Teaching Vocabulary to Improve Reading Comprehension
Abstract
Vocabulary is vital for comprehending reading texts.
Readers must possess a certain number of words, the
so-called threshold level, in order to be able to read in
L2. This paper provides direct vocabulary instruction
techniques, aimed at helping students with a small lexicon
to acquire core vocabulary, more important and highfrequency words, at rates that will improve their reading
comprehension.
Key words: Vocabulary; Collocation; Reading
comprehension.
INTRODUCTION
Reading comprehension and vocabulary are strongly
correlated (Seifert et al., 2017). Limited vocabulary
knowledge hinders students from comprehending a text
(Silva & Cain, 2015). Thus, a priority task for teachers is
to boost students’ vocabulary items. Two common ways
to build up students’ word power are direct instruction and
incidental learning. Direct instruction, also referred to as
the explicit approach, is particularly useful for students
who have insufficient vocabulary and little exposure to
lexical learning beyond the classroom (Nation, 2001).
In contrast, incidental learning predominantly
involves extensive reading. Through encountering
words in different contexts, students not only expand their vocabulary but also increase their lexical breadth
of understanding (Nation, 2001). Experts agree that a
combination of direct instruction and incidental learning
is the best way to help students develop vocabulary (e.g.
Alderson, 2000; Laufer, 1997; Nation, 2001).
This paper illustrates a number of instructional
techniques to promote the development of students’ core
vocabulary, i.e., the most important and high-frequency
words. The acquisition of these words will enable
them to read texts suited to their level with enhanced
comprehension and fluency.
