The relation between reading comprehension and receptive vocabulary in Chilean students: An exploratory study

Abstract

Although studies have described a non-causal relation between vocabulary and comprehension, the invariant effect of receptive vocabulary on comprehension has not been studied. The purpose of the current study is to determine whether the effect of receptive vocabulary on comprehension is invariant according to vocabulary level, sex and type of school among Chilean fifth-grade students. 553 Chilean fifth-grade students were assessed in reading comprehension and vocabulary. Using spline regressions, we observed that, when students get fewer correct responses on EVOC, a receptive vocabulary test, the effect of vocabulary on comprehension is null or smaller, than when students get higher vocabulary scores. These findings are useful when assessing the feasibility of interventions that may improve reading comprehension through vocabulary meaning.