Elucidation of the process of estimating the meaning of unknown words during reading and simulation of ecologically valid reading effects

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K12741
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 90030:Cognitive science-related
• Research Institution: Kitasato University (2020-2023); Kurashiki Sakuyo University (2019)
• Principal Investigator: Inohara Keisuke 北里大学, 一般教育部, 講師 (10733967)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 上田 紋佳 岡山大学, 教育学研究科, 特任助教 (60707553)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 読書 / 語彙力 / 文章理解力

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We examined differences in eye movements during reading of texts containing artificial unknown words (non-existent words created for the experiment) between those with high gain (high gainers) and those with low gain (low gainers) from vocabulary learning by reading (surprise vocabulary test performance). The results showed that the total retention time to unknown words was longer in the high-gain group, but the magnitude of this effect was greater in the group with higher performance in content comprehension. Furthermore, we found that the effects of general vocabulary and "enjoying the text" and "emotional movement" via content comprehension ultimately influenced gains.

Free Research Field

教育心理学，認知科学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

語彙力を高める堅実かつ有望な手段に，読書からの語彙学習がある。しかし，読書による語彙学習から得られるゲイン（gain: 学習効果の大きさ）に大きな個人差があることは教育現場では十分に認識されていなかった。本研究の成果は，ゲインの個人差があることを教育現場に再認識してもらうきっかけとなり，かつ，どのようにすればゲインを高めることができるのかについての重要な手掛かりを与えてくれるものである。具体的には，基礎としての語彙力の向上と，しっかりとテキスト内容を理解し，楽しむことを推奨する国語教育が考えられる。