Factors Affecting Guessing Vocabulary in Context

Low frequency words at two different densities in a text were replaced by nonsense words. The subjects were asked to guess the meanings of these words by using context clues. The results were analysed to see what factors affected difficulty of guessing. Words in the low density text (1 unknown word in 25) were easier to guess than words in the high density text (1 word in 10). Verbs were easier to guess than nouns, which were easier than adverbs and adjectives. The subjects were divided into proficiency levels according to their success at guessing. Groups of learners at high proficiency levels could successfully guess 85% to 100% of the unknown words. The group of learners at the lowest proficiency level tested guessed be tween 30% and 40% of the unknown words. From the results, it seems that learning the word guessing skill is best done by the class as a whole rather than individually. At first learners should work on verbs and nouns with plenty of understand able context. Research needs to be done on the effects of repetition on guessing, the types of words that learners need to guess, and the effect of teaching on improvement of the guessing skill.