The Effectiveness and Ease of Implementation of an Academic Vocabulary Intervention for Linguistically Diverse Students in Urban Middle Schools

• Published in: Reading research quarterly 2010-04, Vol.45 (2), p.196-228
• Main Authors: Lesaux, Nonie K., Kieffer, Michael J., Faller, S. Elisabeth, Kelley, Joan G.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Academic learning; Achievement Gains; Child Health; Classroom Observation Techniques; Classroom observations; Classroom Techniques; comprehension; context; Control Groups; early adolescence; Educational Resources; Elementary schools; ELL; English (Second Language); English as a second language learning; English Language Learners; Evaluation; Grade 6; Intervention; Language arts; Language diversity; Language instruction; language learners; Language Minorities; Language teachers; Language teaching methods; learner; Learning; Linguistics; Matched Groups; Middle Schools; Mixed Methods Research; Morphological processing; morphology; oral language; Outcomes of Education; practice; Primary Education; Program Effectiveness; Program Evaluation; Program Implementation; Quasiexperimental Design; Reading comprehension; Reading instruction; Response to intervention (Education); Skills; specialized; struggling; Students; Study and teaching; Teachers; Teaching Methods; Thinking Skills; topic; type; Urban Schools; Vocabulary; Vocabulary Development; Vocabulary instruction; Vocabulary Skills; Word meaning; Writing instruction
• ISSN: 0034-0553; 1936-2722
• DOI: 10.1598/RRQ.45.2.3

The present study aims to advance the extant research base by evaluating the implementation and effectiveness of an academic vocabulary program designed for use in mainstream middle school classrooms with high proportions of language minority learners. The quasi-experimental, mixed-methods study was conducted in 21 classes (13 treatment matched to 8 control) in seven middle schools in a large district, with 476 sixth-grade students (346 language minority learners, 130 native English speakers). Classroom observations and teacher logs indicated the 18-week program was implemented with good fidelity and that the approach contrasted sharply with the standard district English language arts (ELA) curriculum. Multilevel modeling indicated that the program resulted in significant effects on several aspects of vocabulary knowledge, including meanings of taught words (d = 0.39; p < .0001), morphological awareness (d = 0.20; p = .0003), and the word meanings as presented in expository text (d = 0.20; p = .0227). The program also yielded marginally significant, but promising effects on a depth of word knowledge measure (d = 0.15; p = 0.0830) and a norm-referenced measure of reading comprehension (d = 0.15; p = .0568). No effects were found on a norm-referenced vocabulary measure. These effects were comparable for language minority learners and their native–English-speaking classmates. Data from teachers shed light on the challenges of meeting students' diverse instructional needs and the roles of curriculum and professional networks in building instructional capacity. The findings show promise in developing effective multifaceted vocabulary instruction for implementation by ELA teachers in middle school classrooms with high numbers of language minority learners.