Peer-reviewed article

Incidental vocabulary learning through reading in multilingual primary school Children: The Roles of reading Comprehension, contextual Diversity, and contextual informativeness.

Holly Joseph, Jiayin Li, Jeanine Treffers-Daller · 26 Aug 2026

Abstract

Incidental word learning through reading plays a central role in vocabulary development. Multilingual children, for whom English is an additional language, bring relevant language-learning experience to the task of learning new words through reading in English. However, it is not yet known how this learning is shaped by properties of the contexts in which words are encountered, or by reader characteristics such as reading comprehension. This study used eye tracking to examine whether two text-based properties, contextual diversity and informativeness, as well as reading comprehension skill, affect how multilingual children process and learn novel words encountered in text. Fifty children aged 9-11 read sentences containing six unfamiliar low-frequency words over two sessions. Eye movements were recorded during exposure and at pre- and post-exposure, and offline tests measured word form and meaning knowledge. Results showed reliable reductions in reading times across exposures, indicating that multilingual children do learn new words incidentally from text. In addition, reading comprehension was a strong predictor of reading times and of performance in the offline learning tests. Contextual diversity did not reliably enhance learning but the informativeness of contextual information affected reading times, with evidence that the advantage of informative over neutral contexts diminished following repeated exposure. These findings suggest that, in multilingual primary-school children, incidental word learning through reading depends more clearly on reading comprehension skill than on contextual diversity, underscoring the importance of both reader characteristics and the quality of contextual support in vocabulary growth.