The Relationship between Iranian EFL Learners' Reading Comprehension, Vocabulary Size and Lexical Coverage of the Text: The Case of Narrative and Argumentative Genres
محورهای موضوعی : language teachingنادر اسدی آیدین لو 1 , میترا تقی نژاد 2
1 - Young Researchers and Elite Club, Ahar Branch, Islamic Azad University, Ahar, Iran
2 - Young Researchers and Elite Club, Ahar Branch, Islamic Azad University, Ahar, Iran
کلید واژه: reading comprehension, vocabulary size, lexical coverage, narrative genre, argumentative genre,
چکیده مقاله :
This study explored the relationship between EFL learners’ vocabulary size, lexical coverage of the text and reading comprehension texts (narrative & argumentative genres). To this end, 120 male and female out of 180 students studying at Talesh Azad University were selected based on their performance on the Nelson Proficiency Test. A Nelson reading proficiency test was also administered in order to check the homogeneity of the learners in their reading proficiency. After that, the researcher administered reading comprehension tests with narrative and argumentative genres in order to find the lexical coverage and vocabulary size for such reading tests. Learners' Vocabulary size was measured by the Levels Test, while their lexical coverage was measured by the newest version of Vocabulary Profile. In order to probe any significant relationship between the variables of the study, Pearson Correlationwas run. Results of the study showed that there was a strong relationship among vocabulary size, text coverage, and reading comprehension test at different genres.
این مطالعه به بررسی رابطه بین درک خواندن زبان اموزان ایرانی، میزان دانش واژگانی و پوشش واژگانی متن در ژانرهای روایی و استدلالی می پردازد. بدین منظور 120 دانشجوی مرد و زن بر اساس ازمون نلسون از میان دانشجویان دانشگاه ازادواحد تالش انتخاب شدند. تست نلسون به مظور همگن سازی دانشجویان در مهارت خواندن گرفته شد. سپس محقق دانشجویان را با دو ازمون درک مطلب با ژانرهای استدلالی و روایی از لحاظ دانش واژگانی و پوشش واژگانی درهر متن مورد ارزیابی قرار داد. دانش وازگانی دانشجویان بوسیله لولز تست و پوشش واژگانی متن از طریق جدیدترین نوع پروفایل واژگان مورد اندزه گیری قرار گرفت. به منظور دستیابی به میزان رابطه بین متغیرها رابطه پیرسون مورد استفاده قرار گرفت. نتایج به دست امده از تحلیل ها نشانگر رابطه چشمگیری میان درک مطلب در ژانرهای مختلف , دانش واژگانی و پوشش وازگانی متن بود.
References
Amirian, M. R., Salari, S., and Heshmatifar,Z. (2015). A validation study of the newly-developed version of vocabulary size test for Persian learners. International Journal of Education and Research, 3 (8),
Beglar, H., and Pazhak, K. (2009). Choosing words to teach. In E. H. Hiebert & M. L. Kamil (Eds.), Teaching and learning vocabulary: Bringing research into practice, (pp. 209–222). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Best, R. M., Rowe, M. P., Ozuru, Y., and McNamara, D. S. (2005). Deep-level comprehension of science texts: The role of the reader and the text. Topics in Language Disorders, 25, 65–83.
Bickman, A., and Rog, l. (1998). Size and sequence in vocabulary development. In E. H. Hiebert& M. L. Kamil (Eds.), Teaching and Learning Vocabulary: Bringing research into practice (pp. 223– 242). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Coxhead,A.(2000). A new academic word list. TESOL Quarterly, 34, 213-238.
Farvardin, M.T., and Koosha, M. (2013). The role of vocabulary knowledge in Iranian EFL students’ reading comprehension performance: Breadth or depth? Theory and Practice in Language Studies Journal, 1(11), 1575-1580.
Fitzgerald, J. (2003). Multilingual reading theory. Reading Research Quarterly, 38, 118-122.
Goulden, R.,Nation. P., & Read. J. (1990). How large can a receptive vocabulary be? New York, New Burry: Funk and Wagnall.
Hedin, L. R., and Conderman, G. (2010). Teaching students to comprehend informational text through rereading. The Reading Teacher, 63(7), 556–565.
Hu, M., & Nation, I. S. P. (2000). Unknown vocabulary density and reading comprehension. Reading in a Foreign Language, 13, 403−430.
Laufer, B. & Ravenhorst-Kalvoski, G. (2010). Lexical threshold revisited: Lexical text coverage, learners’ vocabulary size and reading comprehension. Reading in a Foreign Language Journal, 22(1), 15-30.
Nation, I. S. P. (2001). Learning vocabulary in another language. Cambridge: Cambridge.
Nation, I. S. P. (2013). How large a vocabulary is needed for reading and listening? The Canadian Modern Language Review, 63, 59–82.
Nation, I. S. P. (2011). Teaching and learning vocabulary. Boston: Heinle Learning.
Nation, P., & Beglar, D. (2006). A vocabulary size test. The Language Teacher, 31(7), 9–13.
Nation, P., Coxhead, A. & Sim. D. (2015). Measuring the vocabulary size of native speakers of English in New Zealand secondary schools. New Zealand Association for Research in Education.
Rouhi, M., & Mousapour, G. (2013). EFL learners' vocabulary knowledge and its role in their reading comprehension performance. Second and Multiple Language Acquisition Journal, 1(2), 39-48.
Schmitt, N., Jiang, X., & Grabe, W. (2011). The percentage of words known in a text and reading comprehension. The Modern Language Journal, 95(1), 26–43.
Shaywitz, S. (2003). Overcoming dyslexia. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.
Spearritt. D. (1972). Identification of sub-skills of reading comprehension by maximum likelihood factor analysis. New Jersey: Educational Testing Service Princeton.
Stanley, Zh, (1984). The roles of depth and breadth of vocabulary knowledge in EFL reading performance. Asian Social Science Journal, 4(12), 138-142.
