Education Commons^™

Active Learning Strategies And Vocabulary Achievement, John Robert Griffith

Dissertations

Using a quantitative method of data collection, this research explored the question: Do active learning strategies used in grades 5 and 6 affect student vocabulary achievement in a positive or negative direction? In their research, Wolfe (2001), Headley, et al., (1995), Freiberg, et al., (1992), and Brunner (2009) emphasize the importance of understanding how children learn through active learning processes such as hands-on opportunities, cooperative learning, and technology-based instruction. Other researchers such as Baker, et al., (2000), Nagy, et al., (1987) and Searfoss, et al., (2001) stress the importance of meaningful vocabulary instruction when teaching reading. This study supports their …

Strategies To Support Vocabulary Development In Middle School Content Area Classrooms, Caitlyn Bandy

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

The research question addressed in this project was, what strategies are available to support content area vocabulary development in the middle school classroom? It explores the needs of a content area classroom as it relates to vocabulary development, then addresses those needs through a strategy map of best-practice vocabulary learning strategies. Created to be implemented school-wide as a supplement to existing curriculums in middle school classrooms, the map supports vocabulary development with two strategies detailed for each grade level six through eight. The strategy lessons follow the gradual release lesson plan model in order to best support student learning.

Selecting Words For Instruction During Primary Read-Alouds, Karen J. Kindle

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

Reading aloud is a wide-spread practice in early childhood and primary classrooms that is purported to develop a range of literacy skills, including vocabulary. Since it is not feasible to teach all of the words in a given text, efforts to maximize the instructional power of read-aloud events have included research regarding word selection. This study explores the extent to which research-based practices for selecting words for instruction have been incorporated into the practices of four primary grade teachers. Findings indicate that teachers may rely more on intuition and personal experience to select words rather than following expert’s recommendations. Implications …

Assessing Vocabulary Of Children: Investigating The Evaluation And Instruction Of Basic Concepts, Rebecca Elizabeth Smith

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Vocabulary knowledge of preschool children is a key factor in predicting literacy success in elementary school (Hammer, Farkas, & Maczuga, 2010). However, few deliberate attempts to teach basic concept vocabulary have been studied (Bowers & Schwarz, 2013; Wilson, 2004). The purpose of this research is to determine if large group explicit instruction with interactive activities of specific basic concept vocabulary will increase preschool children's understanding of basic concept terms when measured by a standardized basic concept assessment. This research will also assess the validity of a basic concept-curriculum based measure (BC-CBM) as an efficient tool to monitor a child's understanding …

Effective Practices For Developing Academic Language And Writing Skills In English Language Learners In The Elementary School Setting, Jenna N. Emadzadeh

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

With an increased population of English Language Learners (ELLs), educators are in need of programs and strategies that help their students learn academic content while learning to understand, speak, read, and write English (Duessen, Autio, Roccegrandi & Hanita, 2014). ELLs face several obstacles while learning in an elementary school classroom.

Studies have shown the positive effects of word analysis and vocabulary learning strategies on student achievement (Carlo, August, McLaughlin, Snow, Dressler, Lippman, Lively & White, 2004). Project GLAD is a model of professional development in the area of language acquisition and literacy that focuses on such instruction. According to Echevarria …

Using Two Ipad® Apps That Provide Graphic Organizers And Explicit Curricular Vocabulary Instruction For Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Single Subject Multiple Probe Study, Mary Fay Briggs

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study represents a quantitative approach to research, which was focused on information retrieval in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), who attended inquiry-based classes in British international primary schools in Hong Kong. A single-subject multiple probe across behaviors, with concurrent replication across five participants, was the research design, which was used to study the effects of both the Popplet app and Futaba Classroom Games for Kids app on the ability of 7-11 year old children with ASD to learn vocabulary words for an International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (PYP) Unit of Inquiry. The study also examined the effects of …

Effects Of Integrated Physical Exercises And Gestures On Preschool Children's Foreign Language Vocabulary Learning, Myrto F. Mavilidi, Anthony D. Okely, Paul A. Chandler, Dylan P. Cliff, Fred Paas

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Research suggests that integrating human movement into a cognitive learning task can be effective for learning due to its cognitive and physiological effects. In this study, the learning effects of enacting words through whole-body movements (i.e., physical exercise) and part-body movements (i.e., gestures) were investigated in a foreign language vocabulary task. Participants were 111 preschool children of 15 childcare centers, who were randomly assigned to one of four conditions. Participants had to learn 14 Italian words in a 4-week teaching program. They were tested on their memory for the words during, directly after, and 6 weeks after the program. In …

The Relationship Among Esol Services, Vocabulary, And Reading Comprehension In Primary Grades, Cassandra Marie Arcila-Knortz

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

With the growing English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) population in the United States, English instruction is becoming vitally important in schools. Despite this growing need, many schools are eliminating ESOL support services that promote English learning, and some schools are eliminating ESOL support services in primary grades. The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine whether providing ESOL support in kindergarten improved students' reading level, vocabulary, and reading comprehension. Vygotsky's social learning theory and theory of proximal development provided the theoretical framework of the study. The research questions concerned differences in comprehension scores, vocabulary scores, and reading …

Preschool Children's Foreign Language Vocabulary Learning By Embodying Words Through Physical Activity And Gesturing, Konstantina Toumpaniari, Sofie M. M Loyens, Myrto F. Mavilidi, Fred Paas

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Research has demonstrated that physical activity involving gross motor activities can lead to better cognitive functioning and higher academic achievement scores. In addition, research within the theoretical framework of embodied cognition has shown that embodying knowledge through the use of more subtle motor activities, such as task-relevant gestures, has a positive effect on learning. In this study, we investigated whether combining both physical activities and gestures could improve learning even more in a 4-week intervention program on foreign language vocabulary learning in preschool children. The main hypothesis that learning by embodying words through task-relevant enactment gestures and physical activities would …

Literacy Strategies Successfully Implemented By Secondary Social Studies Teachers, Kelly Killorn

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The purpose of this study was to determine which literacy strategies were used by secondary social studies teachers who were identified by their principals as having strong literacy integration skills. In addition, teachers' beliefs and purposes for utilizing said literacy strategies were examined. It was hypothesized that participants would incorporate literacy strategies into their instruction, and would utilize explicit vocabulary instructional methods and graphic organizers most frequently. Using a mixed-methods approach, data were collected from five participants through three 50-minute behavioral observations apiece, followed by a 45-minute focus group discussion. Results indicated that these participants overwhelmingly utilized literacy strategies regularly …

Imágenes Como Recurso Pedagógico Para La Enseñanza De Vocabulario En Inglés En Estudiantes De Primaria Del Colegio Francisco De Paula Santander Ied, Zuleika Guzmán Torres, Ángela María Lozano Rodríguez, Viviana Brigitte Ruda Espitia, Laura María Vargas Jiménez

Licenciatura en Español y Lenguas Extranjeras

Este trabajo de investigación se realizó durante el primer y segundo semestre del 2013 y el primer semestre del 2014. Los objetivos de esta investigación buscan diagnosticar el nivel de inglés de los estudiantes, implementar imágenes como estrategia para la enseñanza de inglés y finalmente evidenciar qué tan efectiva es ésta estrategia. La investigación se realizó bajo la metodología Investigación – Acción con análisis de contenidos. En los resultados se evidencia la efectividad que tuvieron las ayudas visuales desarrolladas durante la práctica pedagógica en el aprendizaje de vocabulario en inglés en los aspectos fonológico, semántico y ortográfico. En el aspecto …

Examining Student Reading Gains Based On Vocabulary Instruction Based On Morphemic And Definitional Approaches, Jessica Lea Parthemore

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

There has been a multitude of research about the effect of vocabulary instruction on reading achievement. The purpose of this study was to further examine the effectiveness of specific methods of vocabulary instruction, definitional and morphemic, as measured by reading achievement on the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) assessment. This research study focused on 5 suburban classrooms in the Midwest, three teaching definitional methods and two teaching morphemic methods. The data were analyzed using a 2X 2 ANOVA to determine which method had the most effect on reading achievement, definitional or morphemic. The analyses revealed that there is a significant …