Citation Context

...eighted for sample size and corrected for measurement error) between passage-level second language (L2) reading comprehension and 10 key reading component variables investigated in the research domain” (p. 160). They found that vocabulary and syntax are the two strongest correlates of L2 reading. However, these previous studies that investigated the relative importance of vocabulary and grammar in L2 reading have not provided consistent findings. Brisbois (1995), Chen (2009), Guo (2008), Nassaji (2003), and Zhang (2012) found vocabulary to be more important than grammar in L2 reading, whereas Jeon (2012), Shin and Kim (2012), Shiotsu (2010), Shiotsu and Weir (2007), and van Gelderen et al. (2004) found the opposite. Possible explanations for this discrepancy might be differing sample sizes, ages of the participants, L1-L2 distance, L2 use environment, methods of analyses, operational definitions of the variables, and L2 proficiency. Among those, the present study sought to extend this field by taking learners’ reading proficiency and age into account. First, the present study attempted to examine whether the respective roles of vocabulary and grammar knowledge in L2 reading differ among three...