What Works to Enhance Lexical Skills: An Umbrella Review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7346/-fei-XXI-02-23_16Keywords:
Lexical competence, Reading skills development, Effective strategies, Lexical interventions, Methodological factors, Instructional factors, Contextual factors, Umbrella review, VocabularyAbstract
Lexical competence is the ability to understand and use words and expressions in a language appropriately. This competence is crucial for text comprehension and the development of reading skills. We conducted an umbrella review with two objectives: to identify effective strategies for enhancing lexical and reading competences, and to assess the methodological, instructional, and contextual factors that contribute to the effectiveness of interventions. Our review includes meta-analyses of experimental studies on the impact of lexical programs and provides insights into the process of searching, selecting, and analyzing these studies. The results of the review demonstrate that lexical interventions have a moderate effect on enhancing lexical and reading abilities, both in the native language and in second language contexts, with variations based on age and program type.
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