Abstract:

Comprehension is the process by which knowledge is acquired through language skills such as listening, reading, and visual reading, using one's mental functions. This process, which has its origins in vocabulary knowledge, turns into a narrative skill when students retell the things they remember orally, in writing, or visually after they read or listen. The aim of this research is to test the role of primary school (4th grade) students’ vocabulary knowledge and comprehension skills on their retelling skills by using different models. The research was carried out in a correlational survey model. The study group consisted of 286 students studying in the fourth grade of primary school. During the data collection process, three illustrated children’s storybooks were used for comprehension and retelling skills. Vocabulary knowledge and listening comprehension skills were treated as independent variables, while the skills of post-listening written, and oral retelling was treated as dependent variables. Different path analysis tests were made by considering vocabulary knowledge in the two dimensions of breadth and depth. According to the research results, firstly, positive and moderately significant relationships were found between the dependent and independent variables. Secondly, the first path model for the independent variables (listening comprehension and depth of vocabulary knowledge) and dependent variables (written and oral retelling) created for fourth-grade primary school students showed acceptable fit values, and the independent variables explained 37% of the variance in the dependent variables. Thirdly, the second path model for the independent variables (listening comprehension and breadth of vocabulary knowledge) and dependent variables (written and oral retelling) created for fourth-grade primary school students showed partially acceptable fit values, and although the independent variables explained 47% of the variance in the dependent variables, the theoretically determined model did not fit the sample data. This is an indication of the difference between the number of words known and how well these words are known and used at the primary school level, which is an important proof of the role of the breadth and depth of vocabulary knowledge along with comprehension skills on retelling skills.

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