Which Words Do Children Learn? Implications for Dual Language Learners and Receptive Picture Vocabulary Assessments

• In Event: 3-070 - Choosing Words to Teach: A Theory-Informed Approach

Integrative Statement

In the design of vocabulary interventions, there is little guidance regarding the best words to teach, especially in preschool (Scott, Lubliner, & Hiebert, 2006). This difficulty is exaggerated for the development of dual language interventions. The intervention featured in the current study was designed to support vocabulary development in Spanish and English. Words were initially selected based on the following criteria: a) they appeared in children’s picture books commonly read to preschool-aged children, b) they aligned with Beck et al.’s (2013) concept of Tier 2 words (e.g., high utility but less common in children’s language), and c) a child-friendly definition could be developed in both Spanish and English. A total of 72 words were selected for instruction, 24 verbs, 24, adjectives, and 24 nouns. Despite best efforts to systematically select words for instruction, their concreteness, imageability, and shape were not evaluated.
Therefore, we applied a perceptual analysis (e.g., shape, concreteness, and imageability) to each of the 72 words taught to preschool-aged Dual Language Learners during an intervention study. Specifically, we hypothesized that children who received the dual language vocabulary instruction would acquire a receptive understanding of the words that were more perceptually accessible than words that were less perceptually accessible.
Method
Eighty-one Hispanic/Latino children attending Head Start preschool served as participants. Children were included in the study if their Spanish language was more developed than their English skills on an expressive vocabulary screening measure. A cluster randomized group design was used to examine differences between treatment and control groups acquisition of taught words. Head Start teachers and teaching assistants delivered daily vocabulary lessons in English and Spanish across three units (A, B, and C) spanning the school year. Spanish and English receptive picture vocabulary tests of the taught words were administered six times across the year: pre/post unit A, pre/post unit B, and pre/post unit C. Each of the 72 words (English and Spanish) was rated according to the Perceptual Accessibility Continuum (PAC) rating system described in Paper 1. We correlated the number of children who learned a word with the PAC rating for the word. Sub analyses were conducted for word form (noun, verb, adjective), for Spanish and English words, and for treatment versus control group.
Results
Preliminary results suggest that words with higher perceptual accessibility ratings were easier for children to learn with the exception of nouns. Explicit instruction of words was applied only to verbs and adjectives, which could account for the differences in acquisition. Some words were rated as more perceptually accessible in English than in Spanish or vice versa. Furthermore, some words were acquired by the control group even though they did not receive explicit instruction on the words. These findings will be discussed in relation to the strengths and weaknesses of picture vocabulary assessments. Finally, findings have implications for the selection of words and word types for teaching dual language learners.

Author

• Trina D. Spencer, University of South Florida
  Presenting Author