Possible reasons and strategies for the “Threshold Phenomenon” in free active: evidence from interviews with L2 learners

Free active vocabulary (FAV) is of great significance in second language (L2) learning. To some extent it determines the quality of speaking and writing. Meanwhile, FAV seems to be difficult to be acquired, and the FAV threshold phenomenon has been repeatedly detected in L2 learning. However, possible reasons and effective strategies for the threshold phenomenon were seldom explored. This study investigates students’ consciousness on FAV development, teachers’ guidance on FAV learning, the learning strategies students adopt (if any) to enlarge FAV storage, and the teaching strategies (if any) teachers adopt to assist students’ FAV development. The aim of the study is to find factors in learning and teaching that may affect FAV development, and to find possible ways to facilitate FAV development.