This study examined the long-term effect of L1 reading achievement on L2 reading achievement while assessing the mediating roles of L1 print exposure and L2 aptitude measured by the Modern Language Aptitude Test (MLAT). Structural equation modeling was used to determine the direct and indirect effects of L1 reading achievement on L2 reading…

This study investigated the relative contributions of English morphological and vocabulary knowledge to second language (L2) reading comprehension among 100 adult Japanese English as a foreign language (EFL) learners. The study also investigated the extent to which the roles of morphological and vocabulary knowledge in L2 reading comprehension…

This mixed-methods study investigated the impact of musical lyrics and working memory capacities on second language (L2) English reading comprehension among adult Chinese native speakers. Participants were 57 adult ESL learners with advanced L2 proficiency, divided into high and low working memory capacity groups based on a pre-test. They…

A growing number of studies have focused on uncovering linguistic and cognitive skills predictive of reading comprehension. Vocabulary knowledge (VK) and morphological awareness (MA) are two important linguistic variables for reading comprehension. In contrast, working memory (WM) is an essential cognitive variable for reading comprehension. The…

The current study investigates whether vocabulary breadth, vocabulary depth, and vocabulary fluency contribute differentially to L2 reading and listening comprehension. One hundred and thirty-eight EFL learners first took three vocabulary knowledge tests that measured vocabulary fluency, vocabulary breadth, and vocabulary depth. Subsequently, they…

This study investigated if second language (L2) learners' incidental collocation learning from engaging in task-based reading would be moderated by their individual differences in cognitive abilities. Eighty-one Cantonese speakers were invited to review three English articles and determine if they were acceptable for publication in a lifestyle…

This evaluation report examines extensive reading (ER) speed and words read by students at a Japanese university using a digital ER platform called Xreading and compares them to standardized test reading performance using the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). The study focuses on first- and second-year students who…

This study examined Sri Lankan English as a Second Language (ESL) undergraduate learners' reading-to-write task performance over six weeks. The Experimental Group (EG; n = 33) read and summarized articles rated as curious on a Likert scale measuring curiosity, while the Control Group (CG; n = 31) read articles rated as incurious (low-curiosity end…

Previous meta-analyses of reading strategy (RS) instruction in second and foreign language (L2) contexts have consistently shown that RS instruction has a positive impact on reading comprehension. However, whether RS instruction can promote both the use of RS "and" reading comprehension among English L2 learners is unclear. The effect of…

Morphological knowledge is a complex construct integral to vocabulary breadth and reading comprehension. To understand its complexity, researchers examine its dimensionality. First, this study contributes to this broad topic by investigating whether morphological awareness and affix knowledge, related concepts with a long history of investigation…

This study investigates the impact of a seven-week extensive reading (ER) program integrated with a blended learning modality (face-to-face and online) on tertiary-level English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners. In a mixed-methods research design, it investigated whether the systematic blended ER program affected learners' reading attitudes…

This study is a renewed effort for applying theory and research in Applied Linguistics (ApL) to today's healthcare needs. Previously, to analyze language use with linguistically diverse patients during the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers bridged self-assessment (SA) research in ApL to Public Health through the development of an instrument used with…

While it has been observed that second language learners selectively read information to answer comprehension questions, the amount of textual information required to correctly answer a question remains unclear. This study sought to identify the effects of this strategic reading on reading comprehension performance and explore how proficiency…

Ensuring classroom reading materials align with learners' lexical knowledge is crucial, often requiring teachers to infer vocabulary knowledge from vocabulary test performance. However, the best approach to match learners with lexically appropriate texts based on vocabulary test scores remains unclear. This study compared two methods:…

Few studies aimed to disentangle different aspects of vocabulary depth (VD) knowledge and examine their contribution to second-language (L2) reading comprehension. To fill this gap, this study distinguished between two VD aspects, that is, semantic network knowledge and polysemous knowledge; and tested how they, together with vocabulary size (VS),…