Abstract
Arabic is understudied in second-language research (L2) and lacks rapid and adequate tools for measuring proficiency. Drawing inspiration from LexTALE and its extensions, this study created and validated a quick receptive vocabulary size test to estimate L2 Arabic proficiency. In Experiment 1, the initial version of LexArabic was designed and evaluated with 192 L1 and L2 speakers. Item analysis using point-biserial correlations and item response theory (IRT) was conducted to refine the test, resulting in a final version with 90 items (60 words, 30 nonwords). Experiment 2 assessed LexArabic reliability, validity, and accuracy using a new group of 260 L1 and L2 speakers. The validity of LexArabic was evaluated through objective tasks (a general Arabic proficiency test, L1 to L2 translation task, L2 to L1 translation task) as well as subjective tasks (self-rated proficiency). Results showed that LexArabic demonstrated good reliability (α > 90), validity (correlation with two objective tasks and one subjective task), as well as accuracy (AUC value = .88). The introduction of LexArabic has the potential to facilitate experimental research on both L1 and L2 Arabic speakers and contributes to the development of standardized L2 proficiency assessment across languages.
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Data Availability
Data and analysis codes are available upon request.
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Acknowledgements
I would like to thank the very kind and generous people who helped me in data collection: Layan Alrasheed, Bushra Alzahrani, Fatima Aldijani, and Aljowhara for L1 data collection, as well as Hassan Abu Almukrim and Ibrahim Alansari for L2 data collection. I thank the reviewers for their very helpful and insightful comments and suggestions.
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Appendix
Appendix
LexArabic: test instructions and items
التعليمات
ستقرأ تسعين كلمة في الاختبار. بعض هذه الكلمات هي كلمات عربية حقيقية والبعض الآخر كلمات تم تركيبها لتبدو وكأنها
كلمات حقيقية. فضلاً اختر الكلمات التي تعرفها أو تستطيع استخدامها. قم بالاختيار بوضع علامة صح بجانب الكلمة.
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الاجابة الخاطئة في الاختبار ٌستنقص من درجتك ولهذا فضلاً لا تختر الكلمات التي لا تعرفها. ضع علامة صح بجانب الكلمات التي تعرفها فحسب.
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الرجاء إكمال الاختبار بمفردك.
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الرجاء عدم استخدام القاموس.
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مدة الاختبار غير محددة
n | Word | Word_type |
|---|---|---|
1 | تقوية | Word |
2 | متعمد | Word |
3 | ارتشف | Word |
4 | انتكاسة | Word |
5 | مؤجل | Word |
6 | متسق | Word |
7 | انعقاد | Word |
8 | تكاتف | Word |
9 | منزوي | Word |
10 | مفخخ | Word |
11 | تدنيس | Word |
12 | تكييف | Word |
13 | صحوق | Nonword |
14 | مواذد | Nonword |
15 | جثدية | Nonword |
16 | خزاكين | Nonword |
17 | تسويع | Nonword |
18 | كتاسية | Nonword |
19 | صديد | Word |
20 | خصام | Word |
21 | تفريغ | Word |
22 | عتيد | Word |
23 | ممانعة | Word |
24 | تقصي | Word |
25 | سامق | Word |
26 | لاعب | Word |
27 | جلجلة | Word |
28 | متناحرة | Word |
29 | تزحزح | Word |
30 | مستعر | Word |
31 | تغفيش | Nonword |
32 | تزذير | Nonword |
33 | فتراف | Nonword |
34 | ثموح | Nonword |
35 | فسغالي | Nonword |
36 | سالضين | Nonword |
37 | استهل | Word |
38 | جعجع | Word |
39 | كبح | Word |
40 | مقاضاة | Word |
41 | أعفر | Word |
42 | خشونة | Word |
43 | طغى | Word |
44 | دبيب | Word |
45 | زورق | Word |
46 | سؤدد | Word |
47 | واقي | Word |
48 | كفكف | Word |
49 | طعاكة | Nonword |
50 | متغقتة | Nonword |
51 | هارخة | Nonword |
52 | خسم | Nonword |
53 | ممتخثين | Nonword |
54 | خادثي | Nonword |
55 | استوضح | Word |
56 | صياغة | Word |
57 | عصف | Word |
58 | احتجاج | Word |
59 | أمة | Word |
60 | وهج | Word |
61 | مخلب | Word |
62 | مهشم | Word |
63 | جثمان | Word |
64 | طعم | Word |
65 | اعتناق | Word |
66 | صيرورة | Word |
67 | تهاعب | Nonword |
68 | تمغيل | Nonword |
69 | إشطاقات | Nonword |
70 | مسضون | Nonword |
71 | سكيم | Nonword |
72 | ضماع | Nonword |
73 | تنويه | Word |
74 | تزييف | Word |
75 | مزاولة | Word |
76 | متزمت | Word |
77 | عقاب | Word |
78 | اجتثاث | Word |
79 | مسجى | Word |
80 | فظاظة | Word |
81 | وجنة | Word |
82 | ترهل | Word |
83 | لاذع | Word |
84 | تناغم | Word |
85 | مؤشغات | Nonword |
86 | مشجكة | Nonword |
87 | جاشوزة | Nonword |
88 | أعفام | Nonword |
89 | أرضلة | Nonword |
90 | متحغر | Nonword |
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Alzahrani, A. LexArabic: A receptive vocabulary size test to estimate Arabic proficiency. Behav Res (2023). https://doi.org/10.3758/s13428-023-02286-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/s13428-023-02286-z