Assessment and Instruction for Developing Second Graders' Skill in Ascertaining Word Meanings From Context

The vocabulary knowledge of early elementary children is of particular importance because it is predictive of later comprehension skills and academic achievement. Supporting children’s development of skill in using word-learning strategies to ascertain word meanings from context may be a significant way to build their vocabulary knowledge given that most vocabulary is learned incidentally from oral and written contexts. Such support may also help children meet reading and language standards that require them to determine the meanings of unfamiliar words from grade-level texts. However, there is minimal research on how to support young children’s development of this skill. Therefore, there is a need for research on effective instruction in developing this skill and for research on the development of assessments that allow us to better understand the development of this skill. This dissertation consists of two studies written as separate manuscripts. Both manuscripts are focused on young children’s skill in ascertaining unfamiliar word meanings from context as a means to support vocabulary knowledge and reading skills. The first manuscript reports on the development and psychometric testing of the Noticing Unfamiliar Words Assessment (NUWA), an assessment of young children’s skill in noticing unfamiliar words within informational context. This assessment was created to measure noticing unfamiliar words as an underlying skill involved in the process of ascertaining the meaning of unfamiliar words from context. At this time, it is unclear whether skill in noticing unfamiliar words is important to young children’s vocabulary development. Therefore, an assessment that measures this skill in young learners is needed to better understand whether and how noticing unfamiliar words is related to children’s vocabulary development and comprehension skills. The assessment underwent expert review, other processes to establish validity, and revisions prior to being administered to 55 second-grade students. After eliminating poorly functioning items, an exploratory factor analysis was conducted. Results indicated that a 15-item version of the assessment had an adequate fit. The mean inter-item correlation of .31 and the Cronbach’s alpha reliability of .84 suggest that the assessment has adequate internal consistency reliability. The second manuscript reports on the efficacy of a 15-lesson vocabulary intervention designed to develop second graders’ flexibility and independence in using multiple word-learning strategies. Specifically, the lessons teach second graders to notice unfamiliar words and contextual analysis by using four types of context clues (antonym, definition, picture, and synonym clues) to ascertain the meanings of unfamiliar words within informational texts. The study used a randomized controlled trial design to examine the effects of the intervention. The 78 second-grade students who attended schools within high-poverty communities were randomly assigned to receive the vocabulary intervention or to continue to receive business-as-usual instruction. Results indicate that the intervention had positive effects on developing children’s skill in noticing unfamiliar words. However, there was no difference found between the intervention and control group’s performance on a measurement of children’s skill in ascertaining the meaning of unfamiliar words from context. This dissertation contributes to early vocabulary research in that the NUWA may be beneficial to researchers as it provides a tool to further investigate the role of skill in noticing unfamiliar words in children’s vocabulary development. Additionally, educators may find the NUWA and the intervention beneficial for implementing vocabulary instruction that builds children’s capacity in using word-learning strategies during listening and reading activities.PhDEducational StudiesUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/151520/1/cryswise_1.pd