Research has documented the large differences in young children's vocabulary knowledge. In light of the strong relationship between vocabulary knowledge and reading comprehension, this gap is particularly worrisome and points to the critical need for well-articulated vocabulary instruction across the grades. The author describes character trait…

To determine the relationship of reading ability to age, sex, Hispanic ethnicity, and majors in economics, political science, history, and psychology, 141 students who completed summer social science courses at a California community college were given the Nelson Denny Reading Test, which scores for vocabulary and comprehension. Of the 141…