The Relationship Between Lexical Coverage and Type of Reading Comprehension in Beginning L2 Spanish Learners

Abstract

AbstractThis study examined the relationship between lexical coverage (i.e., the percentage of known word tokens in a text) and second language (L2) reading comprehension. Several studies have suggested that adequate comprehension occurs between 95% and 98% coverage, but no study has investigated beginning‐level learners reading under the conditions of extensive reading. Therefore, the present study recruited 50 native English‐speaking learners enrolled in a second‐semester Spanish course. Learners chose between 1 of 2 interesting, graded texts and read for general understanding. A yes–no vocabulary test was used to measure knowledge of all the words in the texts, and comprehension of the 10 main events was assessed with cued written recall and multiple‐choice tests. Additionally, to begin to understand how coverage relates to different types of comprehension, a literal and an inferential question was asked of each main event. The results indicated that (a) the relationship between lexical coverage and comprehension was moderate to strong, (b) lexical coverage was more associated with literal comprehension, and (c) 98% coverage would predict the productive recall of 8 of the 10 main events. The findings support the importance of having texts written at the lexical level of beginning L2 learners when engaging in extensive reading.