The Development of an Assessment of Children's Ability to Ascertain Unfamiliar Word Meanings From Context

• In Event: 34.030 - New Developments in Vocabulary and Concept Teaching and Learning

Abstract

The ability to learn word meanings from context is an important aspect of children’s vocabulary and literacy development. The Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy feature standards that expect K – 12 students to demonstrate this ability. This study details the development and analysis of an assessment that measures children’s ability to ascertain the meaning of unfamiliar words from sentential and pictorial context. Literacy researchers and primary-grade teachers were consulted in developing the items. The assessment was administered to142 first- and second-grader students. A confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the 15-item assessment had an adequate fit to the data and strong internal consistency. The assessment may be a useful tool for future educational and research applications.

Author

• Crystal Wise, University of Michigan