The Role of Deep Vocabulary Knowledge in Reading Accuracy and Speed in Spanish / El papel del vocabulario profundo en la precisión y velocidad lectoras en español

Abstract

The main aim of the research presented here was to explore the relevance of vocabulary knowledge, primarily deep vocabulary knowledge, in the reading accuracy and speed of Spanish readers. A total of 352 children took part in the research, all pupils in the third, fourth and fifth years of Spain’s primary education system. They completed tasks to assess the breadth and depth of their receptive and expressive vocabulary, reading accuracy and speed, non-verbal intelligence and phonemic awareness. Our findings show that vocabulary depth and phonemic awareness are significant variables in predicting success in reading performance. We explore in greater depth the idea that as pupils progress on their learning path in reading, linguistic variables such as vocabulary have a greater influence on predicting reading accuracy and speed. We also discuss the implications for theory and practice.