Morphological Awareness Intervention Research Articles

A Literature Review of Morphological Awareness Interventions and the Effects on Literacy Outcomes

Ten morphological awareness intervention studies, conducted in English with students in kindergarten through 12th grade between 2008 and 2020, were synthesized in this article. Research in the studies focused on the effects of morphological awareness intervention on literacy outcomes of students who struggle with reading and writing—including students with disabilities. The 10 studies included a total of 411 participants ranging from kindergarten to 12th grade. All 10 studies used an experimental pre/post-test design to determine growth in morphological awareness as well as assessed areas in word identification, spelling, reading comprehension, vocabulary, and written composition. The assessments across the studies varied and included standardized and nonstandardized measures. Effect sizes for standardized measures ranged from 0.0 to 0.97. Effect sizes for nonstandardized measures ranged from −0.03 to 2.96. Results indicate that morphological instruction, including short-term interventions, is beneficial to students at risk of future reading difficulties.

The Transfer Effect of Vocabulary and Morphological Awareness Intervention on Narrative Ability in Kindergarteners

The Transfer Effect of Vocabulary and Morphological Awareness Intervention on Narrative Ability in Kindergarteners

The Impact of Morphological Awareness Intervention in Enhancing L2 Postgraduate Students’ Productive Vocabulary Breadth

The significance of vocabulary knowledge in academic development and having a sufficient vocabulary in language learning cannot be overstated. Research has shown that postgraduate students studying English as a second language (L2) lack vocabulary and require improving it. This research study was conducted to investigate the role of morphological awareness and its relation to productive vocabulary breadth and explore the function of teaching L2 postgraduate students in intervention for improving their productive vocabulary breadth. Thirty L2 postgraduate participants were involved in an intervention. The intervention included 11 sessions of morphological awareness instructions. The students’ morphological awareness was tested using the Morphological Identification Test (MIT) and the Morphological Structure Awareness Test (MSAT), while productive vocabulary breadth was tested using the Productive Vocabulary Level Test (PVLT). A significant relationship was found between morphological awareness and productive vocabulary breadth. The synthetic aspect of morphological awareness was more closely related to the participants’ productive vocabulary breadth than the analytic aspect. The morphological awareness intervention was effective and beneficial in increasing the students’ productive vocabulary breadth. The results may indicate the benefits of teaching and learning morphology to L2 postgraduate students, especially for effective vocabulary building.

Developing a morphological awareness intervention through inquiry‐based learning

Secondary school students are increasingly exposed to texts containing morphologically complex words. Morphological knowledge may help with understanding those words. Appropriate educational materials to teach morphological awareness (MA) are scarce. A design-based approach was used to develop an MA-intervention for Dutch secondary school students. We (1) analysed the aforementioned problem through semi-structured discussions with teachers and a review of previous MA-intervention research; (2) developed a prototype of an MA-intervention in collaboration with teachers; (3) evaluated materials from Step 2 quantitatively through a pilot study with seventh grade students (N = 60) and qualitatively through a semi-structured discussion with teacher educators (N = 4); and (4) reflected on the proposed design principles. Insights obtained from teachers and the literature were implemented in our MA-intervention. Students' performance was related to a measure of general language proficiency. Finally, teachers, students, and teacher educators pointed out several strengths and weaknesses of the intervention. The present study highlights the importance of the following design principles: focus on the patterns in morphology in order for students to explicate their morphological knowledge, suitability of the intervention for students with varying levels of language proficiency, and availability of training and background information about MA for teachers. Collaborating with teachers provided indispensable insights into students' needs, knowledge of MA, how MA-interventions can be implemented and matched to teachers' pedagogical expertise and experience.

The impact of a naturalistic intervention on preschool children’s morphological awareness development

This study evaluated the effectiveness of a morphological awareness intervention delivered by preschool teachers in the naturalistic setting of their classrooms. The participants were 162 Portuguese children, attending kindergarten who were allocated as groups to experimental and control conditions. The former group was the object of six-weeks morphological awareness intervention anchored on explicit discussions about the morphological structure of words appearing in selected storybooks. The control group received normal curriculum activities. Results showed strong to high effect sizes on morphological awareness post-test abilities of children in the experimental group related to identifying words of the same “family”, interpreting the meaning of stems and affixes in morphologically structured pseudowords and finding the base word in derived or inflected stimuli, after controlling for age, cognitive ability, vocabulary, pre-test phonological and morphological results. The relevance of developing tools that help preschool children to consciously manipulate morphemes as meaningful building blocks of words, in partnership with preschool teachers, is proposed.

The effects of a gamified morphological awareness intervention on students' cognitive, motivational and affective outcomes

AbstractPurpose: Morphological awareness (MA), the ability to reflect on and manipulate the smallest language units within a word, has been identified as an essential metalinguistic awareness to predict literacy development. In this study, we examine whether an online gamified English MA programme is more effective than physical face‐to‐face instruction in terms of cognitive, motivational and affective learning outcomes. Method: We applied a quasi‐experimental design using a sample of 33 students in an intervention group (gamified MA programme) and 49 in a control group (face‐to‐face programme). Both programmes were 8 hours in duration (30 minutes/session for 16 sessions). Students' cognitive, motivational and affective learning outcomes were evaluated before and after delivery of the programmes. We took an exploratory sequential mixed‐methods approach, in which qualitative data from semi‐structured interviews were used to validate the quantitative results. Results: The intervention group performed significantly better than the control group in MA and intrinsic motivation. No differences were found for word reading, reading comprehension or affective engagement. The qualitative analyses of the interview responses revealed in detail the students' perceptions of gamified learning. Conclusion: The findings provide evidence for the beneficial effects of gamified learning experiences in terms of cognitive and motivational outcomes in comparison to face‐to‐face instruction. Practitioner notesWhat is already known about this topic Morphological awareness (MA) is identified as a crucial reading‐related skill that relates to students' word reading and reading comprehension. However, few studies can be found that have investigated the use of gamification to teach MA. Gamification is emerging as a popular approach to motivate learners and facilitate learning. However, limited evidence has been presented of its effects on students' cognitive, motivational and affective outcomes, and no clear theoretical framework for gamified MA learning designs has been established. What this paper adds In this study, the effects of gamified and face‐to‐face morphology programmes were compared. Self‐determination theory was applied to gamification design and the meta design theory ‘First Principles of Instruction’ was applied in the development of online MA activities. Gamified morphology programme is more effective than a face‐to‐face programme on students' cognitive and motivational outcomes. Implications for practice and/or policy This study advances the pedagogical design of gamified learning, which can be applied to the teaching of reading‐related skills such as MA. Both appropriate uses of game design elements and theory‐driven instructional design are important to the success of gamified learning. Future studies should investigate the design of gamification that encourage collaboration and support low‐achieving students.

Supporting Content and Disciplinary Literacy Success for Adolescents With LLD: A Blended and Contextualized Morphological Awareness Strategy Approach

Purpose: As adolescents progress through the upper grades, reading and writing demands become increasingly challenging for students with and without a language and literacy deficit (LLD). The literacy education community recommends that reading and writing instruction be infused in the academic curriculum and emphasizes disciplinary literacy practices. Disciplinary literacy may be too advanced for adolescents with LLD who have not yet mastered foundational written language skills. Method: A discussion is provided for how general strategy instruction, also referred to as a content area or a content literacy approach, might be integrated with disciplinary literacy practices for adolescents with and without LLD. We specifically present how morphological awareness intervention, with an explicit focus on meaning structure and related language analysis of words, can be linked to learning academic vocabulary. Our blended approach includes both content and disciplinary literacy strategies in the context of the academic science curriculum. Conclusions: Adolescents with and without LLD require ongoing support of their literacy development well beyond the elementary school years. It is important that this support include not only mastery of foundational general strategies to access complex text content in a proficient manner but also active and explicit reflection on the social complexities of text as it relates to specific disciplines. Together, such instruction and intervention, when directly applied to the academic curriculum, can help older students of all abilities achieve the optimal comprehension and learning required for academic success.

Morphological Awareness: A Tool to Promote Reading Fluency and Accuracy in Hebrew in Students with Reading Disabilities

AbstractThe effectiveness of a morphological awareness (MA) intervention program on reading fluency and accuracy performance was examined in 40 students with reading disabilities in fourth to sixth grade, ranging in age from nine to 12 years old (M = 10.51, SD = 0.89). The study used an experimental pre–post design consisting of a morphological intervention group and a comparison group. Students participating in the 15‐week intervention program showed an advantage over comparison group students in all measures. Their improvement in MA resulted in a better reading fluency and accuracy performance as well as a significant change in reading level according to national norms. The results suggest that disabled readers can benefit from morphological intervention and use morphological cues in reading.

The Effect of a Morphological Awareness Intervention on Early Writing Outcomes

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a morphological awareness intervention on the spelling and writing of second-grade ( n = 16) and third-grade ( n = 10) students at risk for learning disabilities. The intervention was provided for 25 min per session 4 to 5 times per week for 5 weeks. Students were randomly assigned to the intervention ( n = 13) or comparison ( n = 13) condition. Students were pre- and posttested using standardized tests of spelling and writing and were progress monitored twice weekly with a curriculum-based measure of writing. Intervention effects were measured using a univariate analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) on each outcome. Growth on the progress monitoring task was measured using hierarchical linear modeling (HLM). Results indicated the intervention did not have a significant effect on outcomes but a moderate positive effect was detected on writing. Practical applications including intervention revisions and feasibility of use are discussed.

Improving the Derivational Morphological Skills of a Ninth Grader With Language and Reading Disabilities: A Public School Case Study

Purpose This article details the implementation of a morphological awareness intervention program to improve the use and spelling of derivational suffixes (e.g., the “ful” in careful) for a 9th-grade student with a language impairment and reading disability in a public school setting. Method The unpublished morphological intervention program was implemented via a 30-min, once-weekly therapy schedule across 10 weeks. Careful data collection, which included establishment of stable baseline performance on a morphological measure prior to treatment and administration of the same measure during and after intervention, was utilized to measure progress over time. Additionally, pre- and posttreatment measures of morphological awareness and social validity were also administered. Results The participant demonstrated an increase in correct use and spelling of targeted derivational suffixes, and social validity data provided qualitative support of treatment outcomes. Conclusion The treatment program and data collection were successfully conducted in a high school setting and within the confines of a typical public school speech therapy schedule and caseload.

Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Morphological Awareness Intervention

Researchers have established that morphological awareness is an important skill because it contributes unique variance to word-level reading and reading comprehension; however, few studies include students with reading disorders. The purpose of this pilot study was to investigate whether training morphological awareness would improve morphological awareness skills of students with reading disorders. Ten students were administered four morphological awareness tasks pre and post treatment. Treatment focused on increasing students’ awareness of affixes through oral and written activities. Results revealed a significant group difference on one of the morphological awareness tasks ( d = 2.58). Because this was an underpowered pilot study, effect sizes were calculated for all morphological awareness tasks and ranged from 0.28 to 2.58. Although not significant, the effect sizes across tasks offer promise to support a fully powered intervention study. Specific student diagnostic assessment information was included because interventions may have differential effects depending on the students’ strengths and weaknesses.

Morphological Awareness Intervention to Improve Vocabulary and Reading Success

The application of a morphological awareness strategy can be used to improve vocabulary and reading skills in school-age students. The purpose of this article is to briefly review the evidence for using a morphological awareness strategy and provide an example for how a speech-language pathologist can integrate such a skill in practice.

Morphological Awareness Intervention

We investigated the effect of a morphological awareness intervention on the morphological awareness and reading skills of a 6-year-old student who was struggling with early reading skills and had a history of speech and language impairment. We conducted a 7-week intervention designed to increase the student’s awareness of affixes and the meaning relations between base words and their inflected and derived forms. The student received twenty-five, 35-min sessions, typically receiving three to four sessions per week. Results revealed clinically relevant gains in morphological awareness abilities and word-level (sight word) reading skills. Gains were noted in pseudoword reading and reading comprehension, but they did not reach clinically relevant levels. The results of our case study suggest that our relatively short, but somewhat intensive, morphological awareness intervention led to clinically relevant gains in morphological awareness skills and word-level reading abilities for our 6-year-old student with a history of speech and language impairment. Initial clinical implications, limitations of the study, and research suggestions are discussed.

Morphological awareness assessment and intervention to improve language and literacy.

Morphological awareness positively influences language and literacy development and may be an ideal intervention focus for improving vocabulary, sight word reading, reading decoding, and reading comprehension in students with and without language and literacy deficits. This article will provide supporting theory, research, and strategies for implementing morphological awareness intervention with students with language and literacy deficits. Additionally, functional connections are explored through the incorporation and application of morphological awareness intervention in academic literacy contexts linked to Common Core State Standards.

Using morphological awareness instruction to improve written language skills.

Written English is a morphophonemic language. Researchers have documented that a conscious awareness of the morphological structure of English morphology is predictive of students' written language skills and that morphological awareness instruction leads to improvements in morphological awareness and in other written language skills. The purpose of this tutorial is to provide specific information to clinical scientists and other educators for integrating morphological awareness instruction into their written language instruction. The authors first define morphological awareness and provide an overview of the research on the effects of morphological awareness intervention on improving morphological awareness and written language skills. Measures used to assess morphological awareness ability are then discussed, followed by suggestions for how clinical scientists and other educators can provide morphological awareness instruction to improve the written language skills of the students they serve. By integrating morphological awareness instruction into the services they provide, clinical scientists and other educators will be providing their students with a strong tool to aid written language skills.

Morphological Awareness Intervention With Kindergarteners and First and Second Grade Students From Low SES Homes

We investigated the efficacy of a morphological awareness intervention on the morphological awareness and reading skills of students from low-socioeconomic-status homes; we also examined whether the intervention was similarly effective for intervention students who differed in their initial morphological awareness abilities. The 8-week intervention was designed to increase awareness of affixes and the relations between base words and their inflected and derived forms for kindergarteners (n = 27) and first- (n = 22) and second-grade (n = 26) students. Students randomly assigned to the small group intervention were provided instruction four times a week, 25 min a day, whereas students assigned to the control group received “business as usual.” Kindergarten and first- and second-grade students receiving the intervention showed statistically significant gains in morphological awareness with large effect sizes on most measures. Students in all three grades who received the intervention demonstrated nonsignificant gains in literacy abilities with null to small effect sizes. Further, students with low morphological awareness abilities at the onset of the study demonstrated similar gains from the intervention as their peers with typical morphological awareness abilities. Our results suggest that explicit morphological awareness instruction may produce gains of practical importance to young elementary students at risk for future literacy difficulties.

Morphological Awareness Intervention With Kindergartners and First- and Second-Grade Students From Low Socioeconomic Status Homes: A Feasibility Study

The effect of a morphological awareness intervention on the morphological awareness and literacy skills of students from low socioeconomic status homes was investigated. A 9-week intervention designed to increase awareness of affixes and the relations between base words and their inflected and derived forms was conducted with students in kindergarten (n = 19), 1st grade (n = 21), and 2nd grade (n = 21). Groups of 4-5 students were provided with instruction 4 times a week for 25 min a day. Results showed medium to very large clinically significant gains in morphological awareness and literacy abilities (ds = 0.29-2.96) across all participants. The results of this feasibility study suggest that morphological awareness instruction that requires students to analyze, recognize, orally produce, and determine the spelling patterns of multimorphemic words leads to therapeutic effects within a population of young students who are at risk for future reading difficulties. Initial clinical implications, limitations of the study, and research suggestions are discussed.

Morphological Awareness Intervention in School-Age Children With Language and Literacy Deficits

Morphological Awareness Intervention in School-Age Children With Language and Literacy Deficits

Integrated Morphological Awareness Intervention as a Tool for Improving Literacy

This study evaluated the effects of an intervention program aimed to improve reading and spelling ability through instruction in morphological awareness together with other forms of linguistic awareness, including knowledge of phonology, orthography, syntax, and semantics. Sixteen children aged between 8;07 (years;months) and 11;01 who demonstrated specific spelling difficulties were randomly assigned to either an experimental or a control group. Participants received an average of 19.4 sessions of intervention that focused on increasing awareness of the morphological structure of words, with particular attention to the orthographic rules that apply when suffixes are added to the base word. Participants in the experimental group made significantly greater gains in reading and spelling accuracy than those in the control group on both experimental and standardized measures of reading and spelling. The results also show that participants were able to generalize to new words what they had learned in the intervention sessions. Practitioners should consider the likely benefits of literacy intervention that focuses on developing morphological awareness in conjunction with other types of linguistic awareness.

Morphological Awareness Intervention: Considerations for Evidence-Based Practice

Morphological Awareness Intervention: Considerations for Evidence-Based Practice