Lexical Inferencing in EFL Reading
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The present study investigated the use of lexical inferencing by Korean EFL learners focusing on two questions: (1) how the learners self-assess their perception of unknown words encountered in text, and (2) whether lexical inferencing ability differs depending on the level of overall L2 language proficiency. 112 participants at intermediate or advanced level were asked to assess their understanding of the meaning of unknown words while reading three selected passages on a three-point scale, and then they were to read the same passages again and give an inferred meaning, synonym or any explanation of the unknown words. The data collected from self-assessment and objective vocabulary test were analyzed by paired t-tests and repeated measures ANOVA. The findings indicated that there was significant difference between the learners’ own perception of the meaning of unknown words and their actual knowledge of the words, thus suggesting that the learners’ guessing from the context may not always be reliable. Also, the learners’ lexical inferencing ability was found to be more closely related to the level of L2 reading proficiency. According to the findings, level of overall language proficiency doesn’t seem to be an accurate predictor of a learner’s lexical inferencing ability. Pedagogical implications based on the findings were discussed concerning how to make use of lexical inferencing in EFL reading.
Abstract
The present study investigated the use of lexical inferencing by Korean EFL learners focusing on two questions: (1) how the learners self-assess their perception of unknown words encountered in text, and (2) whether lexical inferencing ability differs depending on the level of overall L2 language proficiency. 112 participants at intermediate or advanced level were asked to assess their understanding of the meaning of unknown words while reading three selected passages on a three-point scale, and then they were to read the same passages again and give an inferred meaning, synonym or any explanation of the unknown words. The data collected from self-assessment and objective vocabulary test were analyzed by paired t-tests and repeated measures ANOVA. The findings indicated that there was significant difference between the learners’ own perception of the meaning of unknown words and their actual knowledge of the words, thus suggesting that the learners’ guessing from the context may not always be reliable. Also, the learners’ lexical inferencing ability was found to be more closely related to the level of L2 reading proficiency. According to the findings, level of overall language proficiency doesn’t seem to be an accurate predictor of a learner’s lexical inferencing ability. Pedagogical implications based on the findings were discussed concerning how to make use of lexical inferencing in EFL reading.
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