Iraqi EFL University Students’ Contextual Focus and Vocabulary Proficiency: A Correlational Study

Abstract

The current study investigates the relationship between contextual focus and vocabulary proficiency among Iraqi EFL University students. To this end, a sample of 400 students from different Iraqi universities/colleges of education-English departments were selected randomly during the academic year (2021-2022) as a sample for this study. The participants were administered three instruments: a mode-shifting index to measure contextual focus. Two tests- one for receptive and the other for productive vocabulary knowledge- constitute a comprehensive framework for examining vocabulary proficiency. The study results indicate that Iraqi university students learning English as a foreign language possess a good level of contextual focus and that both variables, the contextual focus and vocabulary proficiency are significantly correlated.