Development of an Academic Vocabulary and Morphology Intervention to Enhance Literacy Outcomes for Adolescent English Learners

• In Event: 41.024 - Interventions to Support Literacy Development

Abstract

It is increasingly recognized that many English Learners (ELs) have difficulty with English-language literacy in part because of a lack of familiarity with the lexical, grammatical, and discursive features that are associated with academic language. One aspect of academic language that has been identified as a source of reading difficulty for EL students is academic lexis—or knowledge of general academic vocabulary. A promising pathway for vocabulary growth that has gained attention in recent years is development of morphological analysis. The purpose of this paper is to report on the design of an academic vocabulary and morphology intervention for EL adolescents. In this paper, we report on the Year 1 feasibility test, conducted as part of a three-year development grant.

Authors

• Amy C. Crosson, The Pennsylvania State University

• Margaret G. McKeown, University of Pittsburgh