Chapter One Introduction

1.1 Significance of the Study of Vocabulary Acquisition

1.2 Rationale of the Present Study

1.3 Outline

Chapter Two Literature Review

2.1 Defining Lexical Inferencing

2.1.1 Incidental and Intentional Learning

2.1.2 Incidental and Intentional Vocabulary Learning

2.1.3 Implicit and Explicit Learning

2.1.4 Inferencing and Lexical Inferencing

2.1.5 Lexical Inferencing Research Paradigm and Incidental Vocabulary Learning Research Paradigm

2.2 Learner-related Factors in Lexical Inferencing

2.2.1 General Language Proficiency

2.2.2 Reading Proficiency

2.2.3 Vocabulary Knowledge

2.2.4 Topic Familiarity

2.2.5 Other Learner-related Factors

2.3 Text-related Factors in Lexical Inferencing

2.3.1 Context and Lexical Inferencing

2.3.2 Word-related Factors in Lexical Inferencing

2.4 Taxonomy of Knowledge Sources Used in Lexical Inferencing

2.5 Models Relevant to Lexieal Inferencing

2.5.1 Lexical Inferencing as Lemma Construction

2.5.2 Lexical Inferencing as Hypothesis-generation-and-testing

2.6 Unsolved Problems

Chapter Three Methodology

3.1 Research Questions

3.2 Subjects

3.3 Instruments

3.3.1 Instruments Measuring Learner-related Factors

3.3.2 Instruments Measuring Text-related Factors

3.3.3 Instruments Measuring the Dependent Variables

3.4 Pilot Study

3.5 Data-collection

3.5.1 Collecting Learner-related Data

3.5.2 Collecting Text-related Data

3.5.3 Collecting Data about the Dependent Variables

3.6 Data-analysis

3.6.1 Preparing the Data

3.6.2 Analyzing the Data

3.7 Design of the Retrospective Study

3.7.1 Subjects

3.7.2 Instruments

3.7.3 Data Collection

3.7.4 Data Analysis

Chapter Four Results and Findings

4.1 Relationship between Learner-related Factors and Lexical Inferencing

4.1.1 L2 Proficiency and Lexical Inferencing

4.1.2 Impact of Topic Familiarity on Lexical Inferencing

4.2 Impact of Text-related Factors on Lexical Inferencing

4.2.1 Impact of Morphological Transparency and Contextual Support on Lexical Inferencing Success

4.2.2 Impact of Morphological Transparency and Contextual Support on Lexical Inferencing Difficulty

4.2.3 A Comparison of Patterns between Year Two and Year Four

4.3 Results of the Retrospective Study

4.3.1 Taxonomy of Knowledge Sources

4.3.2 Patterns of the Use of Knowledge Sources

4.3.3 Nature of Lexical Inferencing Process

Chapter Five Discussion

5.1 Relationship between Learner-related Factors and Lexical Inferencing

5.1.1 L2 Proficiency and Lexical Inferencing Success

5.1.2 Topic Familiarity and Lexical Inferencing Success

5.1.3 Learner-related Factors and Lexical Inferencing Difficulty

5.2 Impact of Text-related Factors on Lexical Inferencing

5.2.1 Impact of Morphological Transparency on Lexical Inferencing Success

5.2.2 Impact of Contextual Support on Lexical Inferencing Success

5.2.3 Impact of Text-related Factors on Lexical Inferencing Difficulty

5.3 Types and Patterns of Knowledge Sources

5.4 Nature of L2 Lexical Inferencing

5.5 A Tentative Model of L2 Lexical Inferencing

Chapter Six Conclusion

6.1 Summary of Major Findings

6.2 Implications

6.3 Limitations and Suggestions

Appendices

Appendix 1 Reading Comprehension Test

Appendix 2 The Reading Passages

Appendix 3 The Lexical Inferencing Task

Appendix 4 The Passage Sight Vocabulary Tests

Appendix 5 A Sample of the Results of Range Processing

References