Relative Roles of Vocabulary and Grammar Knowledge in Second Language Reading

Abstract

The present study sought to explore the relative contribution of vocabulary knowledge and grammar knowledge to L2 reading comprehension in the case of Korean high school EFL learners. To this end, 96 high school male students were asked to take vocabulary knowledge test, grammar test, and reading comprehension test. Their vocabulary knowledge was measured by the Korean version of Vocabulary Levels Test, while a 25-item multiple-choice test was designed to tap into their grammar knowledge. The reading comprehension test consisted of two narrative and two expository texts, followed by five to six multiple-choice questions for each text. The results of statistical analyses revealed that although both vocabulary knowledge and grammar knowledge were significantly related to L2 reading comprehension, grammar knowledge showed relative superiority over that of vocabulary in accounting for L2 reading variance. Theoretical implications and directions for further studies are discussed.