Research has identified the importance of academic vocabulary (e.g., Corson, 1997; Gardner, 2013; Hsueh-chao & Nation, 2000). In turn, many researchers have focused on identifying the most frequent and salient words present in academic texts across registers and presenting these words in lists, such as The Academic Word List (AWL) (Coxhead, 2000). Gardner and Davies (2014), recognizing the limitations of the AWL, have developed a new list known as The Academic Vocabulary List (AVL). This present study examines the appearance of the 570 AWL word families and the top 570 AVL word families in the Academic Textbook Corpus (ATC) – a 1.9-million-word corpus created from three middle school, three high school, and three college level textbooks from the disciplines of American history, mathematics, and physical sciences. The study determined (1) word families from both the AWL and the AVL found in the ATC, (2) words families unique to the AWL in the ATC, (3) word families unique to the AVL in the ATC, and (4) characteristic differences between the AWL and AVL unique word families. The results suggest that the AWL and AVL capture high frequency academic word families that are salient across a variety of academic disciplines and grade levels, but the AVL provides a greater number of unique frequent core academic word families.

Academic vocabulary is an important determiner of academic success for both native and non-native speakers of English (Corson, 1997; Gardner, 2013; Hsueh-chao & Nation, 2000). In an attempt to address this need, Coxhead (2000) developed the Academic Word List (AWL)—a list of words common across a range of academic disciplines; however, Gardner & Davies (2014) identified potential limitations in the AWL and have more recently produced their own list of core academic vocabulary—the Academic Vocabulary List (AVL). This study compares the occurrences of the AWL and AVL word families in an intensive English program (IEP) corpus of 50 texts to determine which list has the best overall coverage, frequency, and range in the corpus. While the results show a strong presence of both lists in the IEP corpus, the AVL outperforms the AWL in every measure analyzed in the study. Suggestions for instruction and future research regarding these lists are provided.

The Academic Vocabulary List (AVL) was produced by a rationale for word inclusion improved from the methodology used to generate Coxhead's AWL (Gardner & Davies, 2014). It offers a comprehensive view of high frequency academic vocabulary that could greatly benefit ELLs if implemented into ELL curricula (Gardner & Davies, 2014). However, because of the newness of the list, there are few learning resources currently utilizing the AVL. The major objective of this thesis project was to create digital flashcards for the first 500 words of the AVL to increase the list's accessibility to ELLs and teachers worldwide. These flashcards were made available through Quizlet's online interface. This paper describes the two types of flashcards developed: AVL words paired with simplified English (learner) definitions, and AVL words paired with L1 translations into seven languages. It further describes an evaluation of these flashcards by ESOL teachers working at a U.S. intensive English program, and concludes with suggestions for the future development of AVL learning resources.

This study investigated the change in sophomore reading scores on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test after the implementation of an academic vocabulary program and the change in teacher knowledge and professional practice after a program of staff development in academic vocabulary. The purpose was to determine the impact of the professional development on student reading performance. The study analyzed student data from 2008 and 2009 gathered from the Florida Department of Education, and teacher data collected from a survey used as a pretest/posttest. Variables used in the analysis of student data included demographic subgroups of white, African-American, and Hispanic students and students with disabilities, English language learners, and economically disadvantaged students. Teacher variables used were years of teaching experience and curriculum area. Both an ANCOVA and a multiple logistical regression were used to analyze change in student reading performance. Student reading score performance dropped for the total population and in for subgroups from 2008 to 2009. Several intervening variables could explain the downward change: budget cuts resulting in a change in instructional day from six to seven-period day with loss of instructional time, reduction in number of teachers, increase in student population, and change in start time for school day (from 7:15 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. to :30 a.m. to 4 p.m.). An ANOVA and independent t-test were used to analyze teacher pretest/posttest data. The data indicated a positive change in teacher knowledge and instructional practice, though not statistically significant. It should not be concluded from the reading scores that the program of academic vocabulary was not successful, but rather that vocabulary instruction is only one of the essential components of any plan to improve secondary student reading performance. Further research should be conducted to replicate this study during a time period without intervening variables experienced during the span of this study. Additionally, students should be matched to their teachers to examine the relationship between individual teacher and student performance. This study should be replicated in a high school with different demographics and different level of student achievement.

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The purpose of this paper is to investigate several potential indicators of successful academic writing and their connection to assignment grades as a possible path toward better teaching of academic writing at the upper secondary level in Sweden. These indicators are referencing (REF), academic vocabulary (AV), and reporting verbs (RV). Our research questions were to examine to what extent the final grades on independent research synthesis papers at Malmö University relate to the use of these three indicators. To that end, we quantitatively assessed the indicators’ relationship to grades (U/G/VG) on 28 4th-year teaching students’ independent research synthesis papers. We examined REF from two perspectives: quality of sources and source integration. AV was assessed by examining the percentage of words in student texts that appeared in the Academic Vocabulary List (AVL). We assessed RV as an indicator by calculating the frequency of RVs in student texts and which types of RVs they favored, as measured by the ARGUE/SHOW/FIND/THINK framework of RV usage. We found very small positive connections between AV percentage, RV frequency, and grades, but small negative connections between measures of reference quality and grades, and found that there were no meaningful differences in RV usage between the three different groups. However, we found that measures of source integration related strongly to the grades on the papers. Numerous factors could explain our findings, notably the small sample size, our unique RV master list, and the rigorous supervision process of these papers at Malmö University. To establish any conclusive results, further research is required.

For decades, teachers and language learners have been concerned about matching the difficulty level of texts to the proficiency level of learners in order to achieve comprehensible input, which leads to effective learning. Some leveling systems and research use word lists as part of their leveling processes, particularly the Academic Word List. The Academic Vocabulary List (AVL) has not been explored yet as a leveling tool, so this study aims to address this lack of research by examining how the AVL words vary in cumulative frequency bands and also in separate frequency bands with regard to level and topic. The AVL was divided into 5 frequency bands and compared against corpora of biology and U.S. history texts at the elementary, junior high, high school, and university levels. Results showed that the biology texts had a higher percentage of total AVL tokens than the history texts did, suggesting that the AVL may be more suitable for some disciplines than others. For the cumulative bands, Bands 1 through 3 proved to have the highest percent deltas, suggesting that words 1 to 800 are the most useful to learn. Looking at each separate band, Bands 1 and 2 had the highest percent of AVL tokens at the high school level, implying that the words of these bands are especially valuable for learners at this level. The university level had the highest percentage for Bands 3 through 5. There was no statistical significance for any band concerning the factor of the relationship between topic and level, but there was statistical significance for the factor of proficiency level at every level. For the factor of topic, there was significance for every band except Band 3. For each band, the elementary and junior high texts were generally similar to each other concerning the AVL tokens found in them. High school and university texts were similar to each other for Bands 1 and 2 but were not similar to each other for Bands 3 through 5.

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abstract: This study explored the effects of a science, technology, engineering, math, and social studies (STEMSS) professional development (PD) on teachers of language learners’ (TLLs) knowledge, skills, and self-efficacy in teaching content and language in tandem in their classrooms. With the growing population of English learners (ELs) in today’s classrooms, it is essential TLLs have the skills to support language development while teaching content. This study investigated a face-to-face PD that developed skills in supporting ELs’ academic vocabulary development using strategies in content lessons. This research drew upon Shulman’s (2013) Knowledge Growth in Teaching Framework by looking at content, pedagogical, and curricular knowledge with the PD building knowledge and skills in addressing these areas of knowledge through the strategies. In addition, this research drew upon Lucas and Villegas’ (2013) Linguistically Responsive Teacher Education Model that addressed how teachers gain knowledge, skills, and self-efficacy to change pedagogical practices. Title I Kindergarten through high school TLLs voluntarily participated in the PD. A mixed methods approach was used. Quantitative data was collected using a pre, post, and maintenance survey and qualitative data was collected through a lesson analysis, fall and spring observations, snapshot surveys, and focus groups. Results suggested that the STEMSS PD increased knowledge, skills, and self-efficacy in teaching ELs content and language using strategies that support academic vocabulary. The qualitative data supported the survey results in the increase of knowledge and skills immediately following the PD and increased self-efficacy a year following the PD. The results also suggested that the strategies supported through PD, lesson development, and time to implement may better address the needs of TLLs in the classroom. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Leadership and Innovation 2020