Wong Mei-kiu. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 100-107). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS --- p.i / ABSTRACT (English version) --- p.ii / ABSTRACT (Chinese version) --- p.iii / TABLE OF CONTENTS --- p.iv-v / LIST OF TABLES --- p.vi / Chapter 1. --- INTRODUCTION --- p.1 / Chapter 1.1 --- Background and the Problem --- p.1 / Chapter 1.2 --- Purpose of the Study --- p.3 / Chapter 1.3 --- Significance of the Study --- p.4 / Chapter 2. --- REVIEW OF THE RELATED LITERATURE --- p.5 / Chapter 2.1 --- Second Language Vocabulary Acquisition --- p.5 / Chapter 2.1.1 --- Mechanisms of Processing and the Retention of Words --- p.6 / Chapter 2.1.2 --- Approaches to Second Language Vocabulary Acquisition --- p.8 / Chapter 2.1.2.1 --- Implicit Learning of Vocabulary --- p.9 / Chapter 2.1.2.2 --- Explicit Learning of Vocabulary --- p.11 / Chapter 2.1.2.3 --- Implicit versus Explicit Learning of Vocabulary --- p.12 / Chapter 2.2 --- Significance of Affix Learning in the Learning of Vocabulary --- p.14 / Chapter 2.2.1 --- Definition and related concepts of ´بAffix´ة --- p.14 / Chapter 2.2.2 --- Importance of Morphological Knowledge in Learning Vocabulary --- p.18 / Chapter 2.2.2.1 --- Proportion of Affixed Words --- p.19 / Chapter 2.2.2.2 --- Functions of Affixes --- p.20 / Chapter 2.2.2.3 --- Relationship between Affix Knowledge and Vocabulary Size --- p.25 / Chapter 2.2.2.4 --- Empirical Studies on Affix Learning --- p.27 / Chapter 2.2.3 --- Explicit Learning of Affixes --- p.35 / Chapter 2.2.3.1 --- Procedure for Learning Affixes --- p.36 / Chapter 2.2.3.2 --- Difficulties in Learning Affixes --- p.36 / Chapter 3. --- METHODOLOGY --- p.40 / Chapter 3.1 --- Research Design --- p.40 / Chapter 3.2 --- Subject Selection --- p.41 / Chapter 3.3 --- Materials --- p.43 / Chapter 3.4 --- Pilot Study --- p.48 / Chapter 3.4.1 --- Aim --- p.48 / Chapter 3.4.2 --- Methodology --- p.49 / Chapter 3.4.2.1 --- Subject Selection --- p.49 / Chapter 3.4.2.2 --- Procedure --- p.50 / Chapter 3.4.3 --- Comments on the Pilot Study and Improvements made after the Pilot Study --- p.54 / Chapter 3.4.3.1 --- Comments on the Procedure --- p.54 / Chapter 3.4.3.2 --- Comments on the Materials --- p.55 / Chapter 3.5 --- Procedure of the Research --- p.59 / Chapter 4. --- RESULTS AND DISCUSSION --- p.64 / Chapter 4.1 --- Treatment of Data --- p.64 / Chapter 4.2 --- Findings of the Experiment --- p.65 / Chapter 4.2.1 --- Test Results --- p.66 / Chapter 4.2.2 --- Questionnaires --- p.71 / Chapter 4.2.3 --- Classroom Observation --- p.80 / Chapter 4.2.4 --- Summary of the Research Findings --- p.81 / Chapter 4.3 --- Discussion of the Findings --- p.82 / Chapter 5. --- CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS --- p.94 / Chapter 5.1 --- Conclusions --- p.94 / Chapter 5.2 --- Implications --- p.96 / Chapter 5.3 --- Limitations and Suggestions for Further Research --- p.97 / REFERENCES --- p.100-107 / APPENDICES / Appendix 1 Previous Studies on the Effectiveness of Affix Learning --- p.108 / Appendix 2 Test items and Distractors --- p.109-117 / Appendix 3 Background Questionnaire for the Research --- p.118 / Appendix 4 Follow-up Questionnaire for the Research --- p.119 / Appendix 5 The 36 Word Target Vocabulary for the Research --- p.120 / Appendix 6 Prefixes and Suffixes for the Experimental Group in the Research --- p.121 / Appendix 7a Background Questionnaire for the Experimental Groupin the Pilot Study --- p.122 / Appendix 7b Background Questionnaire for the Control Group in the Pilot Study --- p.123 / Appendix 8 Follow-up Questionnaire for the Pilot Study --- p.124 / Appendix 9 The 12 Target Words for the Pilot Study --- p.125 / Appendix 10 Procedure of the Research --- p.126 / Appendix 11 Samples of the Exercises --- p.127-128

A lack of research in adult literacy for both native speakers and speakers of English as a second language led to the development of the Test of Affixes in Syntactic Structures (TASS) for use in a pilot study (Dogger, January 1978) in which knowledge of derivational morphology was tested to determine its possible relationship with reading for English as a second language students. Test construction was followed by a thorough verification procedure which is the purpose of this study. In September 1978 the following measures of test strength were established: construct validity, content validity, item difficulty, item discrimination, internal consistency, rational equivalence, and concurrent validity. The degree of relationship between reading proficiency, as demonstrated by subject performance on the Iowa Silent Reading Test, Level III (ISRT,III), and knowledge of derivational affixes, as demonstrated by subject performance on TASS, was also established. Results show that successful performance on the ISRT, III includes reading strategies beyond those required for successful performance on TASS. In other words, mastery of language structures as represented by English orthography is necessary but not sufficient for college-level reading proficiency.