Lexical Coverage and Reading Comprehension Revisited
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| Title: | Lexical Coverage and Reading Comprehension Revisited |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Stuart Webb, Ana Pellicer-Sánchez, Andi Wang |
| Source: | Reading in a Foreign Language. 2025 37(1). |
| Availability: | National Foreign Language Resource Center at University of Hawaii. 1859 East-West Road #106, Honolulu, HI 96822. e-mail: readfl@hawaii.edu; Web site: https://nflrc.hawaii.edu/rfl/ |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 21 |
| Publication Date: | 2025 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research Tests/Questionnaires |
| Education Level: | Higher Education Postsecondary Education |
| Descriptors: | Reading Comprehension, Vocabulary, Difficulty Level, English (Second Language), Second Language Learning, Scores, Reading Tests, Graduate Students, Foreign Countries |
| Geographic Terms: | United Kingdom |
| DOI: | 10.64152/10125/67517 |
| ISSN: | 1539-0578 |
| Abstract: | The present study is a partial replication of the most widely cited study of lexical coverage and reading comprehension by Hu and Nation (2000). Ninety-four advanced L2 learners read a short story at one of 90%, 95%, 98%, and 100% lexical coverage and then completed a 14-item reading comprehension test. The results showed that although comprehension scores did tend to increase from 90% to 100% coverage, there were no statistically significant differences in comprehension scores between those who read the text with 90%, 95%, and 98% lexical coverage. Participants who read the text with 100% coverage did have significantly higher scores than those who read it at 90% and 95% coverage. The results also revealed that lexical coverage and perceived difficulty both have a role in predicting comprehension scores, but the amount of variation explained is small (11% and 8%, respectively). |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2025 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1486674 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | The present study is a partial replication of the most widely cited study of lexical coverage and reading comprehension by Hu and Nation (2000). Ninety-four advanced L2 learners read a short story at one of 90%, 95%, 98%, and 100% lexical coverage and then completed a 14-item reading comprehension test. The results showed that although comprehension scores did tend to increase from 90% to 100% coverage, there were no statistically significant differences in comprehension scores between those who read the text with 90%, 95%, and 98% lexical coverage. Participants who read the text with 100% coverage did have significantly higher scores than those who read it at 90% and 95% coverage. The results also revealed that lexical coverage and perceived difficulty both have a role in predicting comprehension scores, but the amount of variation explained is small (11% and 8%, respectively). |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 1539-0578 |
| DOI: | 10.64152/10125/67517 |
