Differential Vocabulary Growth Trajectories Among Adolescent Language-Minority Students: A Two-Year Longitudinal Study

• In Event: Roundtable Session 28
  In Roundtable Session: Research in Vocabulary

Abstract

We investigated general and academic vocabulary growth trajectories of adolescent language minority students across two years. Our sample included 3,653 sixth- to eighth-grade students from an urban school district in California. Our language minority students included initially fluent English proficient (IFEP), redesignated fluent English proficient (RFEP), and limited English proficient (LEP) students. On both vocabulary measures, IFEPs slightly outperformed English-only (EO) students on average, and EO students scored higher than RFEPs and LEPs at baseline. There were differences in the general and academic vocabulary growth trajectories of students by language status. The findings of this study underscore that there indeed are differences within adolescent language minority students and suggest that educators need to take them to consideration in their instruction.

Authors

• Jin Kyoung Hwang, University of California - Irvine

• Joshua Fahey Lawrence, University of California - Irvine

• Catherine E. Snow, Harvard University