Mastery sentences: A window into the interplay between word knowledge types

Abstract

This study investigates students’ productive knowledge of high-frequency vocabulary using a word knowledge framework. A sample of more than 300 written ”mastery sentences” was analyzed and coded for errors made at the meaning level of the target word, as well at the usage level. These sentences were categorized into three groups, based on students’ English proficiency, which roughly translates to low-to-mid A2, mid-to-high A2, and low B1 on the Common European Framework of Reference. Preliminary findings indicate that while word knowledge at the meaning level improves with proficiency, knowledge at the usage level appears to plateau once students reach a mid-level of proficiency. Further investigation as to why this may be the case indicates that although higher level students tend to make roughly an equal number of grammatical and collocation-type mistakes compared to their mid-level counterparts, they do so in attempts to use richer, less frequent vocabulary in their mastery sentences. These preliminary findings suggest that, in the spirit of mastery, students may be making more errors as they test the limits of newly acquired vocabulary. Future research will further investigate this hypothesis.