The Influence of Grit on L2 Learners’ Vocabulary Learning Strategies and Receptive Vocabulary Acquisition

Language serves as a crucial medium for human communication, with vocabulary being a fundamental component. In second language acquisition (SLA), the relationship between learners' grit and their vocabulary learning strategies has garnered increasing attention. Grit, particularly its influence on strategy choice, may significantly impact vocabulary acquisition outcomes. Although existing researches have touched upon the role of grit in SLA, there is a notable gap in understanding how grit levels affect learners' strategies for receptive vocabulary learning, especially in reading tasks. This study addresses this gap by investigating the mechanism through which grit influences strategy selection and receptive vocabulary acquisition. The study was conducted through examining 88 English major students in China, by employing Alamer’s Second Language Grit Scale, Gu’s Vocabulary Learning Strategies Questionnaire, and Nation’s Vocabulary Size Test. Data were analyzed using SPSS 23.0. The findings reveal that students with higher grit levels, particularly in perseverance of effort, tend to achieve superior vocabulary size scores. Moreover, grit significantly affects the selection and application of vocabulary learning strategies, with meta-cognitive strategy and other strategies, like rehearsal, encoding, and activation showing a positive correlation with vocabulary acquisition.