Vocabulary Tricks: Effects of Instruction in Morphology and Context on Fifth-Grade Students’Ability to Derive and Infer Word Meanings

Abstract

This quasi-experimental study compared the effects of morphemic and contextual analysis instruction (MC) with the effects of textbook vocabulary instruction (TV) that was integrated into social studies textbook lessons. The participants were 157 students in eight fifth-grade classrooms. The results indicated that (a) TV students were more successful at learning textbook vocabulary; (b) MC students were more successful at inferring the meanings of novel affixed words; (c) MC students were more successful at inferring the meanings of morphologically and contextually decipherable words on a delayed test but not on an immediate test; and (d) the groups did not differ on a comprehension measure or a social studies learning measure. The results were interpreted as support for teaching specific vocabulary and morphemic analysis, with some evidence for the efficacy of teaching contextual analysis.

The Effects of Morphological Instruction on Literacy Skills

“…The final point to be made about methods of instruction concerns the problemsolving approach adopted in four of the studies reviewed here (Baumann et al, 2003;Berninger et al, 2003;Bowers & Kirby, 2006, in press;Tomesen & Aarnoutse, 1998). Each of these studies used the theme of "detectives" to frame their instruction, designed to enhance student motivation.…”

“…The metaanalysis described here synthesizes results from morphological interventions that have examined the effect of instruction both with participants identified with reading difficulties (e.g., Arnbak & Elbro, 2000;Tyler, Lewis, Haskill, & Tolbert, 2003) and spelling difficulties (e.g., Kirk & Gillon, 2009) and with undifferentiated participants (e.g., Baumann et al, 2002;Baumann et al, 2003;Bowers & Kirby, 2006, in press). We investigate results from instructional studies with age groups from preschool (e.g., Lyster, 1998Lyster, , 2002 to upper elementary (e.g., Robinson & Hesse, 1981) and across a variety of languages (English, Danish, Dutch, and Norwegian).…”

“…A small but growing body of research has investigated the effects of morphological instruction on reading (e.g., Abbott & Berninger, 1999;Berninger et al, 2003;Berninger et al, 2008), spelling (e.g., Nunes, Bryant, & Olsson, 2003;Robinson & Hesse, 1981), and vocabulary (Baumann, Edwards, Boland, Olejnik, & Kame'enui, 2003;Baumann et al, 2002;Bowers & Kirby, in press). The metaanalysis described here synthesizes results from morphological interventions that have examined the effect of instruction both with participants identified with reading difficulties (e.g., Arnbak & Elbro, 2000;Tyler, Lewis, Haskill, & Tolbert, 2003) and spelling difficulties (e.g., Kirk & Gillon, 2009) and with undifferentiated participants (e.g., Baumann et al, 2002;Baumann et al, 2003;Bowers & Kirby, 2006, in press).…”

The Effects of Comprehensive Vocabulary Instruction on Title I Students' Metacognitive Word-Learning Skills and Reading Comprehension

“…For example, Stahl and Fairbanks (1986) examined definitional and contextual approaches to vocabulary instruction and documented a large effect (.97) on word-specific measures of reading comprehension and a small effect (.30) on global comprehension as a result of vocabulary instruction. Other vocabulary studies documented children's improved ability to execute specific skills, such as deriving word meaning from context or identifying morphological features of words, but found no evidence of improved reading comprehension (Baumann, Edwards, Boland, Olejnik, & Kame'enui, 2003;Baumann et al, 2002;Fukkink & de Glopper, 1998;Kuhn & Stahl, 1998;Tomesen & Aarnoutse, 1998).…”

Teaching Word Meanings to Students at Different Reading Ability: A Controlled Assessment of the Contextual-Based Vocabulary Instruction on Reading Comprehension

“…Bağlamsal analiz, okuyucunun okuma sırasında karşılaştığı bir kelimenin öncesi ve sonrasındaki kelime ya da cümlede sunulan bağlam ipuçlarını (ör., tanım, örnek, eş anlam, genelleme, karşılaştırma, neden-sonuç) keşfederek anlamını çıkarmak için kullandığı bir stratejidir (Baumann, Edwards, Boland, Olejnik ve Kame'enui, 2003). Örneğin Entomoloji ve Entomolog kavramların anlamlarının bağlamdan çıkarımına dair bir örneği aşağıda verilmiştir (Vacca, Vacca ve Mraz, 2011, s. 174).…”