The Role of Orthography and Morphology in Vocabulary Learning Purposes

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 6
  In Roundtable Session: Innovative Instruction and Technology for Fostering Vocabulary

Abstract

The current study examined whether the presence of English word spellings or drawing attention to word parts of morphologically complex words would boost memory of word meanings and spellings in upper elementary grade students. Thirty-seven fourth graders learned 12 unfamiliar words in one of three conditions: spellings, spellings with attention to morphemes, or no spellings. Half words were morphologically simple and half were morphologically complex. Results revealed that students learned the meanings and spellings better when spellings were present. No advantage of drawing attention to morphemes in producing orthographic facilitation was found. The findings demonstrate that the extent of orthographic facilitation varies by morphological complexity of words. Implications for vocabulary learning theories and the facilitative role of orthography were discussed.

Authors

• Jie Zhang, University of Houston

• Huan Zhang, University of Houston

• Jackie Eunjung Relyea, North Carolina State University

• Yan Yan, University of Houston

• Ma. Glenda Lopez Wui, Ateneo de Manila University

• Rosa Nam, Clark University

• Araceli Enriquez-Andrade, University of Houston

• Xuan Li, University of Houston

• Neha Anand, University of Houston

• Lana Kharabi-Yamato, University of Houston