Multidimensionality of Word Knowledge and its Implications for Reading Comprehension Development

In this talk, I will examine the multidimensional nature of word knowledge in the context of reading development, particularly the development of reading comprehension. Given words are building block of language, students are reasonably expected to have a solid foundation in word knowledge for them to cope with the challenging task of comprehending a diverse range of texts, which has strong implications for their school achievement. Yet the commonsensical view of word knowledge as knowing the meanings of a large number of words is both narrow and instructionally unproductive. I will unpack the complexity of what it means to know words, how word knowledge and textual comprehension are closely related, and instructionally how these insights can inform classroom practice. I will draw upon the literature on both native speaking students and second language / bilingual learners, including recent studies I conducted in collaboration with my students. Bio: Dongbo Zhang is Professor of Language Education in the Graduate School of Education at the University of Exeter. He holds a PhD in Second Language Acquisition from Carnegie Mellon University, and previously worked in China, Singapore, and the United States where he was engaged in teaching and researching second language / bilingual learners and language teachers. Dr. Zhang's research interests include reading and vocabulary knowledge development (particularly from cross-linguistic perspectives), bilingualism and biliteracy, and language teacher education. His research was supported by grants from the Singapore Ministry of Education and US Department of Education. Dr. Zhang’s publications have appeared in high-impact journals like Applied Linguistics, Applied Psycholinguistics, Modern Language Journal, Learning and Individual Differences, and Reading and Writing. His most recent publications include Preparing Language Teachers for Next-Generation Education (IGI Global; with Chin-Hsi Lin and Binbin Zheng) and Chinese as a Second Language Assessment (Springer; with Chin-Hsi Lin).