Vocabulary Knowledge and Syntactic Awareness as Potential Catalysts for Reading Comprehension among Young Jordanian EFL Students

Abstract

This study examines the potential effect of vocabulary knowledge and syntactic awareness on Jordanian ninth grade students’ reading comprehension. The data were collected using pre-/post- reading comprehension, vocabulary, and grammar tests and an interview. The findings reveal significant differences (at α ≤ 0.05) in the students’ reading comprehension scores on the post-test in favor of the experimental group. A number of implications and recommendations for future research are put forth.