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Título: Breadth and depth of English vocabulary knowledge : which really matters in the academic reading performance of Chinese university students?
Autores: Huang, Hsing-Fei, 1979-
Fecha: 2006
Publicador: McGill University - MCGILL
Fuente:
Tipo: Electronic Thesis or Dissertation
Tema: English language -- Study and teaching -- Chinese speakers.
Descripción: This study explored the relationship between vocabulary size (i.e., breadth of knowledge), depth of vocabulary knowledge, and reading comprehension of Chinese-speaking ESL (English as a second language) university students in Canada. Both aspects of vocabulary knowledge, breadth and depth, continue to play roles in vocabulary research. Few studies, however, have focused on which aspect plays the predominant role in L2 reading. Using three language tests---the GRE (Graduate Record Examinations) for reading comprehension, Nation's (1990) Vocabulary Levels Test, and Read's (1998) Word Associates Test---and verbal reports, the general purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between vocabulary knowledge and reading comprehension, and the specific focus was to find out which aspect of vocabulary knowledge, breadth or depth, has greater impact on determining reading comprehension performance. The results demonstrate that (1) test scores on vocabulary size, depth of vocabulary knowledge, and reading comprehension are positively correlated, (2) vocabulary size is a stronger predictor of reading comprehension than depth of vocabulary knowledge, and (3) breadth and depth of vocabulary knowledge are closely interrelated and mutually facilitative. The findings suggest the importance of vocabulary size in reading comprehension for the population tested.
Idioma: en