Contextual diversity favors the learning of new words in children regardless of their comprehension skills

AbstractRecent studies have revealed that presenting novel words across various contexts (i.e., contextual diversity) helps to consolidate the meaning of these words both in adults and children. This effect has been typically explained in terms of semantic distinctiveness (e.g., Semantic Distinctiveness Model, Jones et al., Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology, 66(2), 115, 2012). However, the relative influence of other, non-semantic, elements of the context is still unclear. In this study, we examined whether incidental learning of new words in children was facilitated when the words were uttered by several individuals rather than when they were uttered by the same individual. In the learning phase, the to-be-learned words were presented through audible fables recorded either by the same voice (low diversity) or by different voices (high diversity). Subsequently, word learning was assessed through two orthographic and semantic integration tasks. Results showed that words uttered by different voices were learned better than those uttered by the same voice. Thus, the benefits of contextual diversity in word learning extend beyond semantic differences among contexts; they also benefit from perceptual differences among contexts.

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Implementing Art and Music in Maltese Courses for Non-Native Adults

IAFOR Journal of Education ◽

10.22492/ije.9.3.04 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (3) ◽

pp. 58-75

Author(s):

Jacqueline Żammit

Keyword(s):

Academic Achievement ◽

Second Language ◽

Second Language Acquisition ◽

Adult Learners ◽

Qualitative Methodology ◽

Online Classes ◽

New Words ◽

Study Results ◽

Comprehension Skills ◽

The Impact

Malta has currently attracted numerous non-natives who consider the island conducive for business, investment and work. To enhance their working and living experience in Malta, several foreigners are learning Maltese as a second language (ML2), which could be challenging to learn, especially its grammar, if second language (L2) learners do not know Arabic. Furthermore, ML2 is a new subject with a lack of research in its pedagogical approaches. Second language acquisition (SLA) can be quite challenging for adults. Various evidence-based interventions including the use of art and music have been used to enhance SLA. Art and music play an important role in SLA, such as stimulating communication in L2, memorising new words and enhancing comprehension skills. The purpose of this study is to explore the impact of using music and art to enhance adults’ success in ML2. A qualitative methodology with convenience sampling was used to select 37 adult learners of ML2 who took part in a one-on-one interview via Zoom. The interviews were analysed, and the study results revealed that the use of art and music could contribute significantly in enhancing an adult learner’s academic achievement in ML2, whereas according to the participants, art and music are not currently used in ML2 courses. Therefore, the study recommends the use of art and music in both traditional and online classes to enhance adult learners’ academic achievement in ML2.

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Contextual diversity facilitates learning new words in the classroom

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0179004 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 12 (6) ◽

pp. e0179004 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Eva Rosa ◽

José Luis Tapia ◽

Manuel Perea

Keyword(s):

Contextual Diversity ◽

New Words

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Lexical Comprehension in Young Children With Developmental Delays

American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology ◽

10.1044/1058-0360.0301.79 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

pp. 79-88 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Theresa A. Kouri

Keyword(s):

Young Children ◽

Developmental Delays ◽

Normal Development ◽

Clinical Applications ◽

Group Status ◽

Novel Object ◽

Related Information ◽

Comprehension Skills ◽

Lexical Items ◽

Lexical Concepts

Lexical comprehension skills were examined in 20 young children (aged 28–45 months) with developmental delays (DD) and 20 children (aged 19–34 months) with normal development (ND). Each was assigned to either a story-like script condition or a simple ostensive labeling condition in which the names of three novel object and action items were presented over two experimental sessions. During the experimental sessions, receptive knowledge of the lexical items was assessed through a series of target and generalization probes. Results indicated that all children, irrespective of group status, acquired more lexical concepts in the ostensive labeling condition than in the story narrative condition. Overall, both groups acquired more object than action words, although subjects with ND comprehended more action words than subjects with DD. More target than generalization items were also comprehended by both groups. It is concluded that young children’s comprehension of new lexical concepts is facilitated more by a context in which simple ostensive labels accompany the presentation of specific objects and actions than one in which objects and actions are surrounded by thematic and event-related information. Various clinical applications focusing on the lexical training of young children with DD are discussed.

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Prologue to the Forum: Vocabulary Across the School Grades

Language Speech and Hearing Services in Schools ◽

10.1044/2019_lshss-19-00007 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 50 (4) ◽

pp. 461-465 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Suzanne M. Adlof

Keyword(s):

Word Learning ◽

Vocabulary Instruction ◽

Elementary Grades ◽

Reading Disorders ◽

Vocabulary Intervention ◽

New Words ◽

School Grades ◽

Grade Levels ◽

Ability Levels ◽

Instructional Settings

Purpose This prologue introduces the LSHSS Forum: Vocabulary Across the School Grades. The goals of the forum are to provide an overview of the importance of vocabulary to literacy and academic achievement, to review evidence regarding best practices for vocabulary instruction, and to highlight recent research related to word learning with students across different grade levels. Method The prologue provides a foundational overview of vocabulary's role in literacy and introduces the topics of the other ten articles in the forum. These include clinical focus articles, research reviews, and word-learning and vocabulary intervention studies involving students in elementary grades through college. Conclusion Children with language and reading disorders experience specific challenges learning new words, but all students can benefit from high-quality vocabulary instruction. The articles in this issue highlight the characteristics of evidence-based vocabulary interventions for children of different ages, ability levels, and language backgrounds and provide numerous examples of intervention activities that can be modified for use in individual, small-group, or large-group instructional settings.

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Hearing Screening Failure Among Students With Reading Impairment: Rate and Relation to Specific Reading Deficits

Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups ◽

10.1044/2020_persp-19-00163 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 5 (5) ◽

pp. 1212-1220

Author(s):

Krystal L. Werfel ◽

Laura Peek ◽

Gabriella Reynolds ◽

Sydney Bassard

Keyword(s):

Hearing Screening ◽

Literacy Assessment ◽

Poor Reading ◽

Reading Deficits ◽

Reading Impairment ◽

Underlying Factor ◽

Specific Reading ◽

Comprehension Skills ◽

Preliminary Study ◽

Reading Impairments

Background The purpose of this preliminary study was to explore one potential underlying factor that may contribute to poor reading outcomes: minimal hearing loss. Additionally, we compared decoding and comprehension deficits in students who passed or failed the hearing screening. Method Forty-three school-age students completed a hearing screening and a literacy assessment. Results Fifty-four percent of children with reading impairments failed the hearing screening, compared to only 21% of children with typical reading. Additionally, students who failed the hearing screening were more likely to exhibit decoding deficits; comprehension skills between the hearing screening groups did not differ. Conclusions Thus, children with reading impairments are more likely to fail hearing screenings than children with typical reading, and the deficits of those who fail hearing screenings appear to center on decoding rather than comprehension skills. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.12818252

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