scholarly journals A Study on the Relationship between English Reading Comprehension and English Vocabulary Knowledge

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu-han Ma ◽  
Wen-ying Lin
Keyword(s):  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Word Association ◽  
Attitude Scale ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Vocabulary Size ◽  
Morphological Knowledge ◽  
Relative Contribution ◽  
English Reading

The present study aimed to investigate the overall and relative contribution of four subcomponents of vocabulary knowledge to reading comprehension. The four vocabulary subcomponents were vocabulary size, word association knowledge, collocation knowledge, and morphological knowledge. The participants were 124 college students from a university in Taipei, Taiwan. Six instruments were employed: (1) a reading comprehension test, (2) a vocabulary size test, (3) a test on word association knowledge and collocation knowledge, (4) a test of morphological knowledge, (5) motivation attitude scale, and (6) a self-efficacy scale. The results can be summarized as follows. First, after the effects of motivation and self-efficacy have been controlled, the four vocabulary subcomponents altogether contributed significantly (20%) to reading comprehension performance. Moreover, depth of vocabulary knowledge (including word association knowledge, collocation knowledge, and morphological knowledge) provided an additional explained variance (6%) in reading comprehension performance over and above vocabulary size. Finally, among the three subcomponents of depth of vocabulary knowledge, collocation knowledge explained the most proportion of variance (5.6%) in contributing to performance on reading comprehension. Based on these findings, some implications and suggestions for future research were provided.

scholarly journals Vocabulary Size and Depth of Knowledge: A Study of Bahraini EFL Learners

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 58
Author(s):  
Adel W. Alqallaf ◽  
Madani O. Ahmed
Keyword(s):  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Word Association ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Receptive Vocabulary ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Vocabulary Size ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
University Of Bahrain ◽  
The University ◽  
The Relationship

This study investigates the size and depth of vocabulary knowledge and its relationship to the general language proficiency of EFL learners. The study sample included 120 students from the University of Bahrain. The sample was randomly selected from the student population and split into two groups in terms of their level of English: intermediate and advanced. The study aims to answer four questions: (1) What is the effect of general language proficiency on the sizes of the receptive and productive vocabularies of learners of English at the University of Bahrain? (2) How does general language proficiency affect the depth of vocabulary knowledge of learners of English at the University of Bahrain? (3) What is the relationship between receptive and productive vocabularies and the depth of vocabulary knowledge? and (4) What is the relationship between vocabulary size and the nature of lexical networking? All the students in the sample completed three vocabulary tasks. The first two tasks were Meara and Jones’s Eurocentres Vocabulary Size Test (1990) and Meara and Fitzpatrick’s Lex30 word association task (2000), which were used to measure the sizes of receptive and productive vocabularies. The third task was Gyllstad’s COLLEX test (2007), which was used to investigate the depth of vocabulary knowledge. A quasi-experimental approach was adopted using a quantitative approach to analyze the data. The data of the study were analyzed by comparing the results of the two groups in relation to the three tasks using SPSS 16.0. The findings of the study have revealed that general language proficiency has a positive effect on learners’ receptive vocabulary size, a moderate effect on learners’ productive vocabulary size, and a very low effect on the depth of vocabulary knowledge. In addition, no relationship was shown between the size of vocabulary and the nature of lexical networking. With reference to these results, pedagogical and future research recommendations are made.

Monster, P.I.: Validation Evidence for an Assessment of Adolescent Language That Assesses Vocabulary Knowledge, Morphological Knowledge, and Syntactical Awareness

2020 ◽  
pp. 153450842096638
Author(s):  
Amanda P. Goodwin ◽  
Yaacov Petscher ◽  
Jamie Tock ◽  
Sara McFadden ◽  
Dan Reynolds ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
Eighth Graders ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Hierarchical Regression ◽  
Language Performance ◽  
Morphological Knowledge ◽  
Multiple Group ◽  
Reading Vocabulary ◽  
Middle Schoolers ◽  
Eighth Grade Students

Assessment of language skills for upper elementary and middle schoolers is important due to the strong link between language and reading comprehension. Yet, currently few practical, reliable, valid, and instructionally informative assessments of language exist. This study provides validation evidence for Monster, P.I., which is a gamified, standardized, computer-adaptive assessment (CAT) of language for fifth to eighth grade students. Creating Monster, P.I. involved an assessment of the dimensionality of morphology and vocabulary and an assessment of syntax. Results using multiple-group item response theory (IRT) with 3,214 fifth through eighth graders indicated morphology and vocabulary were best assessed via bifactor models and syntax unidimensionally. Therefore, Monster, P.I. provides scores on three component areas of language (multidimensional morphology and vocabulary and unidimensional syntax) with the goal of informing instruction. Validity results also suggest that Monster, P.I. scores show moderate correlations with each other and with standardized reading vocabulary and reading comprehension assessments. Furthermore, hierarchical regression results suggest an important link between Monster, P.I. and standardized reading comprehension, explaining between 56% and 75% of the variance. Such results indicate that Monster, P.I. can provide meaningful understandings of language performance which can guide instruction that can impact reading comprehension performance.

scholarly journals Morphological Awareness in L2 Chinese Reading Comprehension: Testing of Mediating Routes

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haomin Zhang ◽  
Xing Zhang ◽  
Mengjie Li ◽  
Yiming Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
Word Meaning ◽  
Morphological Awareness ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Chinese Reading ◽  
Morphological Knowledge ◽  
Chinese Learners ◽  
L2 Chinese ◽  
Path Models ◽  
Inference Task

This study aims to examine the contribution of morphological awareness to second language (L2) Chinese reading comprehension through potential mediating factors. Adult L2 Chinese learners (n = 447) participated in the study and completed two morphological awareness tasks (segmentation and discrimination), two vocabulary knowledge tasks (character knowledge and word-meaning knowledge), one lexical inference task, and one reading comprehension task. By testing alternative path models, this study identified the preferred model assuming the covariates of morphological awareness and vocabulary knowledge. Morphological awareness and vocabulary knowledge jointly contributed to L2 Chinese reading comprehension through lexical inference. The written modality of morphological awareness induced the activation of both morphological and orthographic information in print. The result suggests that morphological awareness (in the form of grapho-morphological knowledge) and vocabulary knowledge seem to be two parallel components under the same construct predicting Chinese reading comprehension. More importantly, this study underscores the intermediary effect of lexical inference in associating morphological awareness and reading comprehension in L2 Chinese learners.

scholarly journals Vocabulary profiles and reading comprehension in young bilingual children

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christie Fraser ◽  
Alexandra Gottardo ◽  
Esther Geva
Keyword(s):  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Word Reading ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Learning Ability ◽  
Group Model ◽  
English Reading ◽  
English Reading Comprehension ◽  
L2 Vocabulary ◽  
L1 And L2

Strong vocabulary knowledge is important for success in reading comprehension for English language learners (ELLs). The interplay between first (L1) and second language (L2) vocabulary knowledge in L2 English reading comprehension was examined to determine whether ELLs, whose command of L1 and L2 vocabulary varied across languages, differed in English reading comprehension in grades 2 and 4. ELLs (n = 105) were assigned to a bilingual profile group based on their L1 and L2 vocabulary knowledge and in relation to the sample: L1 dominant (strong L1), L2 dominant (strong L2), high balanced (strong in both), or low balanced (compromised in both). Relationships among L1 and L2 (English) vocabulary, nonverbal cognitive ability, word reading, and reading comprehension in English were examined. Results indicated that reading comprehension was related to bilingual profile, and that a three group model better characterized the sample when compared to the four group model that was initially hypothesized. L1 vocabulary was not uniquely predictive of L2 (English) reading comprehension. L2 vocabulary aligned betterwith reading comprehension concurrently in grade 2, and longitudinally in grade 4. In support of a common underlying cognitive processes perspective, individual differences in learning vocabulary may be a proxy forgeneral language learning ability, which supports reading comprehension.

Morphological Supports: Investigating Differences in How Morphological Knowledge Supports Reading Comprehension for Middle School Students With Limited Reading Vocabulary

2020 ◽  
Vol 51 (3) ◽  
pp. 589-602 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda P. Goodwin ◽  
Yaacov Petscher ◽  
Jamie Tock
Keyword(s):  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Eighth Graders ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
School Students ◽  
Morphological Knowledge ◽  
Moderator Effect ◽  
Reading Vocabulary ◽  
Theory Research ◽  
Morphological Skills

Purpose The current study takes a practical and theoretically grounded look at assessment of morphological knowledge and its potential to deepen understanding of how morphological knowledge supports reading comprehension for students with limited reading vocabulary. Specifically, we explore how different morphological skills support reading comprehension for students with typical reading vocabulary development compared to students with limited reading vocabulary. Method A sample of 1,140 fifth through eighth graders were assessed via a gamified, computer-adaptive measure of language that contained a morphological knowledge assessment. Links to standardized reading comprehension were explored with a focus on determining differences for the 184 students in the sample who showed limited reading vocabulary knowledge. Specifically, multiple regression analyses were used to test for the relation between morphology skills and standardized reading comprehension, as well as the moderator effect of reading vocabulary on the relation between morphological knowledge and standardized reading comprehension. Results Findings indicate that the four instructionally malleable morphological skills identified by the assessment differentially supported reading comprehension. These skills were (a) Morphological Awareness, (b) Syntactic Morphological Knowledge, (c) Semantic Morphological Knowledge, and (d) Phonological/Orthographic Morphological Knowledge. Significant interactions for students with limited reading vocabulary were shown in how the skills of Syntactic Morphological Knowledge, Semantic Morphological Knowledge, and Phonological/Orthographic Morphological Knowledge supported standardized Reading Comprehension. Conclusions Given the challenges students with limited reading vocabulary have with semantic information, Syntactic Morphological Knowledge and Phonological/Orthographic Morphological Knowledge were particularly supportive, suggesting the compensatory role of these morphological skills. In contrast, Semantic Morphological Knowledge had a negative relationship with Reading Comprehension for students with limited reading vocabulary. Implications for theory, research, and practice are discussed.

Investigating the role of vocabulary size in second language speaking ability

2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 540-556 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takumi Uchihara ◽  
Jon Clenton
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Receptive Vocabulary ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Vocabulary Size ◽  
Expert Rating ◽  
L2 Speaking ◽  
Vocabulary Assessment ◽  
L2 Vocabulary

The current study investigates the extent to which receptive vocabulary size test scores can predict second language (L2) speaking ability. Forty-six international students with an advanced level of L2 proficiency completed a receptive vocabulary task (Yes/No test; Meara & Miralpeix, 2017) and a spontaneous speaking task (oral picture narrative). Elicited speech samples were submitted to expert rating based on speakers’ vocabulary features as well as lexical sophistication measures. Results indicate that vocabulary size was significantly associated with vocabulary rating. However, learners with large vocabulary sizes did not necessarily produce lexically sophisticated L2 words during speech. A closer examination of the data reveals complexities regarding the relationship between vocabulary knowledge and speaking. Based on these findings, we explore implications for L2 vocabulary assessment in classroom teaching contexts and provide important suggestions for future research on the vocabulary-and-speaking link.

scholarly journals Analytic relations versus syntagmatic and paradigmatic relations of vocabulary depth knowledge: Their correlation and prediction to academic reading comprehension of EFL learners

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 357-371
Author(s):  
Md Kamrul Hasan ◽  
Mohammad Mosiur Rahman
Keyword(s):  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
English Language ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Outcome Variable ◽  
Unique Contribution ◽  
Proficiency Tests ◽  
Morphological Knowledge ◽  
Academic Reading ◽  
Vocabulary Depth

AbstractThe aims of the study were to examine the correlation and prediction of different dimensions of vocabulary depth knowledge to academic reading comprehension. Students were instructed to take part in four English-language proficiency tests voluntarily. The research was carried out, administering four instruments, word associates test, morphological knowledge test, and analytic relations test to measure the depth of vocabulary knowledge. In addition, a reading comprehension test that consisted of three reading passages by Longman Test of English as a Foreign Language was adopted and administered for the current study. The results highlighted that the analytic (part–whole) relations, which represented the depth of vocabulary knowledge had the highest correlation with academic reading comprehension in comparison with morphological knowledge and combined syntagmatic and paradigmatic relations, which represented word associates test. Of all the three independent variables, analytical relations made the most statistically significant unique contribution to the prediction of the outcome variable compared to word associates test and morphological knowledge. The present study suggests that the depth of vocabulary knowledge would have practical use for students and English teachers at tertiary level and further implications for lexical researchers.

scholarly journals RECEPTIVE VOCABULARY KNOWLEDGE OF UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN CLIL INSTRUCTION

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dilsah Kalay
Keyword(s):  
University Students ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Word Association ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Receptive Vocabulary ◽  
Word Knowledge ◽  
Primary Concern ◽  
Vocabulary Size ◽  
Before And After

Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) has recently attracted the attention of practitioners in the language teaching field. As the name suggests, CLIL is an approach built upon teaching content-based area through a language as a medium. For such a language learning process, one of the important language aspects is vocabulary. The number of words language learners know - vocabulary size - and how well they know those words - vocabulary depth - (overall, the receptive dimension of word knowledge) are crucial foci to consider in language learning. Therefore, the primary concern of the present study is to examine the effects of the CLIL approach on the receptive vocabulary knowledge of university students in a state university. Accordingly, Vocabulary Levels Test (VLT) by Schmitt, Schmitt and Clapham (2001) and Word Association Test (WAT) by Read (2000) are administered to the participants before and after CLIL treatment. The findings indicated that the subjects’ size of vocabulary knowledge has significantly differed with CLIL instruction in time, which means that CLIL instruction has been found to be successful for developing both general and academic vocabulary knowledge. Similarly, an increase in the depth of vocabulary knowledge of participants alongside with the CLIL instruction has been observed, indicating that participants’ quality of vocabulary knowledge evaluated through WAT seems to have improved with CLIL treatment. Further research including less frequent words as well as the productive aspect of word knowledge might shed light on the impacts of CLIL treatment on vocabulary development of language learners, especially university students. <p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0726/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

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