A Study On The Relationship Between Vocabulary Knowledge And Reading Proficiency

The importance of vocabulary knowledge is well-researched for a long time. From a theoretical perspective, vocabulary knowledge is a construct which is broadly considered to comprise of a number of knowledge dimensions (Read,2000). Three dimensions within the construct are generally well-accepted, which can be defined as: vocabulary breadth (or vocabulary size), vocabulary depth and vocabulary fluency (Daller et al.,2007; Milton,2013). Each of these dimensions has a range of associated competencies which exist along a continuum between receptive or productive (Nation, 2000). The complete measurement of vocabulary knowledge makes apparent what it means in fully knowing a word. Besides, it is agreed that vocabulary knowledge is cited as one of the most crucial factors in the development of second language acquisition and language performance (Milton,2013). The relationship between vocabulary knowledge and reading proficiency has been a well-established notion among researchers in the field of foreign language studies. Howe:er, though research studying the relationship between vocabulary knowledge and reading proficiency prospers, they mainly focus on the dimensions of vocabulary siz and vocabulary depth and from the receptive part when it comes to the stud) of vocabulary knowledge. The dimension of vocabulary fluency is the least researcied of the three dimensions of vocabulary knowledge. And productive vocabulary kowledge also receives little attention. The current study tried to study the relation hip between vocabulary knowledge and reading proficiency with a more complete andd rational measurement of different dimensions of vocabulary knowledge.This paper investigated the relationship between different dim(?)sions of vocabulary knowledge (receptive vocabulary size, productive vocabulary size and productive vocabulary fluency) and reading proficiency among 248 Chines(?) college students taking English as a foreign language. Besides, the interrelationship(?) these different dimensions of vocabulary knowledge was also studied. Finally, also studied the extent to which different dimensions of vocabulary knowledge cont(?)uted to the prediction of reading proficiency. Assessment of the receptive vocabulary size largely adopted the Vocabulary Levels Test (VLT) initiated firstly by Nation (1983, 1990). Productive Vocabulary Levels Test (PVLT) was used to measure productive vocabulary size. Productive Vocabulary Fluency (VFT) was assessed with a partial dictation test under time constraint. In order to better fit the subjects’abilities, all target words of the three vocabulary tests were selected from the CET 4 word list. Reading Comprehension (RC) is a modal test of CET4.The research findings revealed the following results:1) The subjects have a good mastery of receptive vocabulary size, but perform less well when it comes to productive vocabulary size and productive vocabulary fluency.2) Comparatively significant correlations can be found between VLT and RC; between PVLT and RC; between VFT and RC with highest one being between PVLT and RC among the correlations. As for the interrelationship of the three dimensions of vocabulary knowledge, the highest correlation existed between PVLT and VLT. And VFT highly correlated with VLT and PVLT. The results also revealed that productive vocabulary knowledge is as important as receptive vocabulary knowledge.3) In the multiple regression analysis, PVLT alone can predict 33.5% of the variance in RC. VLT provided an additional 2.9% of the variance and VFT contributed another 1.3% to the variance in RC. With the concerted efforts of the three, they can predict 37.8% of the variance in RC. So it is quite reasonable to conclude that the three dimensions of vocabulary knowledge all contributed to predicting the performance of RC, with PVLT being the strongest predictor. Though adding a little variance to reading comprehension, VLT and VFT can produce statistically significant outcomes. When predicting performance on reading comprehension, using any combination of two variables will yield better results than using one of them alone.The research also brought about the following implications:1) Vocabulary knowledge, however measured, appears to mesh very closely with reading proficiency. Therefore, developing learners’vocabulary knowledge constitutes an integral proportion of developing reading proficiency generally.2) Different dimensions of vocabulary knowledge are characteristic of mutual associations and constraints. In other words, excellence in one part entails success in other parts. Productive vocabulary size and vocabulary fluency knowledge are as important as that of receptive vocabulary size. It is well justified that they should carry a big weight in vocabulary teaching and learning. It turns out that, for sake of validity, reliability, accuracy and efficiency, vocabulary assessment will probably benefit more from using a combination of all dimensions than from using a single dimension. More attention should be given to productive vocabulary size and vocabulary fluency knowledge as it was asserted that they are weak points among English learners in China.3) More complete and rational vocabulary study including vocabulary fluency knowledge and productive vocabulary knowledge should be given more emphasis.