Abstract:

It is common practise to assess vocabulary through multiple choice and matching tasks. While these tasks may appear to be a straightforward test of vocabulary, many factors contribute to students perceptions of difficulty, which in turn may influence performance. This study aims to identify factors which influence student perceptions of difficulty through a questionnaire which measures students’ perceptions of difficulty related to the test taker factors. The study, set in an EAP context, deals specifically with academic vocabulary, which presents challenges in terms of word form, multiple meanings, and morphology. The results reveal that neither of  age, length of studying English, or faculty had any effect on guessing the meaning and the perception of difficulty in vocabulary tests; however, gender is a factor at the perception of difficulty.

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