Vocabulary Knowledge and Metacognitive Awareness in L2 Listening: Testing the Core-Peripheral Hypothesis

Abstract

This study tested predictions from Hulstijn’s core-peripheral framework for second-language listening by comparing the relative contributions of vocabulary knowledge and metacognitive awareness among Chinese EFL learners. Participants were 166 third-year English majors with intermediate proficiency (TEM-4 scores 65–75). They completed comprehensive assessments of four vocabulary dimensions: written breadth, written depth, aural breadth, and aural depth. They also completed a measure of metacognitive awareness and a standardized listening test. Hierarchical regression analysis revealed that vocabulary knowledge accounted for the majority of variance in listening. Aural vocabulary measures explained substantial additional variance beyond written measures. By contrast, metacognitive awareness contributed only minimal incremental variance after vocabulary had been entered into the model. Within the vocabulary dimensions, aural depth and aural breadth were the strongest predictors of performance. The coefficients for written measures were markedly reduced once aural measures were statistically controlled. These results support a hierarchical distinction between core and peripheral components. They position vocabulary knowledge, particularly in its aural modality, as foundational to listening success, whereas metacognitive awareness plays a supplementary role that may vary across proficiency levels. The clear superiority of aural over written vocabulary challenges assessment practices that prioritize orthographic knowledge, underscoring the need for modality-specific vocabulary instruction to enhance L2 listening comprehension.