Children's Vocabulary Knowledge Research Articles

An examination of measures of young children's interest in natural object categories

Developmental research utilizes various different methodologies and measures to study the cognitive development of young children; however, the reliability and validity of such measures have been a critical issue in all areas of research practices. To address this problem, particularly in the area of research on infants' interests, we examined the convergent validity of previously reported measures of children's interests in natural object categories, as indexed by (1) parents' estimation of their child's interest in the categories, (2) extrinsic (overt choices in a task), (3) intrinsic (looking time toward objects), and (4) physiological (pupil dilation) responses to objects of different categories. Additionally, we also examined the discriminant validity of all the aforementioned measures against the well-established and validated measure of parents' estimations of children's vocabulary knowledge. Children completed two tasks: (a) an eye-tracking task, where they were presented with images from a range of defined categories, which collected indices of looking time and pupillary activity; (b) a sticker-choice task, where they were asked to choose between two sticker-images from two different categories belonging to the range of categories assessed in the previous task. Parents completed two questionnaires to estimate (i) their child's interests and (ii) vocabulary knowledge in the categories presented. We first analyzed the discriminant validity between the two parent measures, and found a significant positive association between them. Our successive analyses showed no strong or significant associations between any of our measures, apart from a significant positive association between children's looking time and parents' estimations of children's vocabulary knowledge. From our findings, we conclude that measures of infants' interests thus far may not have sufficient reliability to adequately capture any potential relationship between these measures, or index different components of interest in young children. We suggest next steps for further validation studies in infant research.

Effect of Auditory Recognition on the Vocabulary Knowledge of Children with Functional Articulation Disorder

Effect of Auditory Recognition on the Vocabulary Knowledge of Children with Functional Articulation Disorder

The reciprocal relationship between vocabulary knowledge and word reading in Chinese primary-school children

There may be some mutual promotion between vocabulary knowledge and word reading because the development of either of these leads to a stronger bonding of orthographic, phonological, and semantic information. This study investigated the developmental relationship between vocabulary knowledge and word-reading ability in Chinese. We recruited 204 Mandarin-speaking primary school children in Beijing. Their vocabulary knowledge and word reading were measured from Grades one to three. Cross-lagged modeling analysis was used to investigate the potential bidirectional relationship between their vocabulary knowledge and word reading. Individual differences were found in vocabulary knowledge and word reading from Grades one to three. The children's vocabulary knowledge and word reading predicted each other reciprocally with the autoregressive effects controlled. This evidence provides an insight into the relationship between oral and written word representations in a deep orthography (i.e., Chinese), which is essential for the development of precise models of reading development.

Effects of Dialogic Reading on the Vocabulary Knowledge of Preschoolers with Autism Spectrum Disorder

ABSTRACT Reading comprehension difficulties have been associated with poor vocabulary knowledge of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Research has shown that Dialogic Reading (DR) interventions may remediate these deficits. The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of two DR intervention protocols on the vocabulary knowledge of four preschoolers with ASD and four age-matched typically developing children. The first was RECALL (Reading to Engage Children with Autism in Language and Learning), which combines DR with evidence-based instructional support to enhance the learning of children with ASD. The second was Adapted Shared Reading (ASR), which consisted of DR question prompts and no additional support. Using a randomised ABAB phase-order within series design, eight participants were exposed to at least four RECALL and four ASR treatment phases. This design allows the comparison of two different conditions (A [ASR] and B [RECALL]). Despite both treatments being successful at teaching vocabulary to the eight participants, greater vocabulary gains were identified in the RECALL condition. Adaptations of shared reading and the use of RECALL in inclusive preschool scenarios are further discussed.

Cross-linguistic contributions of acoustic cues and prosodic awareness to first and second language vocabulary knowledge.

Several studies have revealed that prosody contributes to reading acquisition. However, the relation between awareness of prosodic patterns and different facets of language ability (e.g., vocabulary knowledge) in school-age children remains unclear. This study measured awareness of prosodic patterns using non-speech and speech stimuli. Hierarchical regression equations were computed to examine links among auditory cues (e.g., amplitude rise time, pitch contour and interval), language-specific prosodic awareness and children's vocabulary knowledge in Mandarin as a first language (L1) and English as a second language (L2) after controlling for age and nonverbal IQ. Results revealed that (1) amplitude envelope rise time discrimination predicted Mandarin L1 and English L2 vocabulary knowledge, (2) Mandarin tone perception and rhyme awareness did not predict Mandarin L1 vocabulary and (3) English rhyme awareness better predicted English L2 vocabulary than did stress production. Our findings suggest that (1) amplitude rise time, which signals syllable boundaries, is a cross-linguistic predictor of vocabulary knowledge and (2) the development of English L2 vocabulary may depend on phonological more than prosodic awareness.

Feasible Implementation Strategies for Improving Vocabulary Knowledge of High-Risk Preschoolers: Results From a Cluster-Randomized Trial.

Purpose Many children begin school with limited vocabularies, placing them at a high risk of academic difficulties. The goal of this study was to examine the effects of a vocabulary intervention program, Story Friends, designed to improve vocabulary knowledge of at-risk preschool children. Method Twenty-four early-childhood classrooms were enrolled in a cluster-randomized design to evaluate the effects of a revised Story Friends curriculum. In each classroom, three to four preschoolers were identified as having poor language abilities, for a total of 84 participants. In treatment classrooms, explicit vocabulary instruction was embedded in prerecorded storybooks and opportunities for review and practice of target vocabulary were integrated into classroom and home practice activities. In comparison classrooms, prerecorded storybooks included target vocabulary, but without explicit instruction, and classroom and home strategies focused on general language enrichment strategies without specifying vocabulary targets to teach. Intervention activities took place over 13 weeks, and 36 challenging, academically relevant vocabulary words were targeted. Results Children in the treatment classrooms learned significantly more words than children in the comparison classrooms, who learned few target words based on exposure. Large effect sizes (mean d = 1.83) were evident as the treatment group averaged 42% vocabulary knowledge versus 11% in the comparison group, despite a gradual decline in vocabulary learning by the treatment group over the school year. Conclusions Findings indicate that a carefully designed vocabulary intervention can produce substantial gains in children's vocabulary knowledge. The Story Friends program is feasible for delivery in early childhood classrooms and effective in teaching challenging vocabulary to high-risk preschoolers. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.13158185.

Assessing Vocabulary in Deaf and Hearing Children using Finnish Sign Language.

This study investigates children's vocabulary knowledge in Finnish Sign Language (FinSL), specifically their understanding of different form-meaning mappings by using a multilayered assessment format originally developed for British Sign Language (BSL). The web-based BSL vocabulary test by Mann (2009) was adapted for FinSL following the steps outlined by Mann, Roy and Morgan (2016) and piloted with a small group of deaf and hearing native signers (N = 24). Findings showed a hierarchy of difficulty between the tasks, which is concordant with results reported previously for BSL and American Sign Language (ASL). Additionally, the reported psychometric properties of the FinSL vocabulary test strengthen previous claims made for BSL and ASL that the underlying construct is appropriate for use with signed languages. Results also add new insights into the adaptation process of tests from one signed language to another and show this process to be a reliable and valid way to develop assessment tools in lesser-researched signed languages such as FinSL.

Effects of computerized grapho-phonological training on literacy acquisition and vocabulary knowledge in children with an immigrant background learning German as L2

As a consequence of globalization and migration, the number of children receiving literacy instruction in their second language (L2) is high and still increasing. Therefore, teachers need instruction methods that are effective in both L1 and L2 learners. Here, we investigate the effectiveness of a computerized training program combining phoneme perception, phonological awareness, and systematic phonics, in a sample of second-graders (N = 26) instructed in German as L2. Based on prior evidence concerning (1) literacy acquisition in L2 and (2) effects of literacy development on oral language abilities, we expected significant training effects on children’s literacy skills and vocabulary knowledge. The children of the training group worked through the program during school lessons, 20 min per day, for a period of 8 weeks. The controls continued to receive standard classroom instruction. German tests of phonological awareness, reading, spelling, and vocabulary were performed at three time points (pretest, immediate posttest, and follow-up after 9 weeks). Analyses confirmed that improvements in phonological awareness, spelling, and vocabulary between pretest and posttest were stronger in the training group when compared to the controls. For spelling and vocabulary, these effects were still significant at follow-up. Effect sizes were medium to high. For the reading measures, no group differences were found. In sum, the results yield further evidence for the effectiveness of phonics-based literacy instruction in L2 learners, and for the beneficial effects of basic literacy skills on novel word learning.

Bidirectional longitudinal relationship between Chinese children's compounding awareness and vocabulary knowledge from Grades 3 to 6

BackgroundThis study examined the developmental relationship between Chinese children's compounding awareness and vocabulary knowledge following a 4‐year longitudinal design.MethodsA test battery that included measures of vocabulary knowledge, compounding awareness, nonverbal IQ, phonological awareness, rapid automatized naming, orthographic awareness and word reading was administered to 142 Chinese‐speaking students in Grade 3 (T1). In addition, vocabulary knowledge and compounding awareness were followed in Grades 4 (T2) and 6 (T3).ResultsControlling for nonverbal IQ, phonological awareness, rapid automatized naming, orthographic awareness and word reading at the initial level, the structural equation modeling results showed that children's compounding awareness made a significant direct contribution to vocabulary knowledge from T1 to T2. Children's vocabulary knowledge at T1 predicted compounding awareness at T2. However, the paths from vocabulary knowledge at T2 to compounding awareness at T3, and compounding awareness at T2 to vocabulary knowledge at T3, respectively, were not significant. The results suggest a reciprocal relationship between children's compounding awareness and vocabulary knowledge from Grades 3 to 4 in Chinese.ConclusionsThese findings indicate the developmental bootstrapping relationship between Chinese students' compounding awareness and vocabulary acquisition in the middle stages of primary school.

Teaching Vocabulary to Improve Print Knowledge in Preschool Children with Hearing Loss.

The purpose of this article was to examine evidence that (a) published measures may tap different categories of print knowledge and result in disparate findings in the literature, (b) concept vocabulary knowledge in children with hearing loss may exacerbate deficits in conceptual print knowledge, and (c) concept vocabulary can be taught via direct instruction for preschool children with hearing loss. In Study 1, an item analysis of published print knowledge measures was performed to determine the prevalence of concept vocabulary in test items. Additionally, the performance on a conceptual print knowledge measure was compared for preschool children with and without hearing loss. In Study 2, four preschool children participated in a multiple probe across behaviors treatment design to determine if concept vocabulary could be explicitly taught to children with hearing loss. Differences emerged in use of concept vocabulary on test items across the measures, which may explain disparate findings that have been reported in this area. Additionally, children with hearing loss performed lower than children with typical hearing on items that contained concept vocabulary but not on items that did not. Finally, we found initial evidence that direct instruction can improve concept vocabulary for children with hearing loss, and it might not be necessary to separately target each concept category. This series of studies lays groundwork for future research confirming a connection between conceptual print knowledge and conceptual vocabulary knowledge, and offers evidence for intervention that could be used clinically to teach conceptual vocabulary.

A Detailed Analysis of Idioms in Sevim Ak’s Stories

ÖZ: Bir dilin kimliğini oluşturan unsurlar arasında kültür ve söz varlığı gelir. Kültürün izleri söz varlığına, söz varlığındaki değişimler de kültüre yansır. Bu yansımalar incelenerek tarihî süreç içerisinde dilde gerçekleşen değişikler, dilin yapısal özellikleri ve toplumun kültürel değerleri ortaya konabilir. Dili oluşturan söz varlığının kapsamında atasözü, deyim ikileme gibi pek çok dilsel yapı yer alır. Bu yapılar kendini en uygun şekilde sözlü ve yazılı kültür ürünlerinde gösterir. Edebiyat eserlerindeki söz varlığı incelenerek kullanılan dilin düzeyi, dilin yapısı, söz varlığı ögelerinden yararlanıp yararlanılmadığı, kültürel değerlere yer verilip verilmediği gibi durumlar tespit edilebilir. Bu çalışmanın amacı da Türk çocuk edebiyatı yazarlarından Sevim Ak’ın öykülerinde bulunan deyimleri belirlemek; bunların metne sağladığı anlamsal katkıları değerlendirmektir. Kullanım alanının daha geniş olması, günlük yaşamda daha çok yer alması, dil-kültür yapımızla ilgili birçok ipucu sunması bakımından deyimler tercih edilmiştir. Çalışma tarama yönteminin kullanıldığı betimsel bir araştırmadır. Ak’ın 19 öykü kitabı taranarak bunlarda bulunan deyimler saptanmıştır. Bu deyimlerin öykülere kattığı anlamsal değerler yorumlanmıştır. Sonuç olarak yazarın öykülerinde deyimlerden geniş ölçüde yararlandığı; böylelikle anlatımını zenginleştirip özgünleştirdiği; hedef kitlenin sözcük dağarcığı ve kavram dünyasını genişletebilecek nitelik taşıdığı söylenebilir.Anahtar sözcükler: Sevim Ak, çocuk edebiyatı, öykü, deyim

The relationship among home language use, parental beliefs, and Spanish-speaking children's vocabulary

ABSTRACT This study investigated the relationship among home language use, parents’ beliefs about dual language development, and Spanish-speaking children's vocabulary knowledge. Parents (n = 162) completed a questionnaire about their home language use and beliefs about dual language development, and elementary-age children (N = 190) – Kindergarten (M age = 5.71, SD = .56), second grade (M age = 7.52, SD = .31), and fourth grade (M age = 9.35, SD = .45) – completed conceptually-scored vocabulary assessments. Principal component analyses revealed that Spanish-speaking parents’ beliefs about dual language development are heterogeneous. Further, parents’ beliefs can be characterized differently according to their children's English proficiency designations and grade levels. Structural equation modeling analyses revealed that the Bilingual Facility parental belief factor was associated with home language use practices, which in turn were associated with children's vocabulary. However, this association only applied to limited English proficient students and their parents. These results underscore the importance of attending to Spanish-speaking parents’ beliefs, as they appear to relate to home language use practices and, importantly, they also relate to their children's vocabulary achievement.

Examining sociocultural factors in assessing vocabulary knowledge of children from low socio-economic background

ABSTRACT The purpose of this evaluation study was twofold: to evaluate the overall impact of an intensive early childhood literacy project on children’s vocabulary knowledge and to examine the sociocultural context of the vocabulary assessment for the early literacy project. Children’s language development and vocabulary knowledge was measured with PPVT-IV and TOPEL at two time points. Significant gains were found in children’s print knowledge, but no significant difference was found with the definitional vocabulary and phonological awareness. Deductive content analysis was conducted to examine the sociocultural context of the standardized vocabulary test showing discrepancy between children’s responses and standard answers. Results from the current study provide helpful information for researchers to pay closer attention to the cultural and social context beyond the validity and reliability of a standardized assessment.

The effect of linguistic comprehension instruction on generalized language and reading comprehension skills: A systematic review.

The effect of linguistic comprehension instruction on generalized language and reading comprehension skills: A systematic review.

Promoting Low-Income Preschoolers' Vocabulary Learning From Educational Media: Does Repetition Support Memory for Learned Word Knowledge?

Children from diverse backgrounds are able to learn new words from educational media. However, learning is often partial and fragile, leaving much room for uncovering strategies that can increase the efficacy of educational media in supporting children's vocabulary knowledge. The present study investigated one such strategy—repeated viewing of educational media—in a sample of low-income preschoolers. One hundred thirty one preschoolers were randomly assigned to view an educational media clip teaching three vocabulary words in one of three conditions: (a) once, (b) three times in immediate succession (massed repetition), or (c) three times with views spaced 1 hour apart (spaced repetition). Children completed a target vocabulary assessment both immediately after the final view and 1 week later. Results indicate that certain types of word knowledge were supported by repetition, particularly spaced repetition. Children also effectively retained the vocabulary knowledge they acquired from educational media over a 1-week period in all conditions. This suggests that educational media is a strong platform for teaching low-income preschoolers new words, and that spaced repetition might further support low-income preschoolers' vocabulary learning.

The Reading Comprehension and Vocabulary Knowledge of Children with Poor Reading Comprehension despite Adequate Decoding: Evidence from a Regression-Based Matching Approach.

The present study examined the reading comprehension and receptive vocabulary skills of children with poor reading comprehension despite adequate decoding using a regression-based matching technique. Participants included five cohorts of children who were identified as typical readers (N = 70,493 - 75,553) or as children with specific reading comprehension difficulties (N = 480 - 8,717). Across cohorts, children with specific reading comprehension difficulties exhibited oral language difficulties based on a measure of vocabulary; however, the observed weakness in vocabulary was not as severe as their reading comprehension difficulties. Results from the regression-based matching technique suggested that the vocabulary weakness for these children is better characterized as a developmental delay rather than a developmental deficit. This outcome also emerged when more stringent criteria were used to identify subgroups of readers. Although children with poor reading comprehension despite adequate decoding have a weakness in at least one aspect of oral language, their oral language weakness does not account for the severity of their reading comprehension difficulties. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Effects of home language input on the vocabulary knowledge of sequential bilingual children

The current study examined whether the vocabulary skills of sequential bilingual children who learned Cantonese as a home language (L1) and English as a second language (L2) were predicted by the amount of L1 and L2 used at home. Ninety-two preschool children who learned Cantonese as L1 were recruited from a Head Start program. The amounts of L1 and L2 used at home were measured using parent questionnaires. Mixed patterns of L1 and L2 use were found across family members and home activities. After controlling for time spent in preschool, regression analyses showed that the amount of L1 and L2 used by individual family members, with the exception of older siblings, was not significantly linked to children's vocabulary skills. In contrast, the language used during some home activities such as dinner and book reading significantly predicted children's vocabulary knowledge. Implications for family involvement in facilitating children's vocabulary development are discussed.

Effectiveness of a small-group vocabulary intervention programme: evidence from a regression discontinuity design.

Children's vocabulary knowledge is closely related to other measures of language development and to literacy skills and educational attainment. To use a regression discontinuity design (RDD) to evaluate the effectiveness of a small-group vocabulary intervention programme for children with poor vocabulary knowledge. The vocabulary knowledge of children (N = 199) aged 6-9 years was assessed in six classes. Based on scores at the initial assessment, children with low vocabulary scores for their age were assigned to an intervention group (43 children), with the remaining 156 children assigned to a control group. Children in the intervention group received two to three small-group weekly teaching sessions over a 10-week period. All children were retested post-intervention on the same measures of vocabulary knowledge. The intervention group showed significant improvements in their knowledge of the meanings of the taught words at post-test (an additional 3.95 words learned [95% confidence interval (CI) = 2.70-5.20] compared with the control group; d = 1.20), but the effects did not generalize to untaught words. A small-group vocabulary intervention programme is effective for teaching word meanings to 6-9-year-old children with poor vocabulary skills. This study provides further evidence that the RDD is an effective method for evaluating educational interventions.

Selective Difficulties in Lexical Retrieval and Nonverbal Executive Functioning in Children With HbSS Sickle Cell Disease.

Language deficits in multilingual children with sickle cell disease (SCD) are poorly understood. We tested the hypothesis that selective language deficits in this population could relate to an impaired frontal lobe functioning often associated with high-risk homozygous HbS disease (HbSS). In all, 32 children from immigrant communities with HbSS SCD aged 6 to 12 years (mean age = 9.03, n = 9 with silent infarcts) and 35 demographically matched healthy controls (mean age = 9.14) were tested on their naming skills, phonological and semantic fluency, attention, and selected executive functions (response inhibition and planning skills). Analyses of variance showed significant differences between patients and controls in inhibition and planning (p = .001 and .001), and phonological fluency (p = .004). The poorer performance in phonological fluency of the children with SCD was not associated with any visible brain damage to language areas. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that, whereas the control children's vocabulary knowledge explained their performance in the phonological fluency tasks, only inhibition skills accounted for variance in the performance of the children with SCD. These results suggest a selective impairment of verbal and nonverbal executive functioning (i.e., planning, inhibition, and phonological fluency) in children with SCD, with deficits possibly owing to frontal area hypoxia.

Technology‐enhanced storytelling stimulating parent–child interaction and preschool children's vocabulary knowledge

AbstractPreschool children's vocabulary mainly develops verbal through interaction. Therefore, the technology‐enhanced storytelling (TES) activity Jeffy's Journey is developed to support parent–child interaction and vocabulary in preschool children. TES entails shared verbal storytelling supported by a story structure and real‐time visual, auditory and textual prompts on a tablet computer. In this exploratory study, we investigated how TES influenced parent–child interaction and vocabulary. An experimental pretest‐intervention‐posttest design was followed with 44 3‐year‐old children and their parents in the experimental group and 27 peers in the control group. Results revealed that TES stimulated active child involvement and generated parent–child interaction, yet a great variety in TES characteristics both in time spent and usage of prompts was found among participants. Dyads that spent more time on story phases showed more and higher quality parent–child interaction. The usage of prompts was associated with improved parent–child interaction quality. Finally, an effect of TES was evidenced on children's productive vocabulary knowledge. To conclude, this study demonstrates that TES can be considered as a promising context for fostering parent–child interaction and children's vocabulary development.