Knowledge of words, knowledge about words: Dimensions of vocabulary in first and second language learners in sixth grade

Abstract

Despite acknowledging the complex nature of vocabulary knowledge, researchers have rarely investigated the dimensionality of this construct empirically. This study was designed to test a multi-dimensional model of English vocabulary knowledge for sixth-grade students from linguistically diverse backgrounds (n = 584). Participants included language minority students learning English as a second language (L2) and students who learned English as a first language (L1). Students were assessed on 13 reading-based measures tapping various aspects of vocabulary knowledge. Using multiple-group confirmatory factor analysis, we found that vocabulary was comprised of three highly related, but distinct dimensions-breadth, contextual sensitivity, and morphological awareness. This threedimensional model was found to hold for L2 learners as well as L1 speakers. Although the L2 learners were statistically significantly lower than the L1 students on all three dimensions, the magnitude of the difference for morphological awareness (d = .37) was somewhat smaller than that for vocabulary breadth (d = .52) and contextual sensitivity (d = .49). Results were similar for a subsample of Spanish-speaking L2 learners and for the full sample of L2 learners from various home language groups. Findings support a distinction between word-specific and word-general knowledge in understanding individual and group differences in vocabulary.

Is Morphological Awareness a Relevant Predictor of Reading Fluency and Comprehension? New Evidence From Italian Monolingual and Arabic-Italian Bilingual Children

“…Note, however, that this might be considered a problem for most of the tasks in the literature on (derivational and inflectional) morphological awareness (cf. Carlisle, 2000, Singson et al, 2000Kieffer and Lesaux, 2012), involving the transformation of real roots into new derived words by using real suffixes. Therefore, even in those studies, one cannot exclude the contribution of lexical competence on morphological awareness achievement.…”

The incremental variance of morphological knowledge to reading comprehension in grades 3–10 beyond prior reading comprehension, spelling, and text reading efficiency

“…Kieffer and Lesaux (2012b) found a direct effect of morphological knowledge on reading comprehension in 952 grade 6 students, controlling for reading vocabulary and word reading fluency and an indirect effect via reading vocabulary but not via word reading fluency. In a further study of the dimensionality of the vocabulary knowledge in these grade 6 students, Kieffer and Lesaux (2012a) demonstrated that vocabulary comprised three separate but related dimensions-breadth, contextual sensitivity, and morphological awareness-for both L2 and L1 learners. They see this as support for the familiar instructional division into knowledge about words (morphological and contextual sensitivity) and knowledge of specific word meanings.…”

“…Additionally, this feat was accomplished without the inclusion of vocabulary in the models. It is possible that the morphological knowledge task tapped the vocabulary depth dimension that Kieffer and Lesaux (2012a) found represented by their morphological awareness and contextual sensitivity tasks. In the future it would be important to replicate our study and include receptive and expressive measures of vocabulary breadth and depth.…”

Effects of immigrant background on text comprehension, vocabulary, and reading motivation: A longitudinal study

“…For instance, in a study conducted by Carlo et al (2004), monolingual U.S. students scored higher than their bilingual peers on the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test Revised (PPVT-R). Limbird (2007) found less well-developed vocabulary knowledge among German-Turkish bilingual students in comparison to monolingual German students (see also Kieffer & Lesaux, 2012;Mahon & Crutchley, 2006). Moreover, Verhoeven and Vermeer (2006) reported increasing group differences in vocabulary knowledge from grade 3 to grade 6.…”