Teachers’ Instructional Strategies for Supporting Preschoolers’ Vocabulary Development: How Much, What Kind, and How Deep?

• In Event: Vocabulary Research

Abstract

Vocabulary instruction can exert an influence on young, preliterate children’s vocabulary size, but there is very little research investigating the state of vocabulary instruction our earliest educational settings-preschool. Not only is it important to determine the amount of vocabulary instruction happening, it is also critical to assess the quality of that instruction. This study addresses this issue by analyzing the amount, type, and quality of the support for vocabulary development occurring in 10 preschool classrooms serving low-income populations in the Northeast. It is critical to gain insight into this issue if we are to begin to narrow gaps between children from different socioeconomic backgrounds prior to kindergarten entry, so that all children begin formal schooling prepared to succeed.

Author

• Julie Dwyer, Boston University