Preschool Teachers’ Metalinguistic Talk That Bolsters Vocabulary Growth

• In Event: Four Studies Adding to the Corpus of Scientifically Based Research About Reading Development and Instruction

Abstract

Vocabulary size in preschool predicts later academic outcomes. Effective teaching in preschool must focus on specific words as well as word learning strategies that emphasize metalinguistic awareness. Few studies explore metalinguistic teacher talk in preschool. Using multilevel modeling, this study analyzed nine teachers’ use of metalinguistic talk with a total of 114 students across 108 observations to predict standardized vocabulary. Qualitative methods captured types of metalinguistic talk and ways teachers used this talk for distinct purposes. Results reveal a positive association between metalinguistic talk and vocabulary outcomes, a typology for metalinguistic preschool talk, and the ways teachers use metalinguistic talk to show words as powerful, challenging, and part of conceptual networks. Implications for the field of vocabulary instruction are discussed.

Authors

• Sabina R. Neugebauer, Temple University

• Lia E. Sandilos, Lehigh University

• Emmaline Ellis, West Chester University of Pennsylvania

• Maria Aguilar Walls, Temple University