Vocabulary Learning In Children Research Articles

The effect of the integration of talking toys on preschoolers’ vocabulary learning in English

Appropriate conditions and suitable materials can inspire young children to learn a new language effortlessly. The present study attempted to investigate the effects of English talking toys as teaching materials on vocabulary learning of very young learners (VYL) based on their gender. The study was conducted at one of the public preschools in Yenimahalle/Ankara with 48 five-year old children from two classes. The first group of students was the experimental group and they were instructed using English talking toys as a teaching material. On the other hand, the other class was the control group and was instructed using flashcards. The target vocabulary for this study, which was incorporated into a Vocabulary Checklist Test, was developed after a close scrutiny of the relevant literature (i.e. vocabulary learning in young learners) and examination of the theme-related curriculum employed in the chosen preschool. To assess preschoolers' learning of target words in English, a new Vocabulary Checklist Test was developed by the researcher. The results of a series of t-tests showed that the class instructed with English talking toys performed better on both receptive and expressive/productive vocabulary. The results also indicated that there was not any significant difference between males and females in terms of the effect of English talking toys on preschool children's vocabulary learning. The findings suggest that English talking toys are not only used for entertainment and recreational purposes, they can also be used as teaching material particularly when it comes to teaching basic English vocabulary. The current study contributed to areas such as early childhood education, foreign/second language learning, foreign language testing and evaluation.

The pace of vocabulary growth during preschool predicts cortical structure at school age

Children vary greatly in their vocabulary development during preschool years. Importantly, the pace of this early vocabulary growth predicts vocabulary size at school entrance. Despite its importance for later academic success, not much is known about the relation between individual differences in early vocabulary development and later brain structure and function. Here we examined the association between vocabulary growth in children, as estimated from longitudinal measurements from 14 to 58 months, and individual differences in brain structure measured in 3rd and 4th grade (8–10 years old). Our results show that the pace of vocabulary growth uniquely predicts cortical thickness in the left supramarginal gyrus. Probabilistic tractography revealed that this region is directly connected to the inferior frontal gyrus (pars opercularis) and the ventral premotor cortex, via what is most probably the superior longitudinal fasciculus III. Our findings demonstrate, for the first time, the relation between the pace of vocabulary learning in children and a specific change in the structure of the cerebral cortex, specifically, cortical thickness in the left supramarginal gyrus. They also highlight the fact that differences in the pace of vocabulary growth are associated with the dorsal language stream, which is thought to support speech perception and articulation.

It's story time!: exploring the potential of multimodality in oral storytelling to support children's vocabulary learning

AbstractAlthough many studies have been done on the benefits of parent/teacher‐child interactions during shared storybook reading or read‐aloud sessions, very few have examined the potential of professional storytellers' oral discourse to support children's vocabulary learning. In those storytelling sessions conducted by professional storytellers, the process of telling a story is typically not accompanied by a book, but only by the teller's well‐coordinated gestures, facial expressions and voice modulations. In this study, I perform a multimodal analysis of storytellers' oral discourse recorded during two storytelling sessions for four‐to‐five‐year‐old children. The study aims to (1) find out the specific types of vocal and visual features accompanying the spoken words which were unlikely to be known by the children but used by the storytellers for representations of events and characters, and (2) explore the potential of these multimodal features in oral storytelling to support children's inferring of word meanings. The study offers insights into multimodality in oral storytelling and implications for exploring the potential of multimodal features in this form of literacy practice to support children's vocabulary learning.

An investigation into the role of gesture in enhancing children's vocabulary command

The primary aim of the current study was to explore whether non-linguistic conventions, especially gesture, have a significant impact on children's vocabulary learning. Fifty male and female Iranian children aged between 3 and 6 years of age (mean age = 3.5) from two classes of a language institute were taught a set of lexical items using two different teaching procedures: one employing linguistic conventions only, without gesture, and the other through a combination of linguistic and non-linguistic approaches. The data analysis revealed that non-linguistic conventions, including gesture, significantly influence children's learning of vocabulary items. The study contributes to the literature examining vocabulary and gesture and may inform early years practitioners' approaches to vocabulary teaching.

Expressive and receptive vocabulary learning in children with diverse disability typologies

A combined storybook and play vocabulary intervention was implemented as a single-subject study of 23 children of diverse typologies, including 10 with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), three with developmental disability (DD), five with Down Syndrome, and five with specific language impairment (SLI), who were currently receiving speech-language services and had an individual education plan (IEP) goal targeting language. Participants' ages ranged from 3 years-1 month to 7 years-4 months. A parallel treatment design was used to identify changes at (a) word level, (b) child level, and (c) in children of similar typological and developmental profiles. All children learned vocabulary words to criterion in both expressive and receptive modalities. Children of different etiological origin did not vary in the trajectory of their receptive or expressive word learning. These results suggest that the trajectory of word learning may be remarkably consistent across disability typologies. The theoretical and clinical ramifications of these findings are discussed.

Semantic Richness and Word Learning in Children with Hearing Loss who are Developing Spoken Language: A Single Case Design Study

Children with hearing loss who are developing spoken language tend to lag behind children with normal hearing in vocabulary knowledge. Thus, researchers must validate instructional practices that lead to improved vocabulary outcomes for children with hearing loss. The purpose of this study was to investigate how semantic richness of instruction interacts with individual child profiles to influence word learning. A single subject adapted alternating treatments design measured the effects of three semantic richness conditions – Semantically Sparse, Semantically Rich, and Semantically Super Rich – on expressive vocabulary learning at the end of the school week. Participants included eight preschool children with hearing loss who were developing spoken language. Each week for 7 weeks teachers taught children new vocabulary words presented in one of three semantic richness conditions; conditions were randomly assigned by week. The probe measure, an expressive naming task, was collected in baseline and intervention conditions. Four participants learned more words in the two semantically rich conditions as compared to the semantically sparse condition. One participant with very low omnibus language performance and limited listening experience learned more words in the Super Rich condition than the other two conditions. The remaining three participants did not demonstrate a functional relation between condition and performance. The functional relations demonstrated indicate that the semantic richness of instruction differentially affects the expressive vocabulary learning of children with hearing loss depending on individual child characteristics.

The Effect of Retrieval Practice in Primary School Vocabulary Learning

SummaryThe testing effect refers to the finding that retrieval practice leads to better long‐term retention than additional study of course material. In the present study, we examined whether this finding generalizes to primary school vocabulary learning. We also manipulated the word learning context. Children were introduced to 20 words by listening to a story in which novel words were embedded (story condition) or by listening to isolated words (word pairs condition). The children practised the meaning of 10 words by retrieval practice and 10 words by restudy. After 1 week, they completed a cued recall test and a multiple choice test. Words learned by retrieval practice were recalled better than words learned by additional study, but there was no difference in recognition. Furthermore, the children in the word pairs condition outperformed the children in the story condition. These results show that retrieval practice may improve vocabulary learning in children. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Vocabulary Instruction in Commonly Used Kindergarten Core Reading Curricula

The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which commonly used core reading curricular materials supported research-based pedagogical features for oral vocabulary instruction in kindergarten. A document analysis was completed for 12 weeks of instructional materials from the teacher's editions of the 4 most widely used curricula. Results indicated disparities across curricula in the number of words addressed, ranging from 2 to 20 words identified for instruction per week. Organizing principles for word selection were unclear for 3 of the 4 curricula, and many target vocabulary words were rated as too easy or basic for school-based instruction. Programs differed greatly in the frequency of instructional practices provided to support teachers and in their application of an instructional regime. These results suggest that instruction in kindergarten core curricula does not reflect the current research base for vocabulary development and may not be systematic enough to influence children's vocabulary learning trajectories.

Vocabulary learning in Head Start: Nature and extent of classroom instruction and its contributions to children's learning

In the current study, we employed the 2006 cohort of the large-scale, nationally representative, Head Start Family and Child Experiences (FACES) dataset to construct a snapshot of vocabulary instruction and learning in high-poverty preschools. Specifically, we examined Head Start teachers' reports of the frequency of vocabulary instruction in their classrooms as well as the overall quality of their classroom instruction. We also explored the teacher- and center-level factors that predicted these dual aspects of instruction, and the role of that instruction in children's vocabulary development over the preschool year. Participants included 293 teachers in 116 Head Start centers, as well as 2501 children in their classrooms. Results showed that, whereas there was notable variation, most teachers reported providing a variety of vocabulary-focused instructional activities nearly every day. The quality of their classroom instruction was generally modest. Classroom instructional quality was predictive of children's vocabulary learning, with stronger relations apparent for children with lower initial skills and for classrooms with higher quality instruction. The frequency of instruction in vocabulary was not related to children's word learning. Results provide new descriptive data about the state of vocabulary instruction in Head Start preschools and highlight both areas of success and opportunities for additional support.

The benefit of orthographic support for oral vocabulary learning in children with Down syndrome

Children with Down syndrome typically have weaknesses in oral language, but it has been suggested that this domain may benefit from learning to read. Amongst oral language skills, vocabulary is a relative strength, although there is some evidence of difficulties in learning the phonological form of spoken words. This study investigated the effect of orthographic support on spoken word learning with seventeen children with Down syndrome aged seven to sixteen years and twenty-seven typically developing children aged five to seven years matched for reading ability. Ten spoken nonwords were paired with novel pictures; for half the nonwords the written form was also present. The spoken word learning of both groups did not differ and benefited to the same extent from the presence of the written word. This suggests that compared to reading-matched typically developing children, children with Down syndrome are not specifically impaired in phonological learning and benefit equally from orthographic support.

Nonword-Repetition Ability Does Not Appear to Be a Causal Influence on Children’s Vocabulary Development

In the study reported here, we assessed the theory that vocabulary learning in children depends critically on the capacity of a “phonological loop” that is indexed by nonword-repetition ability. A 3-year longitudinal study of 219 children assessed nonword-repetition ability and vocabulary knowledge at yearly intervals between the ages of 4 and 7 years. There was a considerable degree of longitudinal stability in children’s vocabulary and nonword-repetition skills, but there was no evidence of any influence of nonword-repetition ability on later vocabulary knowledge. These results seriously call into question the claim that vocabulary learning in children is constrained by nonword-repetition ability, and they cast doubt on the broader theory that the phonological loop functions as a language-learning device.

The Demise of the Caboose . . . and the Need for Word Consciousness

The title of this essay may be confusing, especially because there is a conflation of two different concepts. Let's start by blaming Cheri Williams for this situation, given her invited essay in this issue of the Annals on vocabulary learning in young children. As you might have surmised, vocabulary is a construct that causes me to become reflective, rational, creative, and unpredictably chaotic. (Full disclosure: My doctoral dissertation was on this topic [Paul, 1984] , as well as a few subsequent publications.) As aptly stated by Stahl and Nagy (2006), Words are so pervasive in our life, so central to being human, that we do not often stop to reflect on their value and power (p. 3). So many words, so little time. Nevertheless, the goal, in my view, should be the development and enhancement of word consciousness in children and adolescents (see also Blachowicz & Fisher, 2004; Scott & Nagy, 2004; Stahl & Nagy, 2006). What is word consciousness? Briefly, this is a deep and wide awareness of words and their connections to other words. This awareness leads to the understanding of numerous concepts, mainly because vocabulary knowledge is cumulative. The more words and related aspects you know, the more words you will learn in a variety of situations. In addition, you develop this insatiable need for wordplay. To illustrate a few multiple aspects of word consciousness, I shall tell you a story. My son and I get our kicks by going for long car rides, and, invariably, we have to drive across railroad tracks, held together by numerous rows of wood ties. Occasionally, the long crossing gates lower themselves slowly, and the red lights start to blink alternately and incessantly at us. Here comes the freight train, led by a huge, black, robust engine, followed by a few bland-looking gondola cars filled with freight, a boxcar with wide sliding doors, and on and on - but, by golly, there is no cute-looking little, red, yellow, blue, or whatever caboose. As the gates lift themselves up, I look at my son in the rearview mirror, and I inquire: What happened to the caboose? Why do they permit a gondola car to bring up the rear! Where is the crew eating? If you travel by ship, you need ? galley for preparing and eating meals. Doesn't this train need a caboose for that reason and more? Don't we all like to see a nice-looking caboose that has windows with a view? Hey, let's go kick the conductor and the engineer in the caboose! By the way, what is more than one caboose? Cabeese like geese? Or caboose like moose? Perhaps, it should be cabooses like boys, to play it safe. By now, my son is either sleeping, daydreaming, or simply not motivated to dialogue with me. Unfortunately, so are, I fear, a number of students in my university classes. Oh, my preservice student-teachers have been exposed to and understand a variety of classic fun-and-interesting researchbased vocabulary instruction techniques that fall under the categorical umbrella of semantic elaboration, such as word maps, semantic maps, graphic organizers, semantic feature analyses, webs, four-square concept maps, Venn diagrams, and other depictions of the conceptual fields of words and their relations to other words and phrases (e.g., Gunning, 2008; Heimlich & Pittelman, 1986; Johnson & Pearson, 1984; Stahl & Nagy, 2006). They seem to understand the big three and their combinations for developing vocabulary learning in children - also discussed in Dr. Williams's essay: (a) incidental word learning via rich language exposure from through-the-air dialogues, discussions, storytellings, story sharings, read-alouds, and so on; (b) extensive reading and re-reading of a wide range of texts and other materials; and (c) explicit, targeted vocabulary instruction by teachers (see also the discussions in Cain & Oakhill, 2007; Carlisle & Rice, 2002; Kamhi & Catts, 2012; Stahl & Fairbanks, 1986). So what's the problem? …

Vocabulary learning in a Yorkshire terrier: slow mapping of spoken words.

Rapid vocabulary learning in children has been attributed to “fast mapping”, with new words often claimed to be learned through a single presentation. As reported in 2004 in Science a border collie (Rico) not only learned to identify more than 200 words, but fast mapped the new words, remembering meanings after just one presentation. Our research tests the fast mapping interpretation of the Science paper based on Rico's results, while extending the demonstration of large vocabulary recognition to a lap dog. We tested a Yorkshire terrier (Bailey) with the same procedures as Rico, illustrating that Bailey accurately retrieved randomly selected toys from a set of 117 on voice command of the owner. Second we tested her retrieval based on two additional voices, one male, one female, with different accents that had never been involved in her training, again showing she was capable of recognition by voice command. Third, we did both exclusion-based training of new items (toys she had never seen before with names she had never heard before) embedded in a set of known items, with subsequent retention tests designed as in the Rico experiment. After Bailey succeeded on exclusion and retention tests, a crucial evaluation of true mapping tested items previously successfully retrieved in exclusion and retention, but now pitted against each other in a two-choice task. Bailey failed on the true mapping task repeatedly, illustrating that the claim of fast mapping in Rico had not been proven, because no true mapping task had ever been conducted with him. It appears that the task called retention in the Rico study only demonstrated success in retrieval by a process of extended exclusion.

Closing the Vocabulary Gap?: A Review of Research on Early Childhood Vocabulary Practices

Our qualitative literature review of 31 published studies found that (a) three major approaches are used in early childhood classrooms to support children's vocabulary learning—exposing children to advanced words, providing direct word-meaning instruction, and employing mixed-method interventions; (b) these practices support children's learning of targeted vocabulary words and/or general vocabulary knowledge gains, but various methods have differential impacts on children's depth of word knowledge; and (c) theme-based multimethod interventions are the most likely approach to close the gap. Based on these findings, we suggest future research directions and discuss implications for classroom practice.

The effectiveness of multimedia programmes in children's vocabulary learning

AbstractThe present experiment investigated the effect of three different presentation modes in children's vocabulary learning with a self‐guided multimedia programmes. Participants were 135 third and fourth grade children who read a short English language story presented by a computer programme. For 12 key (previously unknown) words in the story, children received verbal annotations (written translation), visual annotations (picture representing the word), or both. Recall of word translations was better for children who only received verbal annotations than for children who received simultaneously visual and verbal annotations or visual annotations only. Results support previous research about cognitive load in e‐learning environments, and show that children's learning processes are hindered by limited working memory. This finding implies a challenge for multimedia programmes designed for children and based on self‐regulated learning.

Associations Between Key Language-Related Measures in Typically Developing School-Age Children

Associations Between Key Language-Related Measures in Typically Developing School-Age Children

Dissecting the relationship between language skills and learning to read: Semantic and phonological contributions to new vocabulary learning in children with poor reading comprehension

This study investigated individual differences in vocabulary acquisition in 8 – 9-year-old children with impaired reading comprehension. Despite fluent and accurate reading, age-appropriate phonological skills and normal nonverbal ability, poor comprehenders are poor at understanding what they have read, and they show a variety of oral language weaknesses in the non-phonological domain. In this experiment, children were taught to associate new phonological forms to pictures of novel objects (phonological learning) and taught semantic information about the objects (semantic learning). Poor comprehenders needed as many trials as control children to learn phonological forms, suggesting they are well-equipped with the skills needed to learn labels for new objects. However, their knowledge of the meaning of the new words was relatively weak and not well-consolidated over time. These findings suggest that the source of poor comprehenders' difficulties with lexical learning may be localized to the semantic rathe...

Teacher-Mediated Versus Computer-Mediated Storybook Reading to Children in Native and Multicultural Kindergarten Classrooms

The study explored differences in story comprehension and vocabulary learning in children in native and multicultural kindergarten classrooms when listening to a story read to them by the computer or the teacher. The results showed that children (41 native and 30 immigrant) learned new words, both from listening to their teacher and from listening to the computer. However, immigrant children learned more words and had better story comprehension when the teacher read the story. The study does however show that the computer can provide learning gains for kindergartners working individually and without teacher support with a software program.

Phonological memory and vocabulary learning in children with focal lesions

Eleven children with early focal lesions were compared with 70 age-matched controls to assess their performance in repeating non-words, in learning new words, and in immediate serial recall, a triad of abilities that are believed to share a dependence on serial ordering mechanisms (e.g., Baddeley, Gathercole, & Papagno, 1998; Gupta, in press-a). Results for the experimental group were also compared with other assessments previously reported for the same children by MacWhinney, Feldman, Sacco, and Valdés-Pérez (2000). The children with brain injury showed substantial impairment relative to controls in the experimental tasks, in contrast with relatively unimpaired performance on measures of vocabulary and non-verbal intelligence. The relationships between word learning, non-word repetition, and immediate serial recall were similar to those observed in several other populations. These results support previous reports that there are persistent processing impairments following early brain injury, despite developmental plasticity. They also suggest that word learning, non-word repetition, and immediate serial recall may be relatively demanding tasks, and that their relationship is a fundamental aspect of the cognitive system.

Phonological short-term memory and foreign-language vocabulary learning

Data from foreign language vocabulary learning in a short-term memory patient, and native language vocabulary learning in children suggest that the short-term phonological store plays an important role in long-term learning. The present study used articulatory suppression to explore the role of the phonological loop system of working memory in the acquisition by adults of foreign language vocabulary. Experiments 1 and 2 showed that articulatory suppression disrupts the learning of Russian vocabulary, but not native language paired associates, by Italian subjects. Two apparently equivalent experiments, however, using English subjects failed to demonstrate the predicted disruption of Russian vocabulary learning by articulatory suppression. This was shown to be attributable to the greater association value of the Russian words to the English subjects. Two final experiments using English subjects replicated the Italian results, showing a differential disruption of the learning of unfamiliar material, when this comprises either CVC-CVC nonsense items, or Finnish words that were selected to be very dissimilar to English. It is concluded that the phonological loop concept of working memory is used in foreign language vocabulary acquisition, but can be circumvented if the material allows semantic associations to be created.