Abstract
The current study examined the predictive roles of L2 vocabulary knowledge and L2 word reading skills in explaining individual differences in lexical inferencing in the L2. Participants were 53 Israeli high school students who emigrated from the former Soviet Union, and spoke Russian as an L1 and Hebrew as an L2. L2 vocabulary knowledge and decoding accuracy predicted L2 reading comprehension, which in turn was strongly related to lexical inferencing abilities in the L2. In addition, decoding accuracy predicted additional variance in lexical inferencing, beyond the role of reading comprehension. These findings support the idea that beginning L2 readers with more precise and efficient lexical representations demonstrate better lexical inferencing abilities, most likely due to the increased automatization of word reading, which frees up resources for higher level processing. These results suggest that lexical inferencing from text in the L2 might be limited not only by vocabulary knowledge and higher order comprehension processes, but also by basic decoding skills.
Similar content being viewed by others
Notes
Additional measures were collected from participants but not analyzed in the context of the current study. These include RAN and WM measures in Hebrew and Russian as well as single word decoding in Russian.
References
Anglin, J. M. (1993). Vocabulary development: A morphological analysis. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, Serial No. 238, 58.
Arden-Close, C. (1993). NNS reader strategies for inferring the meaning of unknown words. Reading in a Foreign Language, 9, 867–893.
Bensoussan, M., & Laufer, B. (1984). Lexical guessing in context in EFL reading comprehension. Journal of Research in Reading, 7, 15–32.
Biemiller, A. (2005). Size and sequence in vocabulary development: Implications for choosing words for primary grade vocabulary instruction. In E. H. Hiebert & M. L. Kamil (Eds.), Teaching and learning vocabulary: Bringing research to practice (pp. 223–242). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Biemiller, A., & Boote, C. (2006). An effective method for building meaning vocabulary in primary grades. Journal of Educational Psychology, 98(1), 44–62.
Cain, K., & Oakhill, J. V. (1999). Inference making and its relation to comprehension failure. Reading and Writing, 11, 489–503.
Cain, K., Oakhill, J. V., & Elbro, C. (2003). The ability to learn new word meanings from context by school-age children with and without language comprehension difficulties. Journal of Child Language, 30, 681–694.
Cain, K., Oakhill, J. V., & Lemmon, K. (2004). Individual differences in the inference of word meanings from context: The influence of reading comprehension, vocabulary knowledge, and memory capacity. Journal of Educational Psychology, 96(4), 671–681.
Daneman, M., & Green, I. (1986). Individual differences in comprehending and producing words in context. Journal of Memory and Language, 25, 1–18.
de Bot, K., Paribakht, T. S., & Wesche, M. B. (1997). Toward a lexical processing model for the study of second language vocabulary acquisition: Evidence from ESL reading. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 19, 309–329.
Dupuy, B. S., & Krashen, S. D. (1993). Incidental vocabulary acquisition in French as a foreign language. Applied Language Learning, 4, 55–63.
Even Shoshan, A. (2009). Even Shoshan Hebrew dictionary. Jerusalem: Hamilon Hachadash.
Frost, R., Siegelman, N., Narkiss, A., & Afek, L. (2013). What predicts successful literacy acquisition in a second language? Psychological Science, 24, 1243–1252.
Gass, S. (1999). Incidental vocabulary learning. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 21, 319–333.
Geva, E. (2006). Second-language oral proficiency and second-language literacy. In D. August & T. Shanahan (Eds.), Developing literacy in second-language learners: Report of the national literacy panel on language-minority children and youth (pp. 123–141). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Geva, E., & Farnia, F. (2012). Developmental changes in the nature of language proficiency and reading fluency paint a more complex view of reading comprehension in ELL and EL1. Reading and Writing, 25, 1819–1845.
Gottardo, A., & Mueller, J. (2009). Are first- and second-language factors related in predicting second-language reading comprehension? A study of Spanish-speaking children acquiring English as a second language from first to second Grade. Journal of Educational Psychology, 101, 330–344.
Gough, P. B., & Tunmer, W. E. (1986). Decoding, reading, and reading disability. Remedial and Special Education, 7, 6–10.
Graves, M. F. (1987). The roles of instruction in fostering vocabulary development. In M. G. McKoewn & M. E. Curtis (Eds.), The nature of vocabulary acquisition (pp. 165–184). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Haastrup, K. (1991). Lexical inferencing procedures or talking about words: Receptive procedures in foreign language learning with special reference to English. Tubingen: Gunter Narr.
Haynes, M. (1993). Patterns and perils of guessing in second language reading. In T. Huckin, M. Haynes, & J. Coady (Eds.), Second language reading and vocabulary learning (pp. 130–152). Norwood, NJ: Ablex.
Haynes, M., & Baker, I. (1993). American and Chinese readers learning from lexical familiarizations in English text. In T. Huckin, M. Haynes, & J. Coady (Eds.), Second language reading and vocabulary learning (pp. 130–152). Norwood, NJ: Ablex.
Hirsch, E. D. (2003). Reading comprehension requires knowledge of words and the world. American Federation of Teachers, 44, 1–28.
Hoover, W. A., & Gough, P. B. (1990). The simple view of reading. Reading and Writing, 2, 127–160.
Huckin, T., & Bloch, J. (1993). Strategies for inferring word meaning in context: A cognitive model. In T. Huckin, M. Haynes, & J. Coady (Eds.), Second language reading and vocabulary learning (pp. 153–179). Norwood, NJ: Ablex.
Huckin, T., & Coady, J. (1999). Incidental vocabulary acquisition in a second language: A review. In M. Wesche & T. S. Paribakht (Eds.), Incidental L2 vocabulary acquisition: Theory, current research and instructional implications. Special issue: Studies in second language acquisition, (Vol. 21, pp. 195–224).
Hulstijn, J. (2003). Incidental and intentional learning. In D. Doughty & T. Long (Eds.), The handbook of second language acquisition (pp. 348–381). Oxford: Blackwell.
Hulstijn, J., Hollander, M., & Greidanus, T. (1996). Incidental vocabulary learning by advanced foreign language students: The influence of marginal glosses, dictionary use, and reoccurrence of unknown words. Modern Language Journal, 80, 327–339.
Kirby, J. R., & Savage, R. S. (2008). Can the simple view deal with the complexities of reading? Literacy, 42, 75–82.
Knight, S. (1994). Dictionary use while reading: The effects on comprehension and vocabulary acquisition for students of different verbal abilities. Modern Language Journal, 78, 99–285.
Landauer, T. K., & Dumais, S. T. (1997). A solution to Plato’s problem: The latent semantic analysis theory of acquisition, induction, and representation of knowledge. Psychological Review, 104, 211–240.
Landi, N. (2010). An examination of the relationship between reading comprehension, higher-level and lower-level reading sub-skills in adults. Reading and Writing, 23, 701–717.
Laufer, B. (2001). Reading, word-focused activities and incidental vocabulary acquisition in second language. Prospect, 16, 44–54.
Leikin, M., Share, D., & Schwartz, M. (2005). Difficulties in L2 Hebrew reading in Russian-speaking second graders. Reading and Writing, 18, 455–472.
Lesaux, N. K., Crosson, A. C., Kieffer, M. J., & Pierce, M. (2010). Uneven profiles: Language minority learners’ word reading vocabulary, and reading comprehension skills. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 31, 475–483.
Lesaux, N. K., & Kieffer, M. J. (2010). Exploring sources of reading comprehension difficulties among language minority learners and their classmates in early adolescence. American Educational Research Journal, 47, 596–632.
McKeown, M. G., & Beck, I. L. (2004). Direct and rich vocabulary instruction. In J. F. Baumann & E. J. Kame’enui (Eds.), Vocabulary instruction (pp. 13–27). New York, NY: Guilford Press.
Meytzav Reading Comprehension Test for 8th Grade. (2005). Israeli Ministry of Education, Sports, and culture.
Nagy, W., Anderson, R. C., & Herman, P. A. (1987). Learning word meanings from context during normal reading. American Educational Research Journal, 24, 237–270.
Nagy, W. E., & Scott, J. A. (2001). Vocabulary processes. In M. L. Kamil, P. B. Mosenthal, P. D. Pearson, & R. Barr (Eds.), Handbook of reading research (Vol. 3, pp. 269–284). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Nassaji, H. (2004). The relationship between depth of vocabulary knowledge and L2 learners’ lexical inferencing strategy use and success. The Canadian Modern Language Review, 61, 107–134.
Nation, P. (1997). The language learning benefits of extensive reading. The Language Teacher, 21, 13–16.
Nation, P. (2001). Learning vocabulary in another language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Nicholson, T., & Whyte, B. (1992). Matthew effects in learning new words while listening to stories. In C. K. Kinzer & D. J. Leu (Eds.), Literacy research, theory, and practice: Views from many perspectives: Forty first yearbook of the National Reading Conference (pp. 499–503). Chicago: National Reading Conference.
Paribakht, T. S., & Wesche, M. (1999). Reading and “incidental” L2 vocabulary acquisition: An introspective study of lexical inferencing. In M. Wesche & T. S. Paribakht (Eds.), Incidental L2 vocabulary acquisition: Theory, current research and instructional implications. Special Issue: Studies in second language acquisition, (Vol. 21, pp. 195–224).
Parry, K. (1993). Too many words: Learning the vocabulary of an academic subject. In T. Huckin, M. Haynes, & J. Coady (Eds.), Second language reading and vocabulary learning (pp. 109–129). Norwood, NJ: Ablex.
Pasquarella, A., Gottardo, A., & Grant, A. (2012). Comparing factors related to reading comprehension in adolescents who speak English as first (L1) or second (L2) language. Scientific Studies of Reading, 16, 475–503.
Penno, J. F., Wilkinson, I. A. G., & Moore, D. W. (2002). Vocabulary acquisition from teacher explanation and repeated listening to stories: Do they overcome the Matthew effect? Journal of Educational Psychology, 94, 23–33.
Perfetti, C. A. (2007). Reading ability: Lexical quality to comprehension. Scientific Studies of Reading, 11(4), 357–383.
Pulido, D. (2003). Modeling the role of second language proficiency and topic familiarity in second language incidental vocabulary acquisition through reading. Language Learning, 53, 233–284.
Pulido, D. (2007). The relationship between text comprehension and second language incidental vocabulary acquisition: A matter of topic familiarity? Language Learning, 57, 155–199.
Raven, J., Raven, J. C., & Court, J. H. (1976). Standard progressive matrices: Sets A, B, C, D & E. Oxford: Oxford Psychologists Press.
Ravid, D., & Schiff, R. (2006). Roots and patterns in Hebrew language development: Evidence from written morphological analogies. Reading and Writing, 19, 789–818.
Ricketts, J., Bishop, D. V. M., Pimperton, H., & Nation, K. (2011). The role of self teaching in learning orthographic and semantic aspects of new words. Scientific Studies of Reading, 15, 47–70.
Seipel, B. E. (2011). The role of implicit learning in incidental vocabulary acquisition while reading. Unpublished Dissertation, University of Minnesota, MN.
Shany, M., Zieger, T., & Ravid, D. (2001). The development and validation of assessment tools for basic reading and writing processes: Findings on the functioning of normal readers in different grades and applications for evaluation processes in readers with difficulties. Script: Literacy Research Theory, and Practice, 2, 167–203.
Shefelbine, J. L. (1990). Student factors related to variability in learning word meanings from contest. Journal of Literacy Research, 22, 171–197.
Shimron, J., & Sivan, T. (1994). Reading proficiency in L1 and L2: A comparison of reading in Hebrew and English. Studies in Education, 59(60), 391–402.
Solberg, S., & Nevo, B. (1979). Preliminary steps towards an Israeli standardization of the Peabody Test. Megamot, 3, 407–413. (in Hebrew).
Sparks, R. L., & Ganschow, L. (2001). Aptitude for learning a foreign language. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 21, 90–111.
Sparks, R. L., Patton, J., Ganschow, L., & Humbach, N. (2009). Long-term crosslinguistic transfer of skills from L1 to L2. Language Learning, 59, 203–243.
Sternberg, R. J. (1987). Most vocabulary is learned from context. In M. G. McKeown & M. E. Curtis (Eds.), The nature of vocabulary acquisition. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Swanborn, M. S. L., & de Glopper, K. (1999). Incidental word-learning while reading: A meta-analysis. Review of Educational Research, 69, 261–285.
Tilstra, J., McMaster, K., Van den Broek, P., Kendeou, P., & Rapp, D. (2009). Simple but complex: Components of the simple view of reading across grade levels. Journal of Research in Reading, 32, 383–401.
Van Gelderen, A. V., Shoonn, R. D., de Gloper, K., & Hulstijn, J. (2007). Development of adolescent reading comprehension in L1 and L2: A longitudinal analysis of constituent components. Journal of Educational Psychology, 99, 477–491.
Vellutino, F. R., Tunmer, W. E., Jaccard, J. J., & Chen, R. (2007). Components of reading ability: Multivariate evidence for a convergent skills model of reading development. Scientific Studies of Reading, 11, 3–32.
Webb, S. (2007). The effects of repetition on vocabulary knowledge. Applied Linguistics, 28, 46–65.
Wesche, M. B., & Paribakht, T. S. (2010). Lexical inferencing in first and second language: Cross linguistic dimensions. Tonawanda, NY: Multilingual Matters.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Appendix: Sample story
Appendix: Sample story
Everyone says that 13-year-old Alon is a “born actor.” His parents say that even when he was 2 years old, he would stand at the table at family events and entertain the audience. When a theater department was opened at the performing arts school, it was clear that Alon would be the first to sign up for it. The theater class puts on shows twice a year. In preparation for the show, many rehearsals are held in the afternoons as well, and students spend a lot of time working on the sets and the characters’ costumes. For the first role he played, Alon had to find a shofter. Alon asked friends and neighbors if any of them had a shofter and explained that he needed a shofter because he was playing the role of an old man who has trouble keeping stable while walking. When he did not find what he was looking for, Alon had an idea—he went to the retirement home near his house and asked if they could help him out. The retirement home staff was happy to help him and promised to come see the play.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Prior, A., Goldina, A., Shany, M. et al. Lexical inference in L2: predictive roles of vocabulary knowledge and reading skill beyond reading comprehension. Read Writ 27, 1467–1484 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-014-9501-8
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-014-9501-8