Brooks, R., Warmington, M. orcid.org/0000-0003-4741-2937 and Thomson, J. orcid.org/0000-0002-4293-4851 (2024) Evaluating the impact of vocabulary instruction on oral vocabulary, phonemic awareness and nonword reading. Reading and Writing. ISSN 2079-8245
Abstract
Vocabulary teaching has traditionally focused on word meanings to aid reading comprehension, however evidence also suggests that vocabulary knowledge influences phonemic awareness and word reading. Vocabulary instruction concentrating on the sound structure of new words alongside meaning (combined sound-meaning vocabulary instruction) improves vocabulary for learners with speech and language difficulties. Emerging research suggests it may deliver similar results as a classroom strategy for young children. Researchers have questioned whether combined instruction would additionally enhance phonemic awareness and phonic decoding. A teaching intervention with 273 children aged 5–6 in the United Kingdom compared meaning-based instruction, combined instruction and usual classroom instruction (age-matched controls) over 24 weeks with three testing points. A daily vocabulary lesson incorporating evidence-based principles was delivered by classroom teachers. After intervention both instructional groups performed significantly higher than controls on taught vocabulary, and all groups performed equally on phonemic awareness and nonword reading. Delayed post-test results require more cautious interpretation due to the lack of a hierarchical design. Combined instruction resulted in the highest taught vocabulary and phonic reading outcomes; phonemic awareness in the combined condition was significantly higher than controls. Results tentatively suggest that combined instruction is an inclusive approach for whole-class use in early schooling.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © The Author(s) 2024. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by/4.0/. |
Keywords: | Vocabulary; Phonemic awareness; Early literacy; Word reading |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Social Sciences (Sheffield) > School of Education (Sheffield) The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health (Sheffield) > Health Sciences School (Sheffield) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 23 Jul 2024 14:10 |
Last Modified: | 23 Jul 2024 14:10 |
Status: | Published online |
Publisher: | AOSIS |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1007/s11145-024-10564-1 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:215098 |