Reading vocabulary is a way to enrich one’s vocabulary and to enrich one’s vocabulary, there are some stages of reading. This is closely related to the development of individual skills and it needs evaluation. The purpose of this study is to identify the changes and their effect on the learner who goes through various stages in reading vocabulary. The aim of the study is to have a clear idea about the process of acquiring vocabulary, the changes that take place in an individual and its impact on an individual, and its consequences of future developments.
Moreover, it will be helpful to identify the development of Vocabulary consists of words that are helpful for efficient communication and development of skills. Here is an attempt to identify the stages and changes that occur at an individual level. In schools, the task to teach vocabulary falls upon a language teacher. The development of the individual as an able student is closely related to vocabulary acquisition. The attempt to examine the change that takes place in an individual who goes through the process of reading vocabulary is important.
The process of reading vocabulary had to go through certain stages and can be described as below: The first action is to develop a plan of action for the process of reading. Here, the reader’s actions are based on prior knowledge and prediction of the content of the text to be read. The next action is the maintenance and monitoring of the plan of action. Here, the reader is able to connect the new text under reading with prior knowledge. Moreover, the reader is able to find out the cause-effect relation of the content.
The final step is the evaluation of the plan of action. Here, the reader can summarize the key idea of the text, and compare the new information to his/her own experience and knowledge. There are two types of vocabulary, one is oral vocabulary and the other is reading vocabulary. Oral vocabulary consists of words that are used in speech and are recognized in listening. Whereas the reading vocabulary consists of the words that we recognize or that we use in print. Vocabulary plays an important role in the process of learning to read.
The efficiency to read, built vocabulary helps the student to be a success across the curriculum. The two ways in which a student develops vocabulary are incidental acquisition and direct study. The article Helping Students Learn Vocabulary-Acquisition Skills points out that: “Incidental vocabulary acquisition is a common means of learning new vocabulary, especially for proficient readers. Students with strong reading skills who read a variety of texts may realize substantial gains in their vocabulary without direct instruction.” (Helping Students Learn Vocabulary-Acquisition Skills) the process of incidental acquisition of vocabulary in a student takes place consciously or unconsciously.
It takes place in independent reading and listening activities. But the direct study is conscious and is based on direct instruction and study. The direct study is more systematic than the incidental acquisition of vocabulary. Incidental vocabulary is a common means of learning new vocabulary and it is possible without direct instruction. For example, when one reads a book, new words with meaning are added to the vocabulary of the reader. This process is not direct because the reader reads the book without direct instruction from the teacher. For the students who are highly intellectual, the chance for the development of indirect vocabulary is high.
After reading vocabulary, certain changes take place at the individual level and it exerts far-reaching changes. First of all, the growth in vocabulary amplifies the growth and development of an individual. Vocabulary can play an important role in inter person and intra person communication. So, the topic- Before/ during/ After Reading Vocabulary is highly relevant in communication. Effective communication is an art and its effectiveness is closely related to the development of vocabulary. From the perspective of a teacher, vocabulary development is so important and there are activities that play a major role in the direct and incidental acquisition of vocabulary.
The article- Before/During/After points out that: “This activates the background knowledge of students and also draws attention to the word during reading. After the reading, revisit the term in the context of the article and the school and clarify understanding.” (Before/During/After”, P.3) The participants who aim for vocabulary development are given a list of vocabulary words and are asked to evaluate their familiarity with it. This process is to activate the background knowledge of the participant. Here, the aim is to draw attention to the word during the process of reading.
Phonetics, the science of speech plays an important role in the acquisition of vocabulary. Most of the children acquire the skill of speaking far before acquiring reading and writing skills. So it is evident that the role of phonetics in vocabulary development is not negligible. “First, it is important to realize that individual word recognition is absolutely essential for reading. A person who cannot recognize the great majority of words on a page certainly cannot be reasonably expected to read or understand the text.” (How Phonics Helps Your Child to Read) If one is unable to recognize the words printed on a page, it is difficult to understand the content of the text. So, for effective reading and for effective communication, it is important to acquire vocabulary.
The process of after reading is for evaluation and comparison. During this process, the reader is able to look back to the purpose of reading. Erickson & Hanser points out that: “The main goal is to help the students understand how they achieved the purpose you set while they were reading.” (Erickson & Hanser, 2005) The main goal after reading vocabulary is to make the students understand how they achieve the purpose set before reading.
Evaluation and comparison help the student to evaluate the acquired vocabulary. Vocabulary acquisition and development are able to exert a far-reaching influence on individual development. When an individual is able to add new words to vocabulary, it will increase and develop the skill of communication.
It is evident that reading comprehension enriches one’s vocabulary. Moreover, it influences language proficiency and communication becomes easier. The barriers to communication can be broken through developing vocabulary. Tan Ding-Hua points out that: “Studies prove that there are strong relationships between vocabulary development and reading comprehension. In English, there is a relatively close relationship between vocabulary size and English language proficiency. (Tan Ding-hua, 2007)
Vocabulary development is not a difficult task and it can be acquired through the development of skills like listening, speaking, reading, and writing. So, one can see that the development of vocabulary plays an important role in the development of an individual. The steps before, during, and after reading vocabulary can be considered as a development of an individual through various stages.
Before summing up, it can be seen that lack of vocabulary is considered as an important barrier in inter person and intra person communication. So it is important to add new words to vocabulary and it may play an important role in the development of individuality. Growth and development are different in their function and when we consider both in terms of communication, growth in vocabulary helps the development in better communication.
The third stage in the process of reading vocabulary is so important because it helps the individual to compare the newly acquired vocabulary with already existing vocabulary. Moreover, in reading most of one’s senses are active and it is easier to perceive more information. For further research, all the steps in reading vocabulary can be used. It is so important because the process of reading vocabulary and its development is closely related to human psychology.
So a study to identify the connection between vocabulary and human psychology is possible. Research related to the development in the field of communication can be extended to vocabulary also. So, the future developments in learning vocabulary must be based on the developments in human psychology.
Bibliography
“Feasible ways of vocabulary development in comprehensive reading”, By Tan Ding-hua, 2007, Volume 4. Web.
“Shared Reading”, By Erickson & Hanser, 2005, Pno:4. Web.
“Before/During/After”, P.3. Web.
“Helping Students Learn Vocabulary-Acquisition Skills”. Web.
“How Phonics Helps Your Child to Read”. Web.