Depth and Breadth of Vocabulary Knowledge: Assessing their Roles in Reading Comprehension of High-School EFL Learners in the UAE

DISSERTATION WITH DISTINCTION

محفوظ في:
التفاصيل البيبلوغرافية
المؤلف الرئيسي: Elmasry, Hamdy Ibrahim (author)
منشور في: 2012
الموضوعات:
الوصول للمادة أونلاين:http://bspace.buid.ac.ae/handle/1234/396
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author Elmasry, Hamdy Ibrahim
author_facet Elmasry, Hamdy Ibrahim
author_role author
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Elmasry, Hamdy Ibrahim
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2012-11
2013-11-14T11:32:52Z
2013-11-14T11:32:52Z
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
application/pdf
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv 100061
http://bspace.buid.ac.ae/handle/1234/396
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv en
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv The British University in Dubai (BUiD)
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv vocabulary knowledge
EFL learners
United Arab Emirates (UAE)
reading comprehension
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Depth and Breadth of Vocabulary Knowledge: Assessing their Roles in Reading Comprehension of High-School EFL Learners in the UAE
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv Dissertation
description DISSERTATION WITH DISTINCTION
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language_invalid_str_mv en
network_acronym_str budr
network_name_str The British University in Dubai repository
oai_identifier_str oai:bspace.buid.ac.ae:1234/396
publishDate 2012
publisher.none.fl_str_mv The British University in Dubai (BUiD)
repository.mail.fl_str_mv
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spelling Depth and Breadth of Vocabulary Knowledge: Assessing their Roles in Reading Comprehension of High-School EFL Learners in the UAEElmasry, Hamdy Ibrahimvocabulary knowledgeEFL learnersUnited Arab Emirates (UAE)reading comprehensionDISSERTATION WITH DISTINCTIONThe present study examined the relationship between breadth and depth of vocabulary knowledge and reading comprehension in an English as a foreign language (EFL) context. It was conducted through two phases, quantitative and qualitative. The first quantitative phase of the study, which included 93 high school participants, investigated the degree of correlations between two aspects of vocabulary knowledge, breadth (vocabulary size) and depth, and reading comprehension. Furthermore, it investigated whether breadth or depth was a stronger predictor of learners’ reading comprehension. It adopted three language tests: two vocabulary tests and a reading comprehension test. The second qualitative phase, which involved four subjects (a subsample of the first phase), explored how these subjects used their vocabulary depth to infer the meaning of unfamiliar words in a written text. To achieve this purpose, semi-structured interviews were employed as a method of data collection. The study has empirically shown several findings. Moderate positive intercorrelations among the scores on the three language tests were obtained. Breadth proved to be a more powerful predictor of reading comprehension scores than depth. Students with greater depth of vocabulary knowledge were more successful in inferring the meaning of unknown words while reading than those with less depth. A positive association was found between students’ vocabulary depth and their lexical inferencing ability. These results confirm the importance and the value of developing students’ breadth and depth of vocabulary knowledge in EFL classrooms.The British University in Dubai (BUiD)2013-11-14T11:32:52Z2013-11-14T11:32:52Z2012-11Dissertationapplication/pdfapplication/pdf100061http://bspace.buid.ac.ae/handle/1234/396enoai:bspace.buid.ac.ae:1234/3962021-11-09T13:31:36Z
spellingShingle Depth and Breadth of Vocabulary Knowledge: Assessing their Roles in Reading Comprehension of High-School EFL Learners in the UAE
Elmasry, Hamdy Ibrahim
vocabulary knowledge
EFL learners
United Arab Emirates (UAE)
reading comprehension
title Depth and Breadth of Vocabulary Knowledge: Assessing their Roles in Reading Comprehension of High-School EFL Learners in the UAE
title_full Depth and Breadth of Vocabulary Knowledge: Assessing their Roles in Reading Comprehension of High-School EFL Learners in the UAE
title_fullStr Depth and Breadth of Vocabulary Knowledge: Assessing their Roles in Reading Comprehension of High-School EFL Learners in the UAE
title_full_unstemmed Depth and Breadth of Vocabulary Knowledge: Assessing their Roles in Reading Comprehension of High-School EFL Learners in the UAE
title_short Depth and Breadth of Vocabulary Knowledge: Assessing their Roles in Reading Comprehension of High-School EFL Learners in the UAE
title_sort Depth and Breadth of Vocabulary Knowledge: Assessing their Roles in Reading Comprehension of High-School EFL Learners in the UAE
topic vocabulary knowledge
EFL learners
United Arab Emirates (UAE)
reading comprehension
url http://bspace.buid.ac.ae/handle/1234/396