Academic Vocabulary in Inquiry-Based Science Classroom Discussion Among Urban School Students

• In Event: 79.050 - MTCC Roundtable Session 36
  In Roundtable Session: 79.050-13 - Literacy Research in Adolescence

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of direct and discussion-based approaches to vocabulary instruction on receptive academic vocabulary in sixth-grade science classes in an urban school. The vocabulary instruction took place in a multi-disciplinary intervention, Dialogic Inquiry for Socioscientific and Conceptual Understanding in School Science (DISCUSS), designed to develop higher-order thinking skills and academic vocabulary. Students engaged in collaborative reasoning discussions and a dialogic inquiry on the public policy for space exploration funding. Finding shows that direct vocabulary instruction and language-rich inquiry-based discussions accelerate gains in receptive general and domain-specific academic vocabulary. The strong gains in receptive academic vocabulary suggest that the novel approach to vocabulary instruction help students internalize vocabulary knowledge and learning skills.

Authors

• Jackie Eunjung Relyea, Harvard University

• Jie Zhang, University of Houston

• Sissy S. Wong, University of Houston

• Ma. Glenda Lopez Wui, University of Houston

• Jennifer Donze, University of Houston