抄録
Text sentences are connected to each other by meaningful relations, which are the key for constructing coherent text comprehension. This study focused on the role of semantic relations between sentences in second language (L2) reading and aimed to replicate the author’s previous study. The following hypothesis that emerged from the original study’s finding was examined: The facilitation effect of sentence semantic relations on L2 text memory increases with learners’ reading skill levels. The treatment condition of the original study was altered by manipulating another text variable (i.e., causal relations of sentences) between participants, rather than within individual participants. Except for this, the current study followed the materials and procedure of the original study; participants read paired sentences that varied in their semantic relatedness as assessed by a computational method, and they then engaged in a cued recall task. The results of recall performance continued to support the original finding, suggesting that the interaction effect of semantic relations and L2 reading skills on text memory is robust enough to be replicated regardless of the treatment conditions. This finding provides further evidence for the role of semantic relations in L2 text comprehension as well as theoretical implications for L2 reading and development.
