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A Review of the Current Research on Vocabulary Instruction - U.S. ...

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Studies reviewed for this syn<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>sis (c<strong>on</strong>tinued) Appendix<br />

Leung (2008)<br />

<strong>Vocabulary</strong> dimensi<strong>on</strong><br />

An experimental design that explored<br />

young children’s learning <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> scientific<br />

vocabulary, this study focused <strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />

effectiveness <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> retelling and hands-<strong>on</strong><br />

science activities related to c<strong>on</strong>cepts<br />

presented in a book.<br />

Participants<br />

37 preschool children (ages three<br />

to four years) at an urban YWCA<br />

Child Development Center in a<br />

Sou<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>astern state.<br />

Descripti<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> interventi<strong>on</strong><br />

All children participated in book reading<br />

sessi<strong>on</strong>s using informati<strong>on</strong>al text <strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />

science topic <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> light and color. Half <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />

children immediately retold <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> book. All<br />

children were provided with hands-<strong>on</strong><br />

activities after <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> retellings. Thirty-two<br />

targeted words were selected from <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />

three books used for <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> study.<br />

Outcome measures<br />

PPVT-III, EVT, and investigator<br />

designed assessment<br />

Findings<br />

Children who participated in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> book<br />

retellings were better able to explain <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />

meanings <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> targeted words. Study<br />

findings indicate that young children can<br />

learn scientific names for complex c<strong>on</strong>cepts.<br />

McGregor, Sheng,<br />

& Ball (2007)<br />

<strong>Vocabulary</strong> dimensi<strong>on</strong><br />

Semantic and lexical aspects <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> word<br />

learning over time were studied using an<br />

experimental design.<br />

Participants<br />

34 m<strong>on</strong>olingual eight-year-olds were<br />

recruited for this study via a newspaper<br />

advertisement.<br />

Descripti<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> interventi<strong>on</strong><br />

The children participated in vocabulary<br />

less<strong>on</strong>s for four sessi<strong>on</strong>s (three sessi<strong>on</strong>s<br />

during three c<strong>on</strong>secutive weeks and <strong>on</strong>e<br />

sessi<strong>on</strong> <strong>on</strong>e m<strong>on</strong>th later) that focused<br />

<strong>on</strong> 20 words and referents from<br />

foreign cultures.<br />

Outcome measures<br />

EVT; N<strong>on</strong>word Repetiti<strong>on</strong> Test, K-BIT2<br />

Findings<br />

Semantic and lexical knowledge accrued<br />

over time and were maintained after a<br />

<strong>on</strong>e-m<strong>on</strong>th interval. Higher frequency <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />

exposure to <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> targeted words had an<br />

immediate effect <strong>on</strong> semantic learning<br />

and a gradual effect <strong>on</strong> lexical learning.<br />

Frequency <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> exposure to <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> targeted<br />

words coupled with informative c<strong>on</strong>text<br />

promoted semantic learning, suggesting<br />

that speech-language pathologists should<br />

c<strong>on</strong>sider <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> richness <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> learning c<strong>on</strong>text<br />

as well as <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> redundancy <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> exposures to<br />

enhance word learning.<br />

Nash & Snowling (2006)<br />

<strong>Vocabulary</strong> dimensi<strong>on</strong><br />

A study <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> efficacy <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> two forms <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />

vocabulary interventi<strong>on</strong> (definiti<strong>on</strong> method<br />

and <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> c<strong>on</strong>text method).<br />

Participants<br />

24 children aged seven to eight years old,<br />

with poor vocabulary knowledge.<br />

Descripti<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> interventi<strong>on</strong><br />

The children were divided into two groups.<br />

One group was taught new vocabulary<br />

words using definiti<strong>on</strong>s; <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> o<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>r group<br />

was taught a strategy for obtaining word<br />

meaning from written c<strong>on</strong>text.<br />

Outcome measures<br />

BPVS-II, ERNNI, Suffolk Reading Test,<br />

NARA-II, Experimental <strong>Vocabulary</strong><br />

Knowledge, investigator-designed<br />

assessments<br />

Findings<br />

Both groups showed greater knowledge <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />

<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> taught vocabulary directly after<br />

instructi<strong>on</strong>. Three m<strong>on</strong>ths later, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> c<strong>on</strong>text<br />

group showed significantly better expressive<br />

vocabulary knowledge and comprehensi<strong>on</strong><br />

<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> text c<strong>on</strong>taining <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> targeted vocabulary.<br />

14

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