Abstract:
Although vocabulary knowledge is vital in constructing meaning in language, enhancing
vocabulary knowledge is a challenging task for both teachers and learners of a second language.
One of the predictors that can be argued to address this challenge is reading. Reading may
facilitate language learners to enrich their vocabulary knowledge as they are exposed to written
language in reading. Therefore, this study examined whether reading contributes to enhancing
the breadth and depth of vocabulary knowledge of ESL learners. The study was conducted with
a group of undergraduate students from a state university in Sri Lanka. In the research
implementation, measures of reading and vocabulary knowledge were administered to 189
participants to assess their reading and vocabulary knowledge. Additionally, a questionnaire
was used to collect demographic information of the participants in order to perceive the level
of their prior exposure to the target language. Multiple regression analysis showed that reading
significantly contributed to both breadth and depth of vocabulary knowledge. However, the
results indicated that reading can contribute more to the breadth of vocabulary knowledge than
to its depth. Therefore, it can be argued that although reading can contribute to vocabulary
knowledge, the contribution can vary across the types of vocabulary knowledge. In conclusion,
the findings help to establish that reading significantly boosts the acquisition of vocabulary
knowledge among adult learners of English as a second language.
