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The Multifaceted Domain of Vocabulary in Writing Indicates Development From Grade 4 to 7
Thu, April 21, 2:30 to 4:00pm PDT (2:30 to 4:00pm PDT), SIG Virtual Rooms, SIG-Vocabulary Virtual Paper Session RoomAbstract
Adolescents’ vocabulary production in their writing performance is rarely assessed in detail. In the study, I analyzed the vocabulary in argumentative essays produced by a cross-sectional sample of 4th-to-7th graders (N = 2,556) in U.S. urban public schools. Essays were rated on five individual measures, each representing a distinct lexical dimension (i.e., diversity, density, rarity, specificity, and academic words). Structural equation modeling results showed that all dimensions except lexical specificity jointly indicated one Vocabulary in Writing (VW) domain. Students at higher grades on average showed statistically significantly higher VW factor scores (p < .001). The current study suggests that VW is a multifaceted domain and that VW may serve as a sensitive measure to detect developmental trends throughout mid-adolescence.