The lexical basis of second language reading comprehension: From (sub-)lexical knowledge to processing efficiency

Abstract

This study compared how distinct lexical competences, including lexical knowledge as well as processing skills at both word/lexical and sub-lexical/morphological levels, collectively and relatively predict reading comprehension in adult learners of English as a Foreign Language (EFL). Participants were 220 Arabic-speaking EFL learners in a Saudi university. A battery of paper- and computer-based tests was administered to measure the participants’ lexical competences, reading comprehension ability, and working memory. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that over and above working memory, both lexical and sub-lexical knowledge were significant and unique predictors of reading comprehension; and sub-lexical processing efficiency, as opposed to lexical processing efficiency, predicted reading comprehension significantly. Additionally, among the measured lexical competences, lexical knowledge was the strongest predictor; and the two knowledge variables collectively had a far greater influence on reading comprehension than the two processing efficiency variables. These findings are discussed in light of the lexical basis of text comprehension.