A textbook as facilitating or hindering factor of lexical development

In this study lexical complexity of two spelling books has been analyzed in order to determine the level of required semantic knowledge on beginner readers. An emphasis has been put on children’s knowledge and usage of low frequency words contained in these textbooks. The role of these words in the textbooks has been discussed and their significance for the beginner readers. It has been concluded that a large number of low frequency words in the spelling books not only did not contribute to the child’s lexical growth, but posed a big obstacle in the comprehension of the text that has been read.