Looking at the Sequence of Two Learning Contexts to Foster Vocabulary Acquisition

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Friday 8:00 am Four Seasons Ballroom 4
  In Roundtable Session: Discourse on Learning Environments That Promote Language Learning (Table 7)

Abstract

Acquiring new words is a fundamental component of developing literacy skills. Our research explores the effects of different learning contexts and their sequencing on vocabulary development. In two studies with 1st-and 2nd grade students, students learn words in two environments: the classroom and on a field trip. We examine how the sequencing of these contexts influences learning. The sequence that best supports vocabulary retrieval diverges between study 1 and 2. The nature of words is different in each study. One plausible explanation is that what drives the effectiveness of the sequence is the nature of the words. We ran a study 3 with both types of words to better understand the results. Data analysis for study 3 is currently underway.

Authors

• Ana Saavedra, Stanford University

• Kristen Pilner Blair, Stanford University

• Daniel L. Schwartz, Stanford University