, Richard Sinatra

This mixed methods counterbalanced study compared the gain score means of two different approaches to vocabulary acquisition – Vocabulary Theater (VT) and Teacher Directed Instruction (TDI) for 8th grade students from three schools in New York. The purpose of the study was to explore the effects of a peer teaching approach on students ’ vocabulary development. Students in the VT condition were instructed to take ownership of their words by teaching them to their peers. They received both linguistic and non-linguistic representations of 30 Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) words over a three-week period, while the TDI condition students were instructed over the same three-week period to define the same 30 SAT words through the use of a dictionary and then use the words in sentences. The study’s counterbalanced design ensured that all students received each vocabulary condition. Students were given a pre- and posttest to examine their level of vocabulary acquisition in each condition. A survey given to the students in the VT condition revealed that on average 43 % of the students were totally unfamiliar with the words presented, 14 % had an associative connection with the words presented and 13 % were very familiar with the words. Qualitative data were collected from all three schools in the form o