To what extent does the vocabulary gap impact on individual children’s in class engagement and overall attainment?

This study aimed to understand to what extent having a vocabulary gap impacted on individual children’s in class engagement and overall attainment, in a small rural school in West Sussex. There are a number of factors which influence children’s vocabulary knowledge, use and acquisition which were investigated as a result of the literature review: gender; disadvantage; and technology. To conduct the research, staff interviews, parent/carer questionnaires, a group discussion with children, and classroom observations were used as the methods to collect data, in order to triangulate findings to answer the research question. This study showed that boys were more at risk than girls of having a vocabulary gap, demonstrating less interest in reading, that they are less willing to take risks than girls in their language use, and having a lower perceived engagement rate with schoolwork during the coronavirus pandemic. The data also found that boys used technology for much longer periods of time than girls and exhibited more technical vocabulary. The research highlighted that coming from a disadvantaged background has a significant impact on individual children’s vocabulary knowledge and use. Finally, the study found that having a vocabulary gap has a direct impact on children’s engagement in class. The research leads to recommendations regarding further action that can be taken to address the vocabulary gap amongst children