1. Evaluation of an explicit vocabulary teaching intervention for children learning English as an additional language in primary school.
- Author
-
Dixon, Chris, Thomson, Jenny, and Fricke, Silke
- Subjects
- *
ALTERNATIVE education , *CURRICULUM , *ENGLISH as a foreign language , *LANGUAGE acquisition , *MULTILINGUALISM , *SCHOOL children , *STATISTICS , *VOCABULARY , *DATA analysis , *TEACHING methods , *PRE-tests & post-tests , *DATA analysis software , *DESCRIPTIVE statistics , *EDUCATION - Abstract
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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2020
- Full Text
- View/download PDF