ERIC Number: EJ1251413
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2020-Apr
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0090-6905
EISSN: N/A
The Factor Structure of Vocabulary: An Investigation of Breadth and Depth of Adults with Low Literacy Skills
Tran, An H.; Tremblay, Kathryn A.; Binder, Katherine S.
Journal of Psycholinguistic Research, v49 n2 p335-350 Apr 2020
The purpose of this study was to examine the factor structure of vocabulary. We believe that not only is vocabulary multidimensional, but depth of vocabulary knowledge should also be assessed with multiple measures since it too, is composed of multiple aspects. Furthermore, to explore the predictive validity of the different aspects of vocabulary knowledge, we assessed the relationship between vocabulary breadth, vocabulary depth, and reading comprehension in adults with low literacy skills. The participants were 103 adults. They completed 12 tasks that have been used in past studies to measure vocabulary breadth, depth, and reading comprehension. We had several important findings. First, we confirmed that all of the assessments were highly reliable for adults with low literacy skills. Second, the results of the factor analysis indicated two distinct vocabulary factors. Finally, both breadth and depth contribute independently to explaining variance in reading comprehension. Implications for vocabulary measurement are suggested.
Descriptors: Literacy, Vocabulary Development, Reading Comprehension, Correlation, Adults, Task Analysis, Factor Structure, Predictive Validity, Measurement Techniques, Psycholinguistics
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) (NIH)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: R15HD067755