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Using Social Interaction To Elevate And Enrich Student Expressive Vocabulary In Writing, Elizabeth Swenson

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

How does social interaction in vocabulary instruction impact students writing? This action research project explores the impact of using social interaction in vocabulary learning to increase the accurate usage of new vocabulary in student writing. This mixed-methods approach utilized pre and post surveys on student attitudes toward word learning, a vocabulary pre-assessment, four vocabulary unit assessments and analysis of student writing. Four different vocabulary instructional treatments were applied over the course of three vocabulary units. Findings suggest that utilizing discussion in word learning can have a positive impact on student writing and enjoyment in word learning.