The Polish Vocabulary Size Test: A Novel Adaptive Test for Receptive Vocabulary Assessment

TL;DR

The Polish Vocabulary Size Test (PVST) is an innovative adaptive assessment tool that accurately measures receptive vocabulary size in Polish speakers using IRT and CAT, validated through a large pilot study.

Contribution

This paper introduces the PVST, a new adaptive vocabulary test for Polish, utilizing IRT and CAT to improve accuracy and efficiency over traditional methods.

Findings

Native speakers have larger vocabularies than non-native speakers.

Vocabulary size correlates positively with age among native speakers.

PVST is accessible online for widespread use.

Abstract

We present the Polish Vocabulary Size Test (PVST), a novel tool for assessing the receptive vocabulary size of both native and non-native Polish speakers. Based on Item Response Theory and Computerized Adaptive Testing, PVST dynamically adjusts to each test-taker's proficiency level, ensuring high accuracy while keeping the test duration short. To validate the test, a pilot study was conducted with 1.475 participants. Native Polish speakers demonstrated significantly larger vocabularies compared to non-native speakers. For native speakers, vocabulary size showed a strong positive correlation with age. The PVST is available online at myvocab.info/pl.