ABSTRACT
An adequate conceptualization of vocabulary knowledge might help explain variability in observed correlations between vocabulary and reading comprehension. Common vocabulary measures such as the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test are assumed to measure breadth of vocabulary knowledge. A limitation of study one was that vocabulary knowledge was represented by only two tasks that both measured definitional knowledge, or one’s ability to define a word. Vocabulary knowledge might be more important for some kinds of comprehension tasks than for others. Reading comprehension tasks with open-ended questions might be particularly difficult for students with expressive language problems. Morphological awareness and vocabulary knowledge also contribute to derivational word reading for middle school students. Inference skills could also mediate the role of vocabulary in reading comprehension. Vocabulary and reading comprehension appear to be difficult to manipulate through relatively short-term training efforts.
