

Read, J. (1998). Validating a test to measure the depth of vocabulary knowledge. In A. Kunnan (Ed.), Validation in language assessment (pp. 41–60). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

Schmitt, N. (2008). Instructed second language vocabulary learning. Language Teaching Research, 12, 329–363.

Schmitt, N. (2014). Size and Depth of Vocabulary Knowledge: What the Research Shows. A Journal of Research in Language Studies, 913-951.

Schmitt, N., & González-Fernández, B. (2019). Word knowledge: exploring the relationships and order of acquisition of vocabulary knowledge components. Applied Linguistics, 41(04), 481-505.

Schmitt, N., Schmitt, D., & Clapham, C. (2001). Developing and exploring the behavior of two new versions of the Vocabulary Levels Test. Language Testing, 18(1), 55–88.

Shehata, A. (2008). L1 Influence on the Reception and Production of Collocations by Advanced ESL/ EFL Arabic Learners of English. Master thesis, Ohio University, Ohio, America.

Sridhanyarat, K. (2018). Thai Learners’ Acquisition of L2 Collocations: An Interlanguage Perspective. Journal of Language Studies, 18(1), 1-21.

Sukying, A. (2017). The relationship between receptive and productive affix knowledge and vocabulary size in an EFL Context. (Doctoral Dissertation), University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.

Sukying, A. (2018a). Investigating Receptive and Productive Affix Knowledge in EFL learners. Explorations in Second Language Vocabulary Research, 254, 183-218.

Sukying, A. (2018b). The Acquisition of English Affix Knowledge in L2 learners. NIDA Journal of Language and Communication, 23(34), 89-102.

Sukying, A. (2020). Word Knowledge through Morphological Awareness in EFL Learners. TESOL International Journal, 15(01), 74-85.

Sukying, A. (2021). Choices of Language Learning Strategies and English Proficiency of EFL University Learners. LEARN Journal: Language Education and Acquisition Research Network, 14(2), 59-87.

Sukying, A. (2022). A taxonomy of English affix acquisition in EFL learners. In D. Hirsh (Ed.). Research perspectives in language and education (pp. 49-82). Peter Lang.

Thiendathong, P., & Sukying, A. (2021). Vocabulary Learning Strategies Used by Thai High School Students in Science, Language, and English Programs. Arab World English Journal (AWEJ) Volume, 12.

Supasiraprapa, S. (2019). The effect of learning environments on Thai speakers’ English L2 vocabulary depth. PASAA, 57, 101-132.

Talakoob, F., & Koosha, M. (2017). Productive and Receptive Collocational Knowledge of Iranian EFL Learners at Different Proficiency Levels. International Journal of Applied Linguistics & English Literature, 6(07), 11-16.

Wang, Y. (2017). The Analysis of Vocabulary knowledge from the Aspects of Vocabulary Breadth and Vocabulary Depth. Master thesis, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan, China.

Zhang, X., & Sukying. A. (2021). Receptive and Productive Knowledge of Lexical Collocations in Thai University Learners of English. European Journal of English Language Teaching, 6(06), 266-285.