Abstract
The history of vocabulary research has specified a rich and complex construct, resulting in calls for vocabulary research, assessment, and instruction to take into account the complex problem space of vocabulary. At the intersection of vocabulary theory and assessment modeling, this paper suggests a suite of modeling techniques that model the complex structures present in vocabulary data in ways that can build an understanding of vocabulary development and its links to instruction. In particular, we highlight models that can help researchers and practitioners identify and understand construct-relevant and construct-irrelevant aspects of assessing vocabulary knowledge. Drawing on examples from recent research and from our own three-year project to develop a standardized measure of language and vocabulary, we present four types of confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) models: single-factor, correlated-traits, bi-factor, and tri-factor models. We highlight how each of these approaches offers particular insights into the complex problem space of assessing vocabulary in ways that can inform vocabulary assessment, theory, research, and instruction. Examples include identifying construct-relevant general or specific factors like skills or different aspects of word knowledge that could link to instruction while at the same time preventing an overly-narrow focus on construct-irrelevant factors like task-specific or word-specific demands. Implications for theory, research, and practice are discussed.
Highlights
Vocabulary, “the body of words in a given language” [1] is a deceptively complex concept.The term ‘vocabulary’ can describe the words an individual recognizes, the words an individual can produce and use, the words that are being learned, as well as the words outside of an individual’s understanding
We argue that vocabulary assessment is grossly undernourished, both in its theoretical and practical aspects—that it has been driven by tradition, convenience, psychometric standards, and a quest for economy of effort rather than a clear conceptualization of its nature and relation to other aspects of reading expertise, most notably comprehension.” [2] (p. 282)
More complex confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) can be readily specified, but for the purposes of this paper we focus on four types: (1) the single-factor model, (2) the correlated trait model, (3) the bi-factor model, and (4) the tri-factor model
Summary
The term ‘vocabulary’ can describe the words an individual recognizes (i.e., receptive vocabulary), the words an individual can produce and use (i.e., productive vocabulary), the words that are being learned (i.e., vocabulary learning), as well as the words outside of an individual’s understanding. It can describe a broad group of words (i.e., general vocabulary) or a more specific set of words (i.e., academic vocabulary;) or a further specific domain of words (i.e., discipline-specific academic words like those used in science) or even a specific group of words (i.e., weather vocabulary).
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