Reading comprehension and vocabulary are closely related to each other. Each skill is essential to reading achievement, yet one skill is depended deeply on the other skill. Now this relation is argued as follows:
2.15.1 Reading and Vocabulary Knowledge
Many studies related to vocabulary knowledge and word instruction, has demonstrated that there is a strong relationship between recognizing words and understanding text. In this regard, Harmon (2002) remarked, “Many learners persist on struggling with comprehension because of limited word knowledge and vain strategy” (p. 606). The National Reading Panel (NRP; National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, 2000) scrutinized …show more content…
The study by Jitendra, Edwards, Sacks, and Jacobson (2004) also demonstrated, “Vocabulary and word knowledge can be a major factor for improving comprehension, and it offers a sound basis for increased emphasis on vocabulary instruction” (p. 299). Bromley (2007) also claimed, “Vocabulary is a fundamental contributor to comprehension, achievement, andfluency” (p.528).
As stated by Martin-Chang, Levy, and O’Neil (2007), “Successful reading instruction involves not only learning new vocabularies but also recalling them after training has ended and retrieving their word-specific representations when they are confronted in new text” (p. 37). Manzo, and Thomas (2006) also indicated, “Vocabulary learning can develop the capacity to learn” (p. 615). A larger vocabulary enhances comprehension and therefore all the related language skills. Lubliner and Smetana (2005) also asserted, “Children with rich …show more content…
Through wide autonomous reading, EFL students encounter vocabulary that seldom occurs in spoken language and is easy to comprehend because of the context (Pathan & Al-Dersi, 2013).
Nagy (1988) indicated, “Learning words from context is a vital avenue of vocabulary development and it deserves attention and rehearsal in the classroom” (p. 7). EFL teachers can apply contextual vocabulary instruction by teaching learners to utilize clues in the sentence. Nash and Snowling (2006) have explained this process as, “Strategies for teaching children how to derive meaning from context concentrating on utilizing pieces of information (cues) in the context to deduce the meanings of target words” (p.337). Students can apply this strategy during autonomous reading by showing them how to recognize these clues. According to Al-Dersi (2013, p.