scholarly journals An Analysis of the Features of Words That Influence Vocabulary Difficulty

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elfrieda H. Hiebert ◽  
Judith A. Scott ◽  
Ruben Castaneda ◽  
Alexandra Spichtig
Keyword(s):  
English Learners ◽  
Age Of Acquisition ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Fifth Grade ◽  
Content Areas ◽  
Fifth Grade Students ◽  
Grade Levels ◽  
Part Of Speech ◽  
Curriculum Instruction ◽  
Word Location

The two studies reported on in this paper examine the features of words that distinguish students’ performances on vocabulary assessments as a means of understanding what contributes to the ease or difficulty of vocabulary knowledge. The two studies differ in the type of assessment, the types of words that were studied, and the grade levels and population considered. In the first study, an assessment of words that can be expected to appear with at least moderate frequency at particular levels of text was administered to students in grades 2 through 12. The second study considered the responses of fourth- and fifth-grade students, including English learners, to words that teachers had identified as challenging for those grade levels. The effects of the same set of word features on students’ vocabulary knowledge were examined in both studies: predicted appearances of a word and its immediate morphological family members, number of letters and syllables, dispersion across content areas, polysemy, part of speech, age of acquisition, and concreteness. The data consisted of the proportion of students who answered an item correctly. In the first study, frequency of a word’s appearance in written English and age of acquisition predicted students’ performances. In the second study, age of acquisition was again critical but so too were word length, number of syllables, and concreteness. Word location (which was confounded by word frequency) also proved to be a predictor of performance. Findings are discussed in relation to how they can inform curriculum, instruction, and research.

Grammatical Verb Errors: Differences Between English Learners With and Without Diagnosed Language-Based Learning Disabilities

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Keisey Fumero ◽  
Carla Wood
Keyword(s):  
Learning Disabilities ◽  
English Learners ◽  
Progress Monitoring ◽  
Written Language ◽  
Fifth Grade ◽  
Language Abilities ◽  
Fifth Grade Students ◽  
School Year ◽  
Average Change ◽  
Grammatical Accuracy

Purpose: This study examines the written language samples of fifth grade English learner (EL) students with and without diagnosed language-based learning disabilities (LLDs) in an effort to explore the utility of such supplemental materials for aiding in differential diagnosis of ELs with and without LLDs. Method: This sample of 127 fifth grade students consisted of ELs without identified disabilities ( n = 89) and ELs diagnosed with LLDs ( n = 38). Written language samples from a classroom-based expository writing task were coded for grammaticality and specific verb type of errors. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) between the groups that differed by language abilities was conducted at two time points to compare the frequency of errors and the average change in grammaticality from the beginning of the school year to the end of the school year. Results: EL students with and without LLDs performed similarly at the beginning of the school year. ELs without LLDs showed greater average change in accuracy across the school year. Significantly, higher proportions of verb tense and verb omission errors were demonstrated by ELs with LLDs when compared with their EL peers at the end of the school year. Overall grammatical accuracy was also lower for ELs with LLDs. Conclusions: Group differences at the end of the school year were confirmed in types and rate of verb errors. Results support the potential clinical utility of monitoring verb errors in writing samples over time as a supplemental tool in diagnostic evaluations and assessments for progress monitoring.

Music Activity Preferences of Elementary Students

1998 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 193-207 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chelcy L. Bowles
Keyword(s):  
First Graders ◽  
Traditional Music ◽  
Music Programs ◽  
Fifth Grade ◽  
Music Classroom ◽  
Classroom Activities ◽  
Fifth Grade Students ◽  
Grade Levels ◽  
Music Program ◽  
Activity Preferences

A questionnaire regarding music classroom activity preferences was administered to 2,251 kindergarten through fifth-grade students. Students stated whether they liked to participate in 13 traditional music-classroom activities and eight music-program-related activities, and they identified their favorite activity among six. Students preferred playing instruments above all other activities within and across grade levels, and 50% reported instrument playing as their favorite activity. Singing and listening were about equally liked within and across grades. Students preferred creative movement over dance within and across grades; first graders responded less positively to dance than to any other activity. Positive attitude toward composing declined with advancing grade level. Eighty-one percent liked to perform in music programs, and more than half liked to perform in small ensembles. Students responded very positively to attending concerts and having performers come to the classroom, but were less positive about participating in music contests.

scholarly journals The Relation Between Academic Word Use and Reading Comprehension for Students From Diverse Backgrounds

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Carla L. Wood ◽  
Christopher Schatschneider ◽  
Allyssa VelDink
Keyword(s):  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
English Learners ◽  
Word List ◽  
Written Language ◽  
Fifth Grade ◽  
Word Use ◽  
Fifth Grade Students ◽  
Language Learning Disabilities

Purpose The aims of the current project were twofold: (a) to describe the use of academic words in written language samples by fifth-grade students and (b) to examine the predictive relation between academic word use in academic writing and reading comprehension. Method Investigators utilized written expository responses of 1,128 students in fifth grade who differed in English proficiency and language ability. The sample included 214 students who were English learners (ELs) and 144 students with identified language learning disabilities (LLD). Group differences in the use of academic words from the Coxhead word list were examined. Results ELs and students with LLD used academic words less frequently than their peers and demonstrated less variety in their academic word use. There was a significant relation between students' use of academic words and reading comprehension. Academic word use accounted for 16% of the variance in reading comprehension, which was not significantly different for ELs or students with LLD. The relation was moderated by economic advantage, with the strength of the relation being lower for students who were eligible for free/reduced lunch. Conclusions Findings support the need for additional research on ways to improve academic vocabulary skills to minimize achievement gaps. The relation between academic word use and reading comprehension warrants further consideration.

Connective Use in Academic Writing by Students With Language Learning Disabilities From Diverse Linguistic Backgrounds

2020 ◽  
pp. 152574012093356
Author(s):  
Carla L. Wood
Keyword(s):  
Learning Disabilities ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Academic Writing ◽  
English Learners ◽  
English Proficiency ◽  
Fifth Grade ◽  
Writing Quality ◽  
Word Use ◽  
Fifth Grade Students ◽  
Language Learning Disabilities

The aims of the current project included to (a) describe the use of connectives in written language samples by fifth grade students, (b) examine differences in connective use between groups who differed in English proficiency and exceptionalities, and (c) examine the predictive relationship between connective measures and writing quality ratings. Investigators utilized written expository responses of 1,128 students in fifth grade who differed in English proficiency and language ability. The sample included 214 English learners and 144 students with language learning disabilities (LLD). Group differences were examined in the use of advanced connective words in academic writing. Regression analysis was used to examine connective measures as predictors of overall writing quality rating. Students with LLD used advanced connectives less frequently than their peers and demonstrated less variety in their connective word use. Two connective measures (total number of advanced connectives and the ratio of connectives) were significant predictors of writing quality. Findings support the need for additional efforts to improve the use of cohesive devices in academic writing for students with LLD to minimize achievement gaps.

scholarly journals The Relationship between Metacognitive Awareness Levels, Learning Styles, Genders and Mathematics Grades of Fifth Graders

2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 78 ◽  
Author(s):  
Serdal Baltaci ◽  
Avni Yildiz ◽  
Bilal Özcakir
Keyword(s):  
Learning Styles ◽  
Significant Relationship ◽  
Metacognitive Awareness ◽  
Fifth Grade ◽  
Screening Model ◽  
Fifth Grade Students ◽  
Grade Levels ◽  
And Gender ◽  
And Mathematics ◽  
The Relationship

<p>Previous studies have shown that students, who have high levels of metacognitive awareness, perform better achievement levels than other students.<strong> </strong>Besides,<strong> </strong>it can be said that learning styles may affect metacognitive awareness of students. In the literature, studies about metacognition focused on problem solving and learners’ mathematical achievement, improvement in metacognition, and supporting some learning environments with metacognition. Therefore, in this study, relationship between metacognitive differences, learning styles, genders and mathematics grades of the fifth grade students are examined. This study was designed as descriptive study and conducted by using relational screening model. The participants consist of 330 fifth grade students from public middle schools. Data collection tools of this study are “Metacognitive Awareness Scale for Children” and “Learning Styles Scale”. The data gathered through these scales were analyzed by using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) 21.0. As a result, there is no statistically significant relationship between learning styles and gender. But, there is statistically significant relationship between learning styles-mathematics grades, metacognitive awareness levels<strong> </strong>(MAL)—grade levels in mathematics, MAL-gender and MAL-learning styles. Learning styles may affect individuals’ way of thinking in every moment of the life. Thus, this result has a significant part in education. In fact, parents, teachers and administrators should know metacognitive awareness and learning styles. Thus, knowing these terms can be helpful to understand how the problematic and unsuccessful students show undesirable behaviors since those students’ learning styles and metacognitive awareness levels are not considered.</p>

Impact of the InferCabulary App on Vocabulary Knowledge of Fifth-Grade Students With Disabilities

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 204-224
Author(s):  
Michael J. Kennedy ◽  
John Elwood Romig ◽  
Victoria J. VanUitert ◽  
Wendy J. Rodgers
Keyword(s):  
Student Learning ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Explicit Instruction ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Fifth Grade ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Fifth Grade Students ◽  
Business As Usual ◽  
Core Characteristics ◽  
The Impact

There are multiple pathways for students with and without disabilities to learn new vocabulary terms. However, the number of empirically tested and validated multimedia options is surprisingly limited. In this study, researchers tested a commercially available app (InferCabulary) to evaluate the impact on vocabulary performance of fifth-grade students with and without disabilities. A key practice that can take many forms while maintaining its core characteristics is explicit instruction. Therefore, researchers paired the functionality of the app with explicit instruction to evaluate its impact on student learning. Based on a counterbalanced design across 6 alternating weeks accessing the app or teacher-led business-as-usual instruction, students scored higher on weeks when they used the app plus explicit instruction to learn new terms. Implications for future research are included.

Science vocabulary knowledge of third and fifth grade students

1991 ◽  
Vol 75 (4) ◽  
pp. 419-428 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria J. Meyerson ◽  
Marilyn Sue Ford ◽  
W. Paul Jones ◽  
Mary Ann Ward
Keyword(s):  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Fifth Grade ◽  
Fifth Grade Students ◽  
Science Vocabulary
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