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<p>This study examined how vocabulary complexity influences first-grade students’ word recognition, reading rate, and comprehension. Seventy-eight first-grade students read six 100-word narrative passages equivalent in Guided Reading Level (GRL J) but systematically varied in Mean Log Word Frequency (MLWF), a Lexile Framework index of vocabulary difficulty. Multilevel modeling indicated that MLWF significantly predicted accuracy, words correct per minute, and maze comprehension, accounting for 12%, 21%, and 1% of text-level variance respectively. Exploratory quantile regression indicated that vocabulary difficulty had stronger effects on students with lower and mid-range fluency than on their more proficient peers, suggesting a developmental “vulnerability window” during which lexical demands are especially consequential. A binomial model of word-level errors showed that words with more phonemes, lower spelling-to-sound consistency, and later ages of acquisition were more likely to be misread. Together, these findings demonstrate that texts labeled at the same Guided Reading Level can pose markedly different lexical demands, with disproportionate consequences for less fluent readers. We discuss implications for text selection, assessment-to-text matching, and the design of materials that more precisely calibrate vocabulary demands for beginning readers.</p>

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The role of text vocabulary in word recognition, reading rate, and comprehension of first-grade students

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年5月2日

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  • Lori Bruner,
  • Elfrieda H. Hiebert,
  • Laura S. Tortorelli

摘要

This study examined how vocabulary complexity influences first-grade students’ word recognition, reading rate, and comprehension. Seventy-eight first-grade students read six 100-word narrative passages equivalent in Guided Reading Level (GRL J) but systematically varied in Mean Log Word Frequency (MLWF), a Lexile Framework index of vocabulary difficulty. Multilevel modeling indicated that MLWF significantly predicted accuracy, words correct per minute, and maze comprehension, accounting for 12%, 21%, and 1% of text-level variance respectively. Exploratory quantile regression indicated that vocabulary difficulty had stronger effects on students with lower and mid-range fluency than on their more proficient peers, suggesting a developmental “vulnerability window” during which lexical demands are especially consequential. A binomial model of word-level errors showed that words with more phonemes, lower spelling-to-sound consistency, and later ages of acquisition were more likely to be misread. Together, these findings demonstrate that texts labeled at the same Guided Reading Level can pose markedly different lexical demands, with disproportionate consequences for less fluent readers. We discuss implications for text selection, assessment-to-text matching, and the design of materials that more precisely calibrate vocabulary demands for beginning readers.