PanSIG 2025

A replication of Hu and Nation’s (2002) coverage-comprehension study

18 May 2025, 14:15

25m

BLDG 8/1F-113 (Kanda University of International Studies (神田外語大学))

Research-oriented Oral Face-to-face presentation Vocabulary B8-113 SAT: Task-Based Learning, GILE & PIE; SUN: Study Abroad, Vocabulary

Speakers

Dr Christopher Nicklin (University of Tokyo)Ms Chunmei Huang (Kyorin University)Ms Liang Ye Tan (Momoyama Gakuin University)Prof. Tim Stoeckel (University of Niigata Prefecture)Dr Tomoko Ishii (Meiji Gakuin University)

KEYWORDS

coverage-comprehension research
vocabulary
meaning recall
reading comprehension

ABSTRACT

Hu and Nation’s (2000) coverage-comprehension study has been immensely influential in ELT. Its 98% coverage figure for unassisted comprehension has been used to estimate the vocabulary sizes needed for independent reading in different genres (Nation, 2006) and is regularly used as an important benchmark in research. A possible limitation of Hu and Nation’s study is its approach to calculating coverage. To simulate different coverage levels of their text, real words were replaced with pseudowords. However, the criteria for ensuring that learners had complete knowledge of the remaining real words (scores of just 83% and 61% on the 2K and 3K levels of Nation’s 1983 VLT) were remarkably low. Hence, coverage may have been overestimated.
The presenters will describe the findings of a partial replication (N = 286) of that study. The materials included Hu and Nation’s reading measure and a vocabulary test assessing meaning-recall knowledge of nearly all content lemmas in the reading test passage. The benchmark defining adequate comprehension was the same as that used by Hu and Nation. Generalized mixed-effects regression modeling was used, with vocabulary coverage and reading comprehension scores as the main independent and dependent variables, respectively. The results and implications for pedagogy will be discussed.