Vocabulary plays an important role in language and literacy development. However, little is known about vocabulary development in young children who need to learn an official or majority language, in addition to a minority language spoken at home. This dissertation concerned English (majority) and Armenian (minority) vocabulary development in young bilingual children. First, a parallel bilingual vocabulary test was developed, which included picture identification and picture naming tasks to assess listening (receptive) and speaking (expressive) vocabularies in the two languages. Then, the vocabulary test was used to compare bilingual vocabulary growth and examine individual differences in vocabulary performance. Twenty Junior and twenty-two Senior Kindergarten bilingual children were tested twice on the vocabulary tasks over a six-month interval. Information was also obtained on environmental (parental education, Armenian/English language exposure) and child characteristics (nonverbal cognitive abilities, phonological short-term memory) related to vocabulary development, as potential predictors of individual vocabulary performances. Children showed growth over time in all four vocabulary tasks. However, less growth was observed in Armenian expressive than in Armenian receptive, English receptive, and English expressive vocabulary. Children had high exposure to Armenian at home; however, consistent with their exposure to English through peers, most were proficient in English vocabulary. The findings suggest a preference to use English and the influential role of English language exposure on higher proficiency in English vocabulary. These findings imply a potential risk for Armenian language maintenance, which warrants future studies. English language exposure and phonological short-term memory were both unique predictors of English vocabulary, whereas Armenian language exposure was the only unique predictor of Armenian vocabulary. Therefore, providing additional minority language exposure might be the best way to enhance and maintain minority vocabulary and language. This dissertation had three novel contributions. It provided a sound and replicable method to develop a bilingual vocabulary test in other minority languages. The vocabulary test made it possible to compare performance across minority and majority languages directly and confidently for the first time. Finally, the relative values of four different characteristics were examined in predicting individual differences in minority and majority vocabulary performances.

The focus of this dissertation is the development and testing of a CALL tool which assists learners of German with the extensive reading of German texts of their choice. The application provides functionality that enables learners to acquire new vocabulary, analyse the meaning of complex word forms and to study a word’s semantic and syntactic features with the help of corpora and online resources. It is also designed to enable instructors to create meaningful exercises to be used in classroom activities focusing on vocabulary acquisition and word formation rules. The detailed description of the software development and implementation is preceded by a review of the relevant literature in the areas of German morphology and word formation, second language acquisition and vocabulary acquisition in particular, studies on the benefits of extensive reading, the role of motivation in second language learning, CALL, and natural language processing technologies. The user study presented at the end of this dissertation shows how a first test group of learners was able to use the application for individual reading projects and presents the results of an evaluation of the software conducted by three German instructors assessing the affordances of the applications for students and potential applications for language instructors.

Among the multiple dimensions of reading, vocabulary knowledge and strategies are essential to skilled reading. As a result, this two-part dissertation (a) systematically examines the vocabulary intervention research, in both content and methodology, published since 1999, and (b) documents the implementation of evidence-based vocabulary strategies in fourth grade social studies classrooms. Twenty-four studies were included in the systematic literature review. Results of this study corroborate findings of past studies that several vocabulary strategies have emerged that are effective for increasing students’ vocabulary knowledge. Findings further reinforce the National Reading Panel’s recommendations regarding the context and magnitude of studies needed. Additionally, results of the analysis of the methodological characteristics of the 24 studies revealed mixed alignment of research methods with standards recommended by educational and research organizations. A study of 26 fourth grade social studies teachers’ use of vocabulary strategies was conducted based on an existing data set acquired as part of a larger professional development study. In that study, teachers were randomly assigned to either a typical practice or professional development group. Analysis of teachers’ instructional practice revealed that few of the vocabulary strategies identified in the literature are used in typical fourth grade social studies classrooms. Teachers who received professional development used a wider array of strategies. Controlling for teachers’ preknowledge of vocabulary strategy instruction, results of a MANCOVA showed that the professional development group was statistically different from the typical practice group in terms of overall instructional quality, time allotted for vocabulary instruction, and variety of strategies. Additional analyses were conducted comparing the findings of Durkin’s study of comprehension in fourth grade social studies classrooms to the current practices of nine fourth grade social studies teachers. Findings showed little change in teachers’ reading comprehension instruction even though the knowledge base of effective instruction has increased in the past 30 years.

The data used in this study were secondary, kindergarten data from a longitudinal, five-year, federal experimental research project: English and Literacy Acquisition (ELLA) (R305P030032). The overall goal of ELLA was to examine the impacts of two different programs (Bilingual and Structured English Immersion) on the performance of Spanish-speaking English language learners (ELLs) in grades K to 3. My first research question was to determine to what extent a curriculumbased measure could be developed and validated to measure oral proficiency and vocabulary knowledge among ELLs who are participating in a controlled oral language development intervention. In addressing validity the scores of the S4 were compared with the scores of the Woodcock Language Proficiency Battery - Revised (WLPB-R) and the IOWA Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) language and vocabulary subtests. The correlations were .283 to .445 and they were statistically significant (p<.01). The S4 underwent several iterations. With each iteration intrarater reliability improved (Kappa .817 to 1.00 and Cramer's V .330 to 1.00). Interrater reliability also improved (Kappa .431 to 1.00 and Cramer's V .616 to 1.00). The second research question was to determine to what extent teachers could use the Semantic and Syntactic Scoring System (S4) for the STELLA vocabulary fluency measure with minimal training to accurately assess students' vocabulary knowledge and oral proficiency. The teachers' Kappas ranged from .786 to 1.00 and Cramer's V from .822 to 1.00. On average they were able to score a given student measure in under 22 minutes. The third research question was to determine to what extent the Semantic and Syntactic Scoring System (S4) differentiates the level of knowledge regarding expressive vocabulary and oral proficiency of kindergarten students under two different program placements: enhanced Traditional Bilingual Education and the enhanced Structured English Immersion Program in comparison to the WLPB-R (language and vocabulary subtests). The S4 was able to distinguish between the control and experimental groups (unlike the other subtests); but was not able to distinguish program type (bilingual and structured English immersion).

Ever since the Ministry of Education handed down the policy ¡§One guiding principle, different versions,¡¨ criticizing voices had emerged from everywhere. Parents, teachers, and students all had something to say. What has gone wrong with the education reformation previously claiming to take our children to a better place? Thanks to my current part-time job, I soon learned that there seemed to be existing a noticeable gap between the vocabulary taught in junior high school and senior high schools. Also, vocabulary teaching methods adopted in different school levels might as well take place as pivotal element and lower students¡¦ learning efficiency. There are presently eighteen senior high schools, public or private, in the Kaohsiung city and three versions(¤T¥Á, »·ªF, ÀsÄË) of English text books are used in these schools. The situation, however, in junior high schools is a bit more complex because six different versions(±d°a, «n¤@, ®Ô¤å, ¿«ªL, ¦ó¹Å¤¯, ¦XÁn) are randomly selected from semester to semester simply based on the opinions of teachers in charge of different grades. Knowing how the teaching materials are selected, I decided to conduct a research by choosing three most frequently used versions of English textbooks from both junior high and senior high schools and to, based on Dr. Gao(°ª·Ó©ú)¡¦s word-frequency-checking program, figure out that into which levels the vocabulary taught at two levels falls. The study is, furthermore, attached with two sets of interviews aiming at junior and senior high school teachers and a questionnaire directing to students of both levels with the purpose of a better understanding of the authentic EVT situations in the academic environment. Contrary to the common perception, that there is a vocabulary gap between the two high school levels, the figures surprisingly show us that the junior and senior high English textbooks are very much consecutive on vocabulary. This result reveals one fact that even the vocabulary is consecutively compiled, all of the efforts will still be in futility if the time given to students to absorb new knowledge isn¡¦t enough. As for the interview section, almost all of the interviewees agreed that the conception to emphasize ¡§word frequency¡¨ is rather critical in vocabulary learning. Nonetheless, other factors such as time limit and personal background also get involved to influence the expected goal. The researcher, by means of the gained data, tried to set forth the outcome and come up with a solution hoping to provide the English learners a sounder set of learning tools and the relevant authorities an alternative of selecting textbooks while promising our people a ¡§consecutive¡¨ academic curriculum.

Thesis (EdD)--Open University.

Thesis (M.S. in Education)--Shenandoah University, 2003. / Abstract missing (p. vii) in thesis. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 149-150).

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 59-64).

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the characteristics of vocabulary use of seven- to nine-year-old bilingual children with and without language impairment. 74 participants (37 typically developing and 37 language impaired) ranging from age 7;0 to 9;11 years were matched based on age, language dominance and when they first began speaking English. The Test of Narrative Language (TNL) was administered to the participants in English and Spanish. The three oral narratives of the English and Spanish TNL were transcribed and scored. A prototypical word list was derived from 10 high scoring students from the normative data set. Word lists from both the TD and LI participants in English and Spanish were compared to the prototypical word list. Results indicated that the participants produced more prototypical words when telling stories in English than in Spanish. TD participants also produced more prototypical words than LI participants overall. The results have implications for both assessment and intervention and add to our knowledge of word selection in bilingual children with and without LI. / text