The Importance of Vocabulary Development for E.S.L.

Students

Shauna Thompson for APSY 523

University of Calgary, March 2010

Outline

Why does vocabulary matter?

Who is at risk for vocabulary struggles? Why focus on vocabulary and ESL students? Howard Research Review (AB Education)

Best Practices recommendations

Thoughts for future directions

Vocabulary
The knowledge of words and word meanings Important to have both depth (knowing many things about the word) and breadth (knowing a large number of words) of knowledge! Vocabulary is acquired incidentally (chatting with friends, listening to the radio, watching TV, going to school) and intentionally (explicit instruction or studying of specific words and word-learning strategies)

Why Does Vocabulary Matter?

Reading does NOT equal understanding With a Poor Vocabulary its More Difficult to Access: Grade-appropriate content knowledge Vocabulary knowledge strongly correlates with reading comprehension skill, and is one of the best indicators of verbal ability.
(August, Carlo, Dressler, & Snow, 2005; Graves, 2006)

Vocabulary knowledge in kindergarten and first grade is also a significant predictor of reading comprehension in the junior high and high school grades
(Graves, 2006)

Most classroom activities are verbal

Challenging high school courses Success on exams Entry into postsecondary education or employment

Who is At Risk for Struggles with Vocabulary?

Growing up in poverty can seriously restrict the vocabulary children learn before beginning school and make attaining an adequate vocabulary a challenging task. Disadvantaged students are likely to have much smaller vocabularies than their more advantaged classmates. This effect is mirrored with ESL students, even when they come from families of average socio-economic status.
(Graves, 2006).

Why Focus on ESL Students?

ESL students are...
exposed to English vocabulary at a later age than English-speaking peers less likely to be exposed to rich English oral language experiences at home or in their communities less likely to increase their vocabulary knowledge through incidental learning and reading (Proctor, Carlo, August, and Snow, 2005) likely to have a superficial understanding of vocabulary words (Verhallen & Schoonen,
1993, cited in August et al., 2005).

In most cases, it takes an ESL student as long as five to seven years to perform as well academically as native English-speaking peers
(Drucker, 2003).

Why Is This Important?

2006: Albertas ESL student population estimated to be over 39,000
(Increasing by +14% annually)

New arrivals settle predominantly in Calgary (58%) and in Edmonton (29%) The bulk of teaching and school interactions occur in English in most of our schools. As a result, students who are less-than-proficient in speaking, reading and writing English are at a high level of risk for learning problems.
(Howard Research and Management Consulting Inc., 2009)

More than 200 different mother-tongue languages registered on the 2006 Census
With decreases in educational funding many students are being returned to the mainstream classroom: teachers have to meet ever-growing needs of a changing population in the inclusive classroom setting.

Howard Research & Management Consulting: Literature Review for Alberta Education

October 2004: Howard Research & Management Consulting Inc. was contracted by Alberta Learning Tasks:
study the factors that influence and predict academic success of ESL students assist the Ministry with decisions related to curriculum development, resource allocation, and support provision.

The review put forward several recommendations for native-English speakers, also cited as best practice approaches for ESL learners in particular.
Howard Research & Management Consulting (2009)

Best Practices Recommendations

*Incidental Exposure

In the best interest of each student, teachers must remain flexible in using various approaches in order to remain responsive to the cultural, linguistic, and educational needs of each individual.
Howard Research & Management Consulting (2009)

Computer Use
VOCABULARY DEVELOPMENT

*Repeated Exposure

*Direct Instruction

*PreInstruction

Best Practices Recommendations: Direct Instruction

Direct vocabulary instruction is highly effective and can improve reading comprehension for all students in the classroom.
Overt instruction (e.g. word, definition, use in a sentence) incorporates modeling and is best combined with explicit teaching of strategies and skills Teach independent inquisition strategies including:
using contextual cues, morphological information, and cognate knowledge using aids such as dictionaries and glossaries teaching prefixes, suffixes, and roots encourages students to investigate the meaning and origins or new words when reading
Howard Research & Management Consulting (2009)

Best Practices Recommendations: Incidental Exposure

Model the use of new and sophisticated words Create a classroom environment filled with curiosity and excitement about language

Have students actively engaged in using and thinking about word meanings
The classroom environment should motivate students to be active participants in their own vocabulary acquisition and development
Have books and other reading materials available on a variety of topics appropriate for a variety of reading levels. Books containing rich, engaging vocabulary should be read aloud with students Teacher should spend time discussing the new words encountered in these selections and reviewing them in later lessons (direct instruction)
Howard Research & Management Consulting (2009)

Best Practices Recommendations: Repeated Exposure

Instruction should be varied and interactive with new words and meanings presented across a variety of situations and classroom environments. Children should have many varied opportunities to read, hear, use, and talk about new vocabulary Teachers: reinforce new vocabulary in discussion
design instruction to promote the use of new vocabulary in speaking and writing activities
Howard Research & Management Consulting (2009)

Future Directions

More evaluation of vocabulary instruction strategies leading to a CLEAR best-practice model for vocabulary instructional techniques
Support in the research for assistance for ESL students directly

Community programs to assist interested ESL families with vocabulary development Teacher training programs help to better prepare teachers for the diverse needs of ESL students in inclusive classrooms

References
August, D., Carlo, M., Dressler, C., & Snow, C. (2005). The critical role of vocabulary development for English language learners. Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, 20, 5057. August, D., Snow, C., Carlo, M., Proctor, C.P., Rolla de San Francisco, A., Duursma, E., & Szuber, A. (2006). Literacy development in elementary school second-language learners. Topics in Language Disorders, 26(4), 351-364. Biemiller, A. (2003). Vocabulary: Needed if more children are to do well. Reading Psychology, 24, 323-335. Carlo, M.S., August, D., McLaughlin, B., Snow, C.E., Dressler, C., Lippman, D.N., et al. (2004). Closing the gap: Addressing the vocabulary needs of English-language learners in bilingual and mainstream classrooms. Reading Research Quarterly, 39(2), 188215. Curtin, E. (2005). Teaching practices for ESL students. Multicultural Education. Retrieved March 25, 2010 from http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1G1-130276337/teaching-practices-esl-students.html

Howard Research & Management Consulting (2009). Kindergarten to Grade 12 English as a Second Language: Literature Review Update. Retrieved March 21, 2010, from http://education.alberta.ca/media/1182477/esl_lit_review.pdf
National Reading Panel. (2000). Teaching children to read: An evidence-based assessment of the scientific research literature on reading and its implications for reading instruction. Washington, DC: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

Statistics Canada (2005). Population Projections of Visible Minority Groups, Canada, provinces and regions, 2001-2017. Catalogue Number 91-541-XIE. Retrieved March 23, 2010, from http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/91541-x/91-541-x2005001-eng.pdf