Reframing of the Dolch Sight Word List Using Culturally Sustaining Children’s Texts

• In Event: Measuring Reading and Writing Development

Abstract

The Dolch Basic Sight Word (DBSW) list has been the gold-standard tool for determining readers’ sight word automaticity, but it needs to be reexamined for culturally sustaining pedagogical approaches. This study constructed a new contemporary children’s high-frequency word (CCHFW) list using award-winning diverse children’s texts to compare to the DBSW list. Data analysis found a correlation between CCHFW and DBSW ranked lists (p=.801) using Spearman’s Rho. Comparing lists, unique words were determined, and a content linguistic analysis was conducted to examine which parts of speech and thematic patterns of words were included. Findings highlight lexical changes in written text and that assessment tools measuring readers’ sight word vocabularies should be reflective of the contemporary children’s texts that students read.

Authors

• Sarah E. Jerasa, Clemson University

• Laveria Hutchison, University of Houston

• Elisa M. Holcomb, University of Houston

• Tobi Pirolla, Clemson University