The influence of academic vocabulary knowledge on school performance

2017 ◽  
Vol 49 ◽  
pp. 157-165 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisabeth Schuth ◽  
Judith Köhne ◽  
Sabine Weinert
Keyword(s):  
School Performance ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Academic Vocabulary

scholarly journals Measuring the contribution of specialist vocabulary knowledge to academic achievement: disentangling effects of multiple types of word knowledge

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed Masrai ◽  
James Milton ◽  
Dina Abdel Salam El-Dakhs ◽  
Heba Elmenshawy
Keyword(s):  
Academic Achievement ◽  
Academic Success ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
The Other ◽  
Word Knowledge ◽  
Academic Vocabulary ◽  
Vocabulary Size ◽  
Two Factors ◽  
The Impact

AbstractThis study investigates the idea that knowledge of specialist subject vocabulary can make a significant and measurable impact on academic performance, separate from and additional to the impact of general and academic vocabulary knowledge. It tests the suggestion of Hyland and Tse (TESOL Quarterly, 41:235–253, 2007) that specialist vocabulary should be given more attention in teaching. Three types of vocabulary knowledge, general, academic and a specialist business vocabulary factors, are tested against GPA and a business module scores among students of business at a college in Egypt. The results show that while general vocabulary size has the greatest explanation of variance in the academic success factors, the other two factors - academic and a specialist business vocabulary - make separate and additional further contributions. The contribution to the explanation of variance made by specialist vocabulary knowledge is double that of academic vocabulary knowledge.

scholarly journals Predictors of Latino English Learners’ Reading Comprehension Proficiency

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Theresa A Grasparil ◽  
David A Hernandez
Keyword(s):  
Reading Comprehension ◽  
Reading Fluency ◽  
Oral Reading ◽  
English Learners ◽  
Oral Reading Fluency ◽  
Reading Program ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Literacy Achievement ◽  
Academic Vocabulary ◽  
Latino English Learners

Poor literacy achievement among English learners has contributed significantly to their high dropout rates, poor job prospects, and high poverty rates. The National Literacy Panel on Language Minority Children and Youth has suggested that English learners benefit from the same direct, systematic instruction in the five essential components of reading shown effective for native-English-speaking students: phonemic awareness, phonics, oral reading fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Implementing effective reading instructional practices for English learners may reduce the literacy achievement gap between English learners and native English speakers. In this study, we used multiple regression to examine data for 1,376 third-grade Latino English learners to determine the strength of oral English proficiency, oral reading fluency, and academic vocabulary knowledge as predictors of reading comprehension proficiency. Findings of this study indicate a mismatch between English learners’ instructional needs and a widely used reading program component, assessment of words correct per minute (as a measure of oral reading fluency). Significant conclusions of this study suggest that educators seeking to promote the reading comprehension proficiency of Latino English learners consider using WCPM assessments and activities cautiously and strive to allocate more time for instruction and assessment of the prosodic dimension of oral reading fluency and academic vocabulary knowledge and skills.

Academic Vocabulary Learning in First Through Third Grade in Low-Income Schools: Effects of Automated Supplemental Instruction

2017 ◽  
Vol 60 (11) ◽  
pp. 3237-3258 ◽  
Author(s):  
Howard Goldstein ◽  
Robyn A. Ziolkowski ◽  
Kathryn E. Bojczyk ◽  
Ana Marty ◽  
Naomi Schneider ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Hierarchical Linear Modeling ◽  
Word Learning ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Vocabulary Instruction ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Academic Vocabulary ◽  
High Poverty ◽  
High Poverty Schools ◽  
Linear Modeling

PurposeThis study investigated cumulative effects of language learning, specifically whether prior vocabulary knowledge or special education status moderated the effects of academic vocabulary instruction in high-poverty schools.MethodEffects of a supplemental intervention targeting academic vocabulary in first through third grades were evaluated with 241 students (6–9 years old) from low-income families, 48% of whom were retained for the 3-year study duration. Students were randomly assigned to vocabulary instruction or comparison groups.ResultsCurriculum-based measures of word recognition, receptive identification, expressive labeling, and decontextualized definitions showed large effects for multiple levels of word learning. Hierarchical linear modeling revealed that students with higher initial Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test–Fourth Edition scores (Dunn & Dunn, 2007) demonstrated greater word learning, whereas students with special needs demonstrated less growth in vocabulary.ConclusionThis model of vocabulary instruction can be applied efficiently in high-poverty schools through an automated, easily implemented adjunct to reading instruction in the early grades and holds promise for reducing gaps in vocabulary development.

scholarly journals Academic vocabulary in an English for Academic Purposes course

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sophia Skoufaki ◽  
Bojana Petrić
Keyword(s):  
Repetition Rate ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Vocabulary Learning ◽  
English For Academic Purposes ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Academic Vocabulary ◽  
Teaching Materials ◽  
Academic Tasks ◽  
Incidental Vocabulary ◽  
Materials Used

Academic vocabulary instruction can be beneficial to students in EMI universities since academic vocabulary knowledge predicts performance in academic tasks. With the aim to inform EAP materials design, this study examines the occurrence and repetition of high-frequency academic vocabulary in the printed teaching materials used in a presessional EAP course at a UK university. Findings indicate that even when EAP teachers do not design materials with the intention to include high-frequency AVL lemmas, as indicated from the interviews, they do include many. However, the average repetition rate of academic vocabulary was below 10 occurrences and, hence, unlikely to lead to incidental vocabulary learning. Implications for research and pedagogy are discussed.

scholarly journals Teachers as Learners: The Impact of Teachers’ Morphological Awareness on Vocabulary Instruction

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 161
Author(s):  
Joanna Newton
Keyword(s):  
Classroom Practice ◽  
Included Study ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Metalinguistic Awareness ◽  
Academic Vocabulary ◽  
Student Centered ◽  
Direct Observations ◽  
Word Consciousness ◽  
Collaborative Talk ◽  
The Impact

Academic vocabulary knowledge is central to reading and academic achievement. Largely based in the lexicons of Latin and Greek, academic vocabulary comprises morphemic structures. Many teachers devote little time to focused instruction in this area because they may lack pertinent morphological and pedagogical knowledge. This article reports findings from a broader three-year longitudinal qualitative case study that explored the experiences of three elementary teachers who engaged in professional development that included study of the morphemic features of academic vocabulary and instructional techniques. This article describes changes teachers made to practice because of their deeper understanding of Latin and Greek morphology and how to teach it. Data sources included in-depth and semistructured interviews, direct observations of classroom practice, and analysis of instructional artifacts. Data analysis revealed that all three participants moved from teacher-centered, definitional approaches towards instruction that was student-centered and focused on developing metalinguistic awareness. Instructional shifts reflected participants’ new understandings about metalinguistic awareness, student-directed problem-solving, and collaborative talk in vocabulary learning. Instructional shifts address metalinguistic awareness, morphology, word consciousness, and Spanish–English cognate instruction—areas that may be overlooked in many classrooms.

scholarly journals Spanish L1 EFL learners’ recognition knowledge of English academic vocabulary: The role of cognateness, word frequency and length

2019 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Raquel Perez Urdaniz ◽  
Sophia Skoufaki
Keyword(s):  
Academic Success ◽  
Word Frequency ◽  
First Language ◽  
Final Analysis ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Outcome Variable ◽  
Academic Vocabulary ◽  
Efl Learners ◽  
Awareness Raising

AbstractAcademic vocabulary knowledge predicts students’ academic achievement across educational levels. English academic vocabulary knowledge is especially valuable because English is used in academia worldwide. Therefore, examining the factors that can predict English academic vocabulary knowledge can inform pedagogy, thus indirectly boosting students’ chances of academic success around the world. This study examines the extent to which cognateness, word frequency and length predict the ability of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners who have Spanish as their first language (L1) to recognise written English academic words. 38 Spanish L1 university students’ recognition knowledge of English cognates was measured via a Yes/No test containing words sampled from the most frequent 1,000 lemmas of the Academic Vocabulary List (Gardner and Davies 2014). 34 participants’ data were retained in the final analysis, a multiple regression with item facility (IF) as the outcome variable and word frequency, cognateness and word length as predictors. Most of the IF variance is explained by word frequency, followed by cognateness and finally a frequency by cognateness interaction whereby word frequency is more predictive of IF for non-cognates than cognates. These findings indicate that academic cognate-word awareness raising activities can be worthwhile. Implications for research and pedagogy are discussed.

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