CHAPTER I

Introduction

"Vocabulary is central to language and of critical importance to the typical

language learner" Zimmerman (1997). When learning a new language, vocabulary is the
most basic and influential element of the message compared with other elements, such as
syntax. For known words, lexical access (i. e., efficient retrieval or production of a word)
is particularly important. When there are some unknown words in a text, students often
have comprehension problems in reading.

In order to extract meaning from text, a strong sense of semantics is required.

That is, children have to understand what words mean before they can construct
understanding of text passages. Many researchers have attempted to explain the source of
reading difficulties for L2 learners and have demonstrated that insufficient vocabulary is
the most serious handicap for L2 learners while reading (e.g., Yorio, 1971).

The role of vocabulary knowledge in L2 reading is a problem that needs attention.

Seeking a better understanding of the nature of the learner's vocabulary knowledge is a
good starting point through such questions as the following: What is vocabulary
knowledge? To what extent is vocabulary knowledge significant in reading
comprehension? Which aspect of vocabulary knowledge matters most in reading
comprehension? How does the profile of the respondents affect their reading
comprehension skills?

Vocabulary knowledge skills increase the pleasure and effectiveness of reading.

Comprehending what one read is imperative for a students to be successful in school.
Students must be able to understand the context of the words in individual sentences and
also understand multiple concepts when reading longer passages. They are part of every
subject they learns, and these skills help in all the other subjects and in the personal and
professional lives; and is required for the students to excel in standardized state testing as
well as placement testing for middle school, high school, and college. Many tests have
reading portions specifically written to evaluate vocabulary knowledge skills.
 This study attempts to look closely at the relationship between vocabulary
knowledge and reading comprehension. The general purpose of the study is to examine
the relationship between the respondents reading comprehension and their profile; and
the relationship between vocabulary knowledge and reading comprehension of Junior
High School students, and the specific focus is to find out which aspect of vocabulary
knowledge, breadth or depth, has greater impact on determining their reading
comprehension performance.

The results of this study are expected to have instructional implications for Junior
High School students in particular and possibly for academic L2 learners in general. If we
knew which type of word knowledge was more important, we could design instruction to
target it, and this could lead in tum to enhanced reading ability or even other language
skills. Moreover, the results could provide the fields of vocabulary research and of
vocabulary assessment with deeper insight into lexical learning and use. It is hoped that
this study will also encourage researchers to pursue other perspectives on the breadth
versus depth issue in further studies.