Academic Word Difficulty and Multidimensional Lexical Sophistication: An English-for-Academic-Purposes-Focused Conceptual Replication of Hashimoto and Egbert (2019)

Autor/inn/en	Vitta, Joseph P.; Nicklin, Christopher; Albright, Simon W.
Titel	Academic Word Difficulty and Multidimensional Lexical Sophistication: An English-for-Academic-Purposes-Focused Conceptual Replication of Hashimoto and Egbert (2019)
Quelle	In: Modern Language Journal, 107 (2023) 1, S.373-397 (25 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	ORCID (Vitta, Joseph P.) ORCID (Nicklin, Christopher)
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0026-7902
DOI	10.1111/modl.12835
Schlagwörter	Word Recognition; Difficulty Level; English for Academic Purposes; Academic Language; Foreign Countries; Language Acquisition; Models; Prediction; Asia + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Worterkennung; Schwierigkeitsgrad; Academic; Language; Languages; Akademiker; Sprache; Wissenschaftssprache; Ausland; Sprachaneignung; Spracherwerb; Analogiemodell; Vorhersage; Asien
Abstract	This article presents a conceptual replication of Hashimoto and Egbert (https://doi.org/10.1111/lang.12353), a study that featured multivariate models where lexical sophistication variables accounted for word difficulty (yes-no recognition) better than frequency alone among learners of English as a second or foreign language from North America. This current study (n[subscript words] = 88; n[subscript people] = 128) conceptually replicated Hashimoto and Egbert with data from three Asian university English-for-academic-purposes sites. Methodological differences included a more conservative lexical sophistication operationalization process and avoidance of stepwise regression. Like the original study, the replication's findings favored multivariate models over frequency, which predicted 36% of word difficulty's variance alone. In a multiple regression model accounting for word difficulty, R[superscript 2] = 0.52, frequency accounted for 17% of the predicted variance with age of acquisition (AoA: 18%) and word naming reaction time (WN_RT: 16%) also being significant predictors. This replication also extended the testing approach by using a mixed-effect model, involving person and site intercepts as random effects. The model's ability to predict word difficulty fell, marginal R[superscript 2] = 0.22, conditional R[superscript 2] = 0.40, but frequency, AoA, and WN_RT remained the strongest predictors. Taken together, this replication successfully supports the original study's more-than-frequency conclusion while highlighting the need for further research into the area. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01