Assessing depth of second language vocabulary knowledge : a review of the word associates format

الملخص EN

Abstract.

This article overviews research tackling the assessment of depth of vocabulary knowledge.

It provides a discussion of the operationalization of the construct of word deep knowledge and its assessment.

In particular, the focus is on the employment of the principle of network knowledge to assess second language (L2) depth of vocabulary knowledge.

Addressing the network type of knowledge, the word associates test (WAT) represents the most widely used measure for assessing vocabulary depth.

This review aims to shed some light on the development and ongoing validation process of the WAT.

The article concludes by emphasizing both the multifaceted nature of vocabulary knowledge and the need for considering both the declarative and procedural knowledge when assessing vocabulary depth.