Word Learning through Reading
From when we learn to read, texts are an important source of new vocabulary. For this vocabulary knowledge to be of high quality, we must have good representations of the orthography (spelling), phonology (sound), and semantics (meaning), and robust links between these different types of word knowledge. This project, funded by Aston University, investigates how reading promotes high quality vocabulary knowledge and how different factors affect word learning. These factors include the amount of exposure, reading ease (how easy/difficult the spelling-to-sound relationships are), and the diversity of contexts in which new words are encountered. This research is being conducted by Dr. Rachael Hulme (Research Fellow) together with Dr. Laura Shapiro and Dr. Jo Taylor.