Lexize

A test to quickly assess vocabulary knowledge in Finnish

Bibliographic Data

ID21392087
AuthorsRosa Salmela (0000-0002-4781-8649, Department of Psychology Åbo Akademi University Turku Finland, corresponding author), Minna Lehtonen (0000-0002-6137-8854, Department of Psychology and Speech‐Language Pathology University of Turku Turku Finland), STEFANO GARUSI (Department of Psychology Åbo Akademi University Turku Finland), Raymond Bertram (0000-0002-2709-3644, Department of Psychology and Speech‐Language Pathology University of Turku Turku Finland)
Year2021
Volume62
Issue6
Pages806-819
Publication date2021-12-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueScandinavian Journal of Psychology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0036-5564 • E-ISSN: 1467-9450
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/sjop.12768
PMID34423430
OpenAlexW3194950466
LanguageEN
Citations received7
References cited47

Proficiency in a language is strongly related to how well and how many words one knows. Vocabulary knowledge correlates with reading comprehension and general communication ability. Due to the increasing amount of research within the field of psycholinguistics and second language acquisition in Finnish, a standardized test to objectively measure Finnish vocabulary knowledge is called for. Lexize is such a test. It was modeled after LexTALE (Lemhöfer & Broersma, Behaviour Research Methods, 44:325–343, 2012), which was developed to measure vocabulary knowledge of English as a second language using visual lexical decision (VLD). Lexize is a VLD‐based online test for Finnish that consists of 102 items. By comparing performance of L1 and L2 speakers of Finnish, Lexize was validated, returning considerable differences between test scores in native and non‐native speakers. For non‐native speakers there was a large range of test scores, correlating strongly with exposure to Finnish and self‐ratings. In native speakers, test scores correlated with self‐ratings, Finnish school grades, and age. In this group, higher Lexize scores were associated with a higher education level. We conclude that Lexize is a useful tool to assess Finnish vocabulary knowledge for non‐native speakers and to some extent for native speakers. Lexize is available for free use at https://psyk.abo.fi/LexizeWeb

Cognition · First language · Language assessment · Language proficiency · Linguistics · Mathematics education · Psycholinguistics · Reading (process) · Reading comprehension · Test (biology) · Vocabulary · Vocabulary development · Psychology · Reading and Literacy Development · Second Language Acquisition and Learning · Text Readability and Simplification

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