The relationship between L2 grit and vocabulary knowledge in first-year Moroccan university students

Abstract

The present study aimed at examining the role of L2 grit in the vocabulary knowledge of English major freshmen in Morocco. A hypothesized model was specified in which two correlated factors of L2 grit, namely perseverance of efforts (PE) and consistency of interest (CI), contribute to vocabulary knowledge measured in terms of vocabulary size, associations, and collocations. This model was tested against data collected from 157 first-year university students. The L2 Grit Scale was used to measure students' PE and CI in language learning. The Yes/No test was used to estimate the vocabulary size of the participants across the most frequent 5000 words in English. The Word Association Test and COLLEX Test were employed to tap into students' depth of vocabulary knowledge. The assessment of the validity of the constructs indicated that the two correlated-factor model of L2 grit was acceptable, while a single-factor model of vocabulary knowledge construct excellently fit the data. Concerning the role of L2 grit, the estimates showed that both factors, PE and CI, statistically significantly contributed to students’ vocabulary knowledge. To this end, recommendations were suggested to encourage the exploration of L2 grit in the realm of language learning, specifically vocabulary learning.