Understanding Of Vocabulary Research Articles

Can language focussed activities improve understanding of chemical language in non-traditional students?

Students commonly find the language of chemistry challenging and a barrier to developing understanding. This study investigated developments in chemical language understanding by a group of non-traditional students over the duration of a one year pre-undergraduate (Foundation) course at a UK university. The chemistry course was designed to include a range of literacy based strategies to promote understanding including: word games, corpus linguistics, word roots and origins, and reading comprehension. Understanding of chemical language was assessed with a chemical language assessment (CLA) that was administered three times during the year. The CLA assessed understanding of scientific affixes, symbolic language, non-technical words, technical words, fundamental words and topic-specific vocabulary. Results indicate that chemical language understanding improved over the duration of the study with moderate to large effect sizes. Students who scored low in the initial CLA (below 40%) improved but their scores remained lower than the rest of the students at the end of the year. The topic-specific and technical sections scored low for all students at the start of the year and remained the lowest at the end of the year. Examples of symbolic and non-technical language remained problematic for some students at the end of the year. There was a correlation (r= 0.53) between initial CLA score and final exam outcomes although some students with low initial CLA scores did perform well in the final exam. These findings are discussed in relation to the role of literacy based strategies in chemistry teaching.

Effectiveness of vocabulary intervention for older children with (developmental) language disorder.

Children with developmental language disorder (DLD) frequently have difficulties with word learning and understanding vocabulary. For these children, this can significantly impact on social interactions, daily activities and academic progress. Although there is literature providing a rationale for targeting word learning in such children, there is little evidence for the effectiveness of specific interventions in this area for children with identified DLD. To establish whether direct one-to-one intervention for children with DLD over 9 years of age leads to improved abilities to identify, comprehend, define, and use nouns and verbs targeted in intervention as compared with non-targeted control items and whether or not the participants' rating of their own knowledge of the words changes with intervention. Twenty-five children and young people with language disorder (aged 9;4-16;1) participated in the study: 18 with DLD and seven with a language disorder associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Two assessments of different levels were created: a higher ability (less frequent words) and a lower ability (more frequent words). Participants' speech and language therapists (SLTs) decided which level would be the most appropriate for each participant. Four tasks were carried out as part of the assessment and the scores were used to identify which words each participant worked on. Participants received one 30-min session per week one-to-one with their own SLT for 7 weeks, plus a 5-min revision session in between each main session. During each of the first five sessions, participants learned two new words; the two final sessions were spent revising the 10 words which had been targeted. Post-intervention assessment showed an increase in scores for both treated and control words. However, progress on treated words was significantly greater than on control words (d = 1.07), indicating effectiveness of intervention. The difference between progress on targeted and control words was found both for nouns (d = 1.29) and verbs (d = 0.64), but the effect size was larger for nouns. Whether or not the participants had an associated ASD did not affect the results. The children's self-rating of their knowledge of the targeted words was also significantly higher than for control words post-intervention. The intervention delivered one-to-one by the participants' usual SLT was effective in teaching new vocabulary to older children with language disorders. This shows that older children with language disorders can make progress with direct one-to-one intervention focused on vocabulary.

At what age do children demonstrate an understanding of the vocabulary associated with sleep?

At what age do children demonstrate an understanding of the vocabulary associated with sleep?

Making it REAL: Using Informational Picture Books in Preschool Classrooms

This article addresses the importance and benefits of integrating informational texts into read alouds in preschool classrooms through an instructional approach entitled REAL Time. Teachers use the REAL Time framework to pair complex storybooks with one or more informational texts in order to develop children’s understanding of key vocabulary and important real world concepts. Teachers are then encouraged to plan curricular experiences for children that deepen and extend their understanding. Such experiences help the teacher link children’s content knowledge across texts and learning experiences. While implementing REAL Time, teachers draw attention to text features and functions of informational texts in ways that build children’s understanding of print.

Long-term Outcomes of Cochlear Implantation in Children With Congenital Cytomegalovirus Infection.

To investigate the role of the developmental delay often observed in children with congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection on the improvement of language understanding after cochlear implantation (CI). Retrospective chart review. Sixteen children with severe and/or profound hearing loss due to congenital CMV infection (CMV group) and 107 congenitally deaf children (168 ears) without CMV infection as the cause of deafness (non-CMV group). Mean age at which patients underwent CI was 2.9 years in both groups. The mean follow-up period was 7.8 versus 8.2 years, respectively. The Enjoji Scale of Infant Analytical Development was used to evaluate/compare pre- and postoperative hearing level, word recognition score, speech discrimination score, and language production and perception skills. The Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised was used to assess vocabulary understanding skill. Correlation between the final vocabulary understanding skill assessment and several factors was also examined. Improvement in hearing thresholds (mean: 106.0 dB) was greater after the first CI, (27-45 dB; mean: 33.8 dB) compared with hearing aid (48-74 dB; mean: 63.1 dB). Similarly, language perception and production were better in the CMV group. However, in the long term, differences between good and poor cases became prominent, especially in children with motor or cognitive delay and brain abnormalities who performed poorly in the CMV group. Long-term language perception and production after CI were overall satisfactory in congenital CMV-deafened children. CI was effective, particularly in the absence of CMV-induced disorders. However, this effectiveness was limited in those with motor or cognitive delay.

FLASHCARD MEDIA: THE MEDIA FOR DEVELOPING STUDENTS UNDERSTANDING FOR ENGLISH VOCABULARY AT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

The purpose of this study was to analyze to develop in understanding English vocabulary by using flashcard media in students elementary school. This research was conducted at primary students in boarding school. The subjects were students of the third class with fourtee students. The research method was classroom action research using by model of Kemmis and Mc Taggart with four stages which including planning, action, observation, and reflection. Techniques of analysis the data collection through the results of monitoring action, analysis of learning activities, field notes and evaluative tests, as well as data collection by using documentation/photos taken during the learning process. Results obtained the understanding of vocabulary in the first cycle was 52.5%, and the second cycle was 80.0%. The average percentage of data monitoring the first cycle was 77.5% and the second cycle was 96.2%. Therefore learning by using flashcard media can improve their understanding of English vocabulary. The implication of this research is through flashcard media in learning English can motivated to students to improve the understanding of vocabulary in third grade students of elementary schooll in boarding school.

Contextualizing Competence: Language and LGBT-Based Competency in Health Care

ABSTRACTChanges in the language and terminology used to refer to individuals identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT), as well as how best to discuss issues of sexual and gender identity, can prove challenging for health care providers due to (1) lack of training; (2) interdisciplinary issues; and (3) prejudices on personal and institutional levels. Given the importance of language in the relationship between health care provider and patient as well as the myriad ways in which language can reflect knowledge, skills, and attitudes, we contend that language is both a facilitator and inhibitor of competence. In this article, we discuss language as a means of exhibiting cultural competence as well as the barriers to facilitating this degree of competence. Communicative competence, a concept traditionally used in linguistics, is discussed as a framework for contextualizing LGBT-specific cultural competence in health care. Ideally, a professional will be considered competent once they (1) acquire a foundation in issues associated with LGBT individuals, as well as a basic understanding of appropriate vocabulary’ (2) reconcile personal beliefs with their professional role; (3) create an inclusive healthcare environment such that the influence of personal biases does not negatively impact care; and (4) use identifiers suggested by the patient.

Exploring the feasibility of a classroom‐based vocabulary intervention for mainstream secondary school students with language disorder

Vocabulary knowledge has been shown to be a predictor of academic success, posing a challenge for children and young people with language disorder. Language disorder can persist into adolescence and yet there is limited evidence on how to support the vocabulary skills of adolescents with language disorder in a mainstream setting. This article describes an experimental study aimed at investigating the feasibility of a whole‐class approach to increase the understanding and use of curriculum vocabulary in adolescents with language disorder. Ten curriculum words were taught by the science teacher using a phonological‐semantic approach, and 10 matched same‐topic words were taught using routine teaching practice. Progress was made post‐intervention in word knowledge of both low‐frequency experimental and control words, with significantly greater change in knowledge of the experimental words. Most students, and the teacher, viewed the phonological‐semantic word‐learning approach favourably.

Sequence text structure intervention during interactive book reading of expository picture books with preschool children with language impairment

This study explores the outcomes of an interactive book reading intervention featuring expository picture books. This small-group intervention was delivered by four practitioners (two early childhood special education teachers and two speech-language pathologists) three times per week for 8 weeks to 6 preschool-age children (3 years 1 month to 4 years 9 months) identified with language impairment. The intervention included use of language facilitation strategies during interactive book reading and extension activities after reading for promoting children’s understanding of signal words related to the sequence text structure (e.g. first, next, then, finally), academic vocabulary, and science topic knowledge related to plants (how plants grow, plant parts, plant needs). Outcomes indicated that practitioners increased their use of language facilitation strategies over the course of the intervention in both contexts of interactive book reading and extension activities. Children with language impairment made significant improvements in their receptive understanding of sequence signal words, vocabulary, and science topic knowledge from pre-test to post-test. These findings suggest the promise of a sequence text structure intervention implemented in the contexts of interactive book reading of expository picture books and extension activities for supporting the syntax, vocabulary, and content knowledge of preschool children with language impairment.

BYOD or not: A comparison of two assessment strategies for student learning

This study investigated the effects of the BYOD (bring your own device) approach on student language learning. In the research scenario, junior high school students brought their Android-based smart phones to class in order to engage in language evaluation activities, where an application (app) called Socrative was used as a learning assessment tool. A quasi-experimental pre-test and post-test control group design was used to answer the research question. 46 eighth-grade students from two classes at a public junior high school in Taiwan participated in the four-week educational experiment. Student participants received 6 quizzes as a formative evaluation during the experiment. A learning achievement test (summative evaluation) was developed to measure the students' understanding of English vocabulary and grammar. One month after the completion of the summative evaluation, the same achievement test (delayed summative evaluation) with different item numbers was administered to assess the long-term transfer of learning in the students. A self-report questionnaire and an informal interview were used to ascertain the students' learning experiences. The formative evaluation results showed that students in the traditional instruction class outperformed those in the BYOD instruction class because several BYOD students were not familiar with the BYOD approach. Although the BYOD and the traditional instruction approaches yielded similar summative evaluation and delayed summative evaluation results, the BYOD approach demonstrated a valuable benefit on the students' long-term transfer of learning. Students in the BYOD instruction class exhibited a steady growth on learning outcomes and subsequently scored higher on the learning retention segment of the study. In addition, the BYOD teaching practice advanced the students’ second language learning experiences, particularly regarding learning motivation and interest. The results of the study suggested that schools and teachers should explore creative ways to integrate traditional and BYOD approaches.

Metasynthesis of Factors Contributing to Children’s Communication Development: Influence on Reading and Mathematics

The purpose of this study is to determine what previous studies have found to be factors that contribute to a child’s initial communication development and previously identified effects of reading mathematics storybooks to toddlers or preschoolers. Therefore, it follows that the earlier a preschooler is exposed to mathematics vocabulary, the easier mathematics vocabulary acquisition and understanding can be for that child, which can result in an increase in future academic achievement. This metasynthesis was conducted to gather information on the effects that interactive relationships with caregivers have on a child’s ability to communicate and then how symbiotic reading and mathematics interventions can affect a child’s ability to think and communicate mathematically. According to the data analyzed for this metasynthesis, caregivers’ language relationships help facilitate a child’s early communication development and reading and mathematics symbiotic instruction can lead to developing a child’s ability to think and communicate mathematically.

An Investigation of the Mathematics-Vocabulary Knowledge of First-Grade Students

Competency with mathematics requires use of numerals and symbols as well as an understanding and use of mathematics vocabulary (e.g., add, more, triangle). Currently, no measures exist in which the primary function is to gauge mathematics-vocabulary understanding. We created a 64-item mathematics-vocabulary measure for first grade and piloted the assessment with 104 first-grade students. We also administered standardized measures of general word knowledge and mathematics fluency to investigate the validity of the mathematics-vocabulary measure. Results indicated a wide variability in how first-grade students interpret mathematics-vocabulary terms but strong reliability for the mathematics-vocabulary measure.

Anesthesia Lost in Translation: Perspective and Comprehension

Care of non-English speaking patients poses a unique challenge to the anesthesiologist in the perioperative setting. Communication limitations can be frustrating to both the patient and provider, and at times can compromise the quality of care, resulting in health care disparities. An often overlooked, but critical component is the interaction between the anesthesia provider and the interpreter. The goal of our study was to identify misconceptions regarding anesthesia and determine common knowledge gaps amongst medical interpreters. A survey inquiring about past perioperative experiences, level of training, and barriers to effective communication was sent to the Department of Interpreter Services (IS). Concurrently, a survey was sent to the Department of Anesthesia, about their experiences with interpreters in the perioperative setting. Our survey had 29 respondents from IS and 42 respondents from Anesthesia. 85% of interpreters had >5 years experience, but 96% denied having anesthesia specific training. Additionally, 42.5% of our interpreters felt that less than half of their patients were sufficiently literate to read and consent in their native language. Anesthesia providers were primarily concerned about the fidelity of the interpretation. Misunderstanding one another's field appears to play a significant role in the communication issues surrounding interpretation for anesthesia. Educating both departments may prove beneficial to resolving misconceptions, improving perioperative interactions and ultimately improving patient care. Based on the gathered information, a continuing education lecture was created by the Anesthesia Department in order to improve our interpreters' understanding of anesthesia, associated procedures and vocabulary.

A Systematic Review of the Research on Vocabulary Instruction That Impacts Text Comprehension

AbstractAlthough numerous studies have identified a correlational relationship between vocabulary and comprehension, we know less about vocabulary interventions that impact reading comprehension. Therefore, this study is a systematic review of vocabulary interventions with comprehension outcomes. Analyses of 36 studies that met criteria are organized around (a) type of comprehension measure (i.e., comprehension of passages that included taught words or more generalized comprehension measures) and (b) type of intervention (i.e., direct teaching of word meanings or word‐learning strategies). The authors looked for patterns in characteristics of vocabulary instruction within these analyses. Their findings led to four major themes: (1) Teaching of word meanings supported comprehension of text containing the target words in almost all cases; (2) instruction that focused on some active processing was typically more impactful than a definition or a dictionary method for supporting comprehension of text containing the target words, but we do not know how much instruction is sufficient; (3) there is very limited evidence that direct teaching of word meanings, even long‐term, multifaceted interventions of large numbers of words, can improve generalized comprehension; and (4) there is currently no empirical evidence that instruction in one or two strategies for solving word meanings will impact generalized comprehension. However, studies that actively teach students to monitor their understanding of vocabulary and to use multiple, flexible strategies for solving word meanings are a promising area for future research. The authors discuss the implications of these themes, as well as critical avenues for future vocabulary research.

“Behold this Creature’s form and State”: Katherine Philips and the Early Ascendancy

ABSTRACTThis essay proposes an explanation for the shift in Katherine Philips’s work after the Restoration: she moved to Dublin. In the Dublin of the early 1660s, Philips found herself in what Mary Louise Pratt calls a “contact zone”. With a large domesticated but physically imposing animal, Philips hit on a metaphor for a new relationship between Ireland and Britain. “The Irish Greyhound” embodies this new relationship and reflects her ability to build relationships between the two islands. In this way, she took an “archipelagic” approach to English literature, avant la lettre, and she has recently been recuperated in these terms by John Kerrigan, Marie-Louise Coolahan, Sarah Prescott and others. Philips’s poetry formed part of the process of finding a new vocabulary for inter-island understanding. Although she wrote poems and letters about the leading families of contemporary Dublin, her “shaggy dog” poem has the advantage of being legible without decoding noms de plume or the political standing of her many Dublin friends.

The Relevance of Communication Skills to the Technical Students in the Colleges of Engineering and Technology- A Study

Objectives: The study on the Relevance of Communication Skills to the Technical Students in the colleges of Engineering and Technology proposes to examine the skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing which is rightly termed as LSRW techniques in language learning. It is also proposed to learn the communication skills which could be enriched the knowledge and ability by regular and continuous practice by the students. The significant point is that the learners should acquire listening and speaking skills in direct and indirect methods. The different types of reading strategies would be adopted to improve reading skills. The writing skills would be acquired by using e-materials and laboratory instruments. Methods: For the purpose of the present analysis a class consisting of 50 students was identified. A pre- test was conducted to assess the levels of the students in understanding of vocabulary, spelling, pronunciation and grammatical structures of the students. After the completion of their assignment or work, a test was conducted again to know the result and improvements in the language learning and the process and development of communication skills among the learners. Findings: A pre –test and post –test was conducted and examined the levels of listening, speaking, reading and writing skills of the learners which led to the process and development of communication and further it paved way for the innovative use of LSRW techniques by them. Applications: The method of teaching communication skills could be used in our country where English is taught as a second language in schools, colleges and universities and the use of innovative methods and its relevance which was also useful to non- native language learners.

Multi-criteria assessment of the benefits of a supply chain management training considering green issues

Green Supply Chain Management (GSCM) is an important issue for organizations that spend considerable amounts of investments on personnel training annually. Although these investments present positive effects, the manner to assess the effectiveness of the training is unclear. Training, whose characteristics are intangible, is sometimes difficult to be assessed. This research has carried out a multi-criteria training assessment for GSCM through the four top-level processes of Supply Chain Operations Reference Model (SCOR) i.e., Plan, Source, Make and Deliver. Analytic Hierarchy Process was applied in the training assessment. In the chemical industry where our study was performed, the SCOR top-level processes were considered criteria, whereas Individual and Organizational Benefits alternatives. The modeling considered pairwise judgments for criteria, and ratings or absolute measure for alternatives. The analysis revealed that training essentially contributes to the organization, resulting in 87% for Organizational Benefits, and 77% for Individual Benefits. Organizational Benefits focused on the use of the best practices in GSCM and on the common understanding of vocabulary and processes. In addition, Individual Benefits increased knowledge and skills in GSCM. This result, presented to managers of the company, was validated as consistent and feasible.

Helping Students Bridge Inferences in Science Texts Using Graphic Organizers

AbstractThe difficulties that students face when reading science texts go beyond understanding vocabulary and syntactic structures. Comprehension of science texts requires students to infer how these texts function as a unit to communicate scientific meaning. To help students in this process, science texts sometimes employ logical connectives (e.g., because, therefore) that serve as landmarks that students can use to create a mental model of the text. Yet, how often are logical connectives used to mark inferences in science texts, and what can teachers do to support their students when these connectives are absent? This article discusses the frequency and types of logical connectives in four science textbooks and illustrates the types of obstacles that science texts present for students in their inference‐making process. Further, this article offers teachers a practical strategy that they can use to apprentice their students into the ways that science texts function to communicate scientific concepts.

Dealing with Unknown Words in L2 Reading: Vocabulary and Lexical Inferencing Strategies

AbstractVocabulary learning strategies constitute a subclass of language learning strategies which can be applied to the four language skills. The aim of the present study is to explore the vocabulary strategies adopted by adult learners of Greek as a second/ foreign language, when dealing with unknown words in L2 reading. To this end, the learners answered a questionnaire and so did their teachers. The results indicated that context and the general knowledge the learner of a second or foreign language brings with him/her about the topic -which is mainly supported by the other words in the sentence- play the most important role in understanding vocabulary. This conclusion probably confirms the power of the syntagmatic axis in the sentence, reinforcing mainly the holistic approach to be adopted in the classroom for the teaching of vocabulary. The process of triangulation has partially supported the research results.

Effects of Reading Skills on Students’ Performance in Science and Mathematics in Public and Private Secondary Schools

In the Philippine education system, reading, mathematics, and science formed part of the core areas of basic education curriculum. For the last decade, the quality of Philippine education was put into a big question due to poor performance of students in mathematics and science tests both local and abroad. The initial result of current efforts of the government by adopting K-12 curriculum didn’t do much to change the status quo. The purpose of this study is to determine the reading predictors of students’ performance in Mathematics and Science and identify its effects to such performance. A total of 660 freshmen students from public and private high schools in Cotabato City, Philippines were taken as sample. A validated and reliable 150-item test in reading comprehension skills, mathematics and science was used to get primary data to perform correlation and regression analysis. Findings showed that only making inference and getting main idea were predictors of mathematics performance of students in public school and private schools, respectively. Data analysis also revealed that two reading skills such as noting details and making inference had an influence on science performance of students in public school while skills in getting main idea and drawing conclusion influenced science performance of students in private schools. However, there was only one skill such as vocabulary in context which was predictor of overall science performance of all students. Moreover, separate effects of making inference, identifying main idea explained only 1.8 percent and 1.3 percent of students’ math performance while their combined effects provided only .1 percent or nearly zero percent. Furthermore, the study found out that separate effects of noting details contributed 3.3 percent and its combined effects with making inference explained 4.2 percent of science performance of students in public schools. In terms of effects of reading to science performance in private schools, making inference provided 1.2 percent of separate effect; making inference and drawing conclusion influenced 2.8 percent of combined effect; understanding vocabulary in context has overall one percent of separate effect.