Vousden, J. 1 & Ellefson, M. 2
1 Coventry University
2 University of Cambridge
Previous research indicates that there are links between vocabulary knowledge and reading, especially for irregular words. So far, few studies have explored the nature of these links at an item level. i.e. does knowing a word help you read it (e.g., Nation & Cocksey, 2009)? This longitudinal study explores the link between different forms of vocabulary knowledge and reading irregular words. One hundred and twenty beginning readers aged 5 - 7-years-old were assessed on two different forms of item-specific word knowledge of 120 irregular words (knowledge of meaning and knowledge of the spoken form of a word), their ability to read those words, and their ability to correct a phonically regular translation of the irregular word to its correct irregular form. General vocabulary knowledge and decoding were measured with standardized tests. Results at item-level and participant-level indicated significant relationships between word-knowledge and irregular word reading ability, such that knowing the spoken form of an irregular word is a useful cue to reading it. Results also indicated that spoken form knowledge cues reading by supporting the ability to correct a phonically regular approximation of an irregular word.