Developing Vocabulary and Conceptual Knowledge for Low-Income Preschoolers: A Design Experiment

Autor/inn/en	Neuman, Susan B.; Dwyer, Julie
Titel	Developing Vocabulary and Conceptual Knowledge for Low-Income Preschoolers: A Design Experiment
Quelle	In: Journal of Literacy Research, 43 (2011) 2, S.103-129 (27 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1086-296X
DOI	10.1177/1086296X11403089
Schlagwörter	Instructional Design; Intervention; Income; Disadvantaged Youth; Expressive Language; Vocabulary Development; Inferences; Preschool Education; Language Acquisition; Pretests Posttests; Low Income; Curriculum Development; Preschool Teachers + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Lesson concept; Lessonplan; Unterrichtsentwurf; Einkommen; Benachteiligter Jugendlicher; Wortschatzarbeit; Inference; Inferenz; Pre-school education; Vorschulerziehung; Sprachaneignung; Spracherwerb; Niedriglohn; Curriculum; Development; Curriculumentwicklung; Lehrplan; Entwicklung; Preschool education; Erzieher; Erzieherin; Kindergärtnerin; Vorschule
Abstract	The purpose of this design experiment was to research, test, and iteratively derive principles of word learning and word organization that could help to theoretically advance our understanding of vocabulary development for low-income preschoolers. Six Head Start teachers in morning and afternoon programs and their children (N = 89) were selected to participate in the World of Words, a 12-min daily supplemental vocabulary intervention; six classes (N = 89) served as a comparison group. Our questions addressed whether the difficulty of words influenced the acquisition and retention of words and whether learning words in taxonomies might support vocabulary development and inference generation. We addressed these questions in two design phases for a total intervention period of 16 weeks. Pre- and post-unit assessments measured children's expressive language gains, categorical development, and inference generation. Significant differences were recorded between treatment and comparison groups on word knowledge and category development. Furthermore, children in the treatment group demonstrated the ability to infer beyond what was specifically taught. These results suggest that instructional design features may work to accelerate word learning for low-income children. (Contains 2 notes, 6 tables, and 2 figures.) (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: http://sagepub.com
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2022/4/11