Syntactic parsing ability is strongly correlated with EFL reading rate among Chinese college students in both pretest and posttest¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · causal r1 · q3 · i3 large
Currency · newest study 2018 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i3 Correlation between syntactic parsing ability and reading rate was r = .705 at pretest and r = .802 at posttest, both significant at the .01 level. → Chen et al. 2018 q3 i3 The posttest correlation (r = .802) was at least as strong as the pretest correlation (r = .705), indicating the relationship persisted after instruction. → Chen et al. 2018 (2)

Evidence¶

Chen et al. 2018¶

Xiaokan Chen, Hongmei Li, Min Gui. (2018). Instructional Effects of Syntactic Parsing on Chinese College Students’ EFL Reading Rates. Journal of Education and Training Studies, Vol. 6, No. 11. https://doi.org/10.11114/jets.v6i11.3470

q3 · i3 · causal · r1

Correlational analysis of experimental-group pretest data; 34 participants included after applying the 70% comprehension cutoff. The Pearson correlation of r = .705 was significant at the .01 level, described as "a remarkably strong correlation between syntactic parsing ability and reading rate".

"For the pretest, the correlation coefficient between syntactic parsing ability and reading rate in the pretest was .705, which was significant at the . 01 level."

Chen et al. 2018 (2)¶

Xiaokan Chen, Hongmei Li, Min Gui. (2018). Instructional Effects of Syntactic Parsing on Chinese College Students’ EFL Reading Rates. Journal of Education and Training Studies, Vol. 6, No. 11. https://doi.org/10.11114/jets.v6i11.3470

q3 · i3 · causal · r1

Posttest correlational analysis of the experimental group with 39 participants included after the 70% comprehension cutoff. The Pearson correlation of r = .802 was significant at the .01 level, again described as remarkably high.

"For the posttest, the correlation coefficient between syntactic parsing ability and reading rate in the posttest was .802, significant at the .01 level, which again indicates a remarkably high correlation between syntactic parsing ability and reading rate."

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Reading and Language — predictor: learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
• Syntax — predictor: learners who differ on it differ in outcomes

Related Claims¶

• Chinese college EFL students read at about 130wpm before instruction, far below fluent L1 reading rates of 250-300wpm — related
• Interviewed students held positive attitudes toward syntactic parsing instruction and reported benefits including faster reading and greater confidence with long complex sentences — related
• Experimental-group students' syntactic parsing ability improved significantly from pretest to posttest after the 12-week instruction — related
• A 12-week syntactic parsing instruction produced a significantly greater reading-rate gain in the experimental group than in the control group (Cohen's d = 0.52) — related