@inproceedings{01JZ87AEXX08AD6AP8587XW80N,
  abstract     = {{Previous studies suggest that L2 learners should have 95% coverage of a written text (i.e., should know 95% of words in the text) to achieve basic comprehension and 98% coverage to achieve optimal, unassisted comprehension (Laufer, 1989; Hu & Nation, 2000; Schmitt et al., 2011). These studies have had vast implications for vocabulary research, informing, for instance, lexical profiling studies relying on the 95-98% figures for setting vocabulary learning targets (e.g., Webb & Rodgers, 2009). However, previous coverage studies are few in number and have several limitations: They have focused mainly on English and exclusively on university-aged learners (Kremmel et al., 2023), typically of advanced proficiency (Herman & Leeser, 2022). To address these gaps, we will investigate the coverage-comprehension relationship in both English and French (the main L2s in Flemish education) and focus on a previously unexplored population, that is, adolescent L2 learners in the fourth grade of secondary school (ages 15-16). The research question is: “What is the relationship between adolescent L2 learners’ lexical coverage of English and French written text and their text comprehension?”
Two hundred participants read two English and two French narrative texts (ca. 500 words per text). To determine lexical coverage, they first completed a form-meaning vocabulary test (yes-no format) containing a large sample of words from the texts (per language ca. 150 items, including 30 non-words to discourage guessing). After reading each text, the participants completed a multiple-choice test measuring comprehension of main ideas and supporting details. Data collection is ongoing and results will be analysed using mixed-effects modelling. Findings will expand upon our current understanding of the coverage-comprehension relationship, revealing whether it is mainly linear (cf. Schmitt et al., 2011) or, alternatively, whether threshold percentages such as the widely cited 95-98% figures may apply to our new population and a new L2 (French).}},
  author       = {{Van Parys, Amaury and De Wilde, Vanessa and Macken, Lieve and Montero Perez, Maribel}},
  booktitle    = {{Vocab@Maryland 2025, Abstracts}},
  keywords     = {{foreign language acquisition,language learning,vocabulary,lexical coverage,reading comprehension,Steunpunt Diversiteit & Leren,LT3}},
  language     = {{eng,fre}},
  location     = {{Maryland, USA}},
  title        = {{Lexical coverage and reading comprehension in adolescent L2 learners of English and French}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}