Has Vocabulary Intervention Had an Effect? A Valid, Reliable, and (Fairly) Quick Outcome Measure for Semantic Knowledge

2019 ◽  
Vol 50 (4) ◽  
pp. 506-517 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dawna Duff
Keyword(s):  
Outcome Measure ◽  
Semantic Knowledge ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Word Knowledge ◽  
Clinical Use ◽  
Validity And Reliability ◽  
Point Scale ◽  
Vocabulary Intervention ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Implementation Resources

Purpose Vocabulary intervention should be guided by information from outcome measures that demonstrate whether the student has grown in depth or breadth of understanding of the taught words. However, there is a paucity of tools, to measure depth of vocabulary knowledge, that are available for clinical use. Method The challenges of vocabulary measurement are summarized. A procedure to assess semantic knowledge of specific words, both before and after treatment, is outlined: 5 yes/no questions that use the target word in different contexts ( Stallman et al., 1995 ), and definitions, scored on a 5-point scale ( Duff, 2019 ). These combined measures evaluate word knowledge along a wide continuum of semantic knowledge. Results Evidence for the validity and reliability of these measures, as well as sensitivity to treatment effects, is reviewed, and implementation resources are provided for clinicians. Conclusion This protocol can be used by clinicians to evaluate the effectiveness of vocabulary treatment by comparing a child's semantic knowledge of specific words before and after treatment.

scholarly journals Examining Performance on a Process-Based Assessment of Word Learning in Relation to Vocabulary Knowledge and Learning in Vocabulary Intervention

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (05) ◽  
pp. 344-358
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Spencer Kelley ◽  
Howard Goldstein
Keyword(s):  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
Preschool Children ◽  
Young Children ◽  
Word Learning ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Semantic Knowledge ◽  
Learning Opportunities ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Vocabulary Intervention ◽  
Knowledge Based

AbstractVocabulary knowledge of young children, as a well-established predictor of later reading comprehension, is an important domain for assessment and intervention. Standardized, knowledge-based measures are commonly used by speech-language pathologists (SLPs) to describe existing vocabulary knowledge and to provide comparisons to same-age peers. Process-based assessments of word learning can be helpful to provide information about how children may respond to learning opportunities and to inform treatment decisions. This article presents an exploratory study of the relation among vocabulary knowledge, word learning, and learning in vocabulary intervention in preschool children. The study examines the potential of a process-based assessment of word learning to predict response to vocabulary intervention. Participants completed a static, knowledge-based measure of vocabulary knowledge, a process-based assessment of word learning, and between 3 and 11 weeks of vocabulary intervention. Vocabulary knowledge, performance on the process-based assessment of word learning, and learning in vocabulary intervention were strongly related. SLPs might make use of the information provided by a process-based assessment of word learning to determine the appropriate intensity of intervention and to identify areas of phonological and semantic knowledge to target during intervention.

scholarly journals RECEPTIVE VOCABULARY KNOWLEDGE OF UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN CLIL INSTRUCTION

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dilsah Kalay
Keyword(s):  
University Students ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Word Association ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Receptive Vocabulary ◽  
Word Knowledge ◽  
Primary Concern ◽  
Vocabulary Size ◽  
Before And After

Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) has recently attracted the attention of practitioners in the language teaching field. As the name suggests, CLIL is an approach built upon teaching content-based area through a language as a medium. For such a language learning process, one of the important language aspects is vocabulary. The number of words language learners know - vocabulary size - and how well they know those words - vocabulary depth - (overall, the receptive dimension of word knowledge) are crucial foci to consider in language learning. Therefore, the primary concern of the present study is to examine the effects of the CLIL approach on the receptive vocabulary knowledge of university students in a state university. Accordingly, Vocabulary Levels Test (VLT) by Schmitt, Schmitt and Clapham (2001) and Word Association Test (WAT) by Read (2000) are administered to the participants before and after CLIL treatment. The findings indicated that the subjects’ size of vocabulary knowledge has significantly differed with CLIL instruction in time, which means that CLIL instruction has been found to be successful for developing both general and academic vocabulary knowledge. Similarly, an increase in the depth of vocabulary knowledge of participants alongside with the CLIL instruction has been observed, indicating that participants’ quality of vocabulary knowledge evaluated through WAT seems to have improved with CLIL treatment. Further research including less frequent words as well as the productive aspect of word knowledge might shed light on the impacts of CLIL treatment on vocabulary development of language learners, especially university students. <p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0726/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

scholarly journals Evaluation of an explicit vocabulary teaching intervention for children learning English as an additional language in primary school

2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 91-108
Author(s):  
Chris Dixon ◽  
Jenny Thomson ◽  
Silke Fricke
Keyword(s):  
Primary School ◽  
Effective Means ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Word Knowledge ◽  
Tier 2 ◽  
Language Therapy ◽  
Vocabulary Intervention ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Explicit Vocabulary ◽  
Learning English

Many children learning English as an additional language (EAL) possess lower levels of English vocabulary knowledge relative to their non-EAL English-speaking peers. Longitudinal work suggests that this group discrepancy does not decrease markedly over time as a result of regular classroom teaching. Twelve EAL learners with English vocabulary weaknesses took part in a low-intensity, 10-week vocabulary intervention. Working one-to-one with speech and language therapy students, children took part in weekly activities designed to promote receptive and productive knowledge of 20 target words within the Tier-2 vocabulary category. When assessed on a bespoke word knowledge assessment, children made statistically significant gains between pretest and posttest in both receptive and productive knowledge of taught words, and maintained this knowledge six months later. Multi-component explicit vocabulary instruction offering opportunities for active engagement and discussion is thus presented as one potentially effective means of promoting the Tier-2 vocabulary knowledge of EAL learners in primary school in England.

scholarly journals Lexical-semantic integration by good and poor reading comprehenders

2020 ◽  
Vol 73 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-78
Author(s):  
Lucilene Bender de Sousa ◽  
Lilian Cristine Hübner ◽  
Roselaine Berenice Ferreira da Silva
Keyword(s):  
Semantic Processing ◽  
Semantic Knowledge ◽  
Semantic Integration ◽  
Performance Comparison ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Word Knowledge ◽  
Poor Reading ◽  
Lexical Semantic ◽  
Poor Comprehenders ◽  
The Difference

In this paper, we investigate the level of vocabulary knowledge and the lexical-integration ability of good and poor comprehenders at the 8th grade of Elementary School. The participants were assessed in the following tasks: reading comprehension, listening comprehension, decoding, vocabulary, lexical-semantic integration and incongruence detection. The performance comparison revealed that good comprehenders performed significantly better than poor comprehenders in the measures of vocabulary and integration. The difference in the accuracy of the integration tasks remained significant after controlling for word knowledge. The results suggest that good and poor comprehenders differentiate not only in lexical semantic knowledge but also in lexical-semantic processing.

scholarly journals Effects of spacing on contextual vocabulary learning: Spacing facilitates the acquisition of explicit, but not tacit, vocabulary knowledge

2020 ◽  
pp. 026765832092776
Author(s):  
Tatsuya Nakata ◽  
Irina Elgort
Keyword(s):  
Semantic Priming ◽  
Vocabulary Learning ◽  
Spacing Effect ◽  
Semantic Knowledge ◽  
Practice Effect ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Word Knowledge ◽  
Spacing Effects ◽  
Semantic Priming Effect ◽  
Massed Learning

Studies examining decontextualized associative vocabulary learning have shown that long spacing between encounters with an item facilitates learning more than short or no spacing, a phenomenon known as distributed practice effect. However, the effect of spacing on learning words in context is less researched and the results, so far, are inconsistent. In this study, we compared the effect of massed and spaced distributions on second language vocabulary learning from reading. Japanese speakers of English encountered 48 novel vocabulary items embedded in informative English sentences, inferred their meanings from contexts, and received feedback in the form of English synonyms and Japanese translation equivalents. To test the hypothesis that the effects of spacing might differentially affect the development of explicit or tacit word knowledge, spacing effects were measured using semantic priming as well as a meaning recall and a meaning–form matching posttest. Results showed an advantage of spaced over massed learning on the meaning recall and meaning–form matching posttests. However, a similar semantic priming effect was observed irrespective of whether an item was encountered in the massed or spaced distribution. These results suggest that the spacing effect holds in contextual word learning for the development of explicit vocabulary knowledge, but massing appears to be as effective as spacing for the acquisition of tacit semantic knowledge.

Moving Forward Four Words at a Time: Effects of a Supplemental Preschool Vocabulary Intervention

2020 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
pp. 165-175 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lindsey A. Peters-Sanders ◽  
Elizabeth S. Kelley ◽  
Christa Haring Biel ◽  
Keri Madsen ◽  
Xigrid Soto ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Group Intervention ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Single Case Design ◽  
Vocabulary Intervention ◽  
Iterative Development ◽  
At Risk Children ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Child Friendly ◽  
Interactive Lessons ◽  
Case Design

Purpose This study evaluated the effects of an automated, small-group intervention designed to teach preschoolers challenging vocabulary words. Previous studies have provided evidence of efficacy. In this study, we evaluated the effects of the program after doubling the number of words taught from 2 to 4 words per book. Method Seventeen preschool children listened to 1 prerecorded book per week for 9 weeks. Each storybook had embedded, interactive lessons for 4 target vocabulary words. Each lesson provided repeated exposures to words and their definitions, child-friendly contexts, and multiple opportunities for children to respond verbally to instructional prompts. Participants were asked to define the weekly targeted vocabulary before and after intervention. A repeated acquisition single-case design was used to examine the effects of the books and embedded lessons on learning of target vocabulary words. Results Treatment effects were observed for all children across many of the books. Learning of at least 2 points (i.e., 1 word) was replicated for 74.5% of 149 books tested across the 17 participants. On average, children learned to define 47% of the target vocabulary words (17 out of 36). Conclusions Results support including 4 challenging words per book, as children learned substantially more words when 4 words were taught, in comparison to previous studies. Within an iterative development process, results of the current study take us 1 step closer to creating an optimal vocabulary intervention that supports the language development of at-risk children.

The Effect of Vocabulary Intervention on Text Comprehension: Who Benefits?

2019 ◽  
Vol 50 (4) ◽  
pp. 562-578 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dawna Duff
Keyword(s):  
Middle School ◽  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
Text Comprehension ◽  
Classroom Instruction ◽  
Vocabulary Instruction ◽  
Clinical Intervention ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Vocabulary Intervention ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Difference

Purpose Vocabulary intervention can improve comprehension of texts containing taught words, but it is unclear if all middle school readers get this benefit. This study tests 2 hypotheses about variables that predict response to vocabulary treatment on text comprehension: gains in vocabulary knowledge due to treatment and pretreatment reading comprehension scores. Method Students in Grade 6 ( N = 23) completed a 5-session intervention based on robust vocabulary instruction (RVI). Knowledge of the semantics of taught words was measured pre- and posttreatment. Participants then read 2 matched texts, 1 containing taught words (treated) and 1 not (untreated). Treated texts and taught word lists were counterbalanced across participants. The difference between text comprehension scores in treated and untreated conditions was taken as a measure of the effect of RVI on text comprehension. Results RVI resulted in significant gains in knowledge of taught words ( d RM = 2.26) and text comprehension ( d RM = 0.31). The extent of gains in vocabulary knowledge after vocabulary treatment did not predict the effect of RVI on comprehension of texts. However, untreated reading comprehension scores moderated the effect of the vocabulary treatment on text comprehension: Lower reading comprehension was associated with greater gains in text comprehension. Readers with comprehension scores below the mean experienced large gains in comprehension, but those with average/above average reading comprehension scores did not. Conclusion Vocabulary instruction had a larger effect on text comprehension for readers in Grade 6 who had lower untreated reading comprehension scores. In contrast, the amount that children learned about taught vocabulary did not predict the effect of vocabulary instruction on text comprehension. This has implications for the identification of 6th-grade students who would benefit from classroom instruction or clinical intervention targeting vocabulary knowledge.

Assessing Functional Language in School-Aged Children Using Language Sample Analysis

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 622-636
Author(s):  
John Heilmann ◽  
Alexander Tucci ◽  
Elena Plante ◽  
Jon F. Miller
Keyword(s):  
Computer Hardware ◽  
School Age Children ◽  
Functional Language ◽  
School Age ◽  
Clinical Use ◽  
Sample Analysis ◽  
Validity And Reliability ◽  
Language Sample Analysis ◽  
Accuracy And Repeatability ◽  
Language Sample

Purpose The goal of this clinical focus article is to illustrate how speech-language pathologists can document the functional language of school-age children using language sample analysis (LSA). Advances in computer hardware and software are detailed making LSA more accessible for clinical use. Method This clinical focus article illustrates how documenting school-age student's communicative functioning is central to comprehensive assessment and how using LSA can meet multiple needs within this assessment. LSA can document students' meaningful participation in their daily life through assessment of their language used during everyday tasks. The many advances in computerized LSA are detailed with a primary focus on the Systematic Analysis of Language Transcripts (Miller & Iglesias, 2019). The LSA process is reviewed detailing the steps necessary for computers to calculate word, morpheme, utterance, and discourse features of functional language. Conclusion These advances in computer technology and software development have made LSA clinically feasible through standardized elicitation and transcription methods that improve accuracy and repeatability. In addition to improved accuracy, validity, and reliability of LSA, databases of typical speakers to document status and automated report writing more than justify the time required. Software now provides many innovations that make LSA simpler and more accessible for clinical use. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.12456719

Mobile-assisted vocabulary learning: Investigating receptive and productive vocabulary knowledge of Chinese EFL learners

ReCALL ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Yan Li ◽  
Christoph A. Hafner
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Vocabulary Learning ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Mobile Technologies ◽  
Word Knowledge ◽  
Mobile Platforms ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Learning Group ◽  
Chinese University ◽  
L2 Vocabulary

Abstract Considerable research has been conducted on the advancement of mobile technologies to facilitate vocabulary learning and acquisition in a second language (L2). However, whether mobile platforms lead to a comprehensive mastery of both receptive and productive vocabulary knowledge has seldom been addressed in previous literature. This study investigated English vocabulary learning from engagement with mobile-based word cards and paper word cards in the context of the Chinese university classroom. A total of 85 undergraduate students were recruited to take part in the study. The students were divided into two groups, a mobile learning group and a paper-based learning group, and tested on two word knowledge components: receptive knowledge of the form–meaning connection and productive knowledge of collocations. Both the digital and non-digital word cards enhanced L2 vocabulary learning, and the results showed that the mobile application (app) promoted greater gains than physical word cards.

scholarly journals Real-world effectiveness and tolerability of Zelesse cream® for treating vulvovaginitis in adult women: an observational, prospective study

2021 ◽  
Vol 49 (5) ◽  
pp. 030006052110132
Author(s):  
Ana Rosa Masero ◽  
Luís Manuel San Frutos ◽  
Ernesto Vizcaíno ◽  
María Palma ◽  
Syra Velasco-Ortega ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Antimicrobial Therapy ◽  
Vaginal Discharge ◽  
Signs And Symptoms ◽  
Controlled Trials ◽  
Adult Women ◽  
Global Score ◽  
Point Scale ◽  
Vaginal Cream ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Larger Sample

Objective To assess the efficacy, acceptability, and tolerability of a vaginal cream based on plant extracts for treating signs and symptoms of vulvovaginitis (VV) (Zelesse cream®), either as monotherapy (non-infectious VV) or adjuvant to antimicrobial therapy (infectious VV). Methods This prospective, observational, multicenter study included women who attended outpatient offices for VV. The severity of signs (vaginal discharge, erythema, and edema) and symptoms (pruritus, burning, and dysuria) was assessed before and after 15±5 days of daily treatment with Zelesse cream on a 4-point scale (18-point global score). Results The study included 58 women aged 43.0±13.2 years, including 42 who were treated with Zelesse cream only and 16 who used Zelesse cream as adjuvant to antimicrobial therapy. All participants showed significantly reduced scores and absolute prevalence of individual signs and symptoms in both groups. Similarly, the median signs/symptoms decreased by 4.0 and 8.0 points in women using Zelesse only and those using Zelesse plus antimicrobial therapy, respectively. This product was well tolerated and had high acceptability. Conclusions Zelesse cream relieves signs and symptoms of VV, either as monotherapy in non-infectious VV or as adjuvant to antimicrobial therapy in infectious VV. Future randomized, placebo-controlled trials with larger sample sizes are warranted.

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