Vocabulary knowledge is essential for children’s reading success (Dickinson & Porche, 2011; Ouellette, 2006). Unfortunately, even before formal schooling begins, glaring differences in language ability exist between children from disadvantaged backgrounds and their more advantaged peers (Hart & Risley, 1995, Golinkoff et al., 2018; Fernald, Marchman, & Weisleder, 2013). Despite efforts to redress differences in vocabulary knowledge, previous interventions have made little progress (Wasik et al., 2016). Researchers have suggested that the translation of knowledge from the science of word learning to literacy research may be one way to increase the effectiveness of vocabulary instruction (Hassinger-Das et al., 2017). The current study is a vocabulary intervention for preschoolers that employs, and expands upon, principles from the psychology of word learning (that deep word knowledge can be built through semantic networking and through category formation) used in previous projects (Neuman et al., 2011; Neuman & Kaefer, 2018). Specifically, this project assesses if participants who are provided with an advanced organizer that aims to provide a foundation upon which to build richly-connected word knowledge show enhanced learning from the intervention. Results from this dissertation demonstrate that, when comparing two groups who received equivalent vocabulary instruction, the addition of an advanced organizer did not lead to enhanced depth of target word knowledge, categorization ability, or induction ability. However, overall, children in the study made significant gains on categorization ability and depth of target word knowledge. This study offers a first step into how vocabulary researchers might incorporate a foundational component to improve upon interventions. / Psychology

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Magister Educationis - MEd / Reading is one of the components of literacy that plays a crucial role in accessing knowledge. It develops the children’s mind and stimulates their understanding of the reading content and enables them to function and communicate effectively in society. Research conducted in the field of literacy suggests that there is a literacy crisis (especially in reading), around the world. Recent research indicates that South African Foundation Phase learners perform poorly in reading comprehension. Considering poor literacy results observed in South Africa, it is important to explore reading as a socio-cultural and cognitive practice and to identify the factors that contribute towards adequate acquisition of reading comprehension skills in the Foundation Phase. Thus the focus of this study is on reading comprehension in isiXhosa Home Language which is used as the main language of learning and teaching from Grade R - 3. I have used a qualitative approach as an underpinning research methodological framework for this study. Data was collected by means of interviews and classroom observations from two selected Grade three classrooms in one primary school in the Western Cape. The findings of this study illustrate the significance of learners’ prior knowledge and the use of adequate resources to enhance learners’ reading comprehension. The study concludes that reading comprehension is a cognitive process that demands innovative teaching approaches that will facilitate meaningful learning across the curriculum.

This item was digitized by the Internet Archive. Thesis (Ed.D.)--Boston University / https://archive.org/details/constructionvali00nile

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Sans parler de son histoire universelle encore à écrire, il savère que, dans lhistoire des idées et au regard dautres pans de la culture antique et romaine comme léducation, le thème de lérudition fait figure de parent pauvre dans les études modernes, de quelque nature quelles soient. Nous nous proposons ici, en complément de travaux historico-littéraires tels que ceux de Sandys ou de Pfeiffer sur la scholarship antique et dans la lignée de recherches existantes sur philologos/philologus , scholastikos/scholasticus ou docere , détudier plus particulièrement la notion dérudition dans lAntiquité et spécialement à Rome, du IIe s. av. J.-C. au IIe s. ap. J.-C., par le biais dun examen du lexique y afférent. Concrètement, nous nous sommes livré à un examen exhaustif des termes antiquarius; curiosus, curiositas et curiose; eruditus, eruditio, erudite, ainsi que des autres formes verbales derudire relatives au sujet. Par ailleurs, étudier sémantiquement une notion, quelle quelle soit, à Rome et à cette période, mérite et réclame, selon nous, une étude in utraque lingua. Se livrer à une dichotomie entre grec et latin serait tomber dans le piège des catégories modernes et négliger la réalité de lImperium Romanum. Cest pourquoi nous joignons à la présente recherche deux études exhaustives sur archaiologein et philarchaios destinées à offrir un autre regard contemporain sur la notion de « goût du passé ».

In order to evaluate the appropriateness of a standardized vocabulary measure for linguistically diverse kindergarten children this study examined response patterns of young Canadian children using the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test –Third Edition (PPVT-III, Dunn & Dunn, 1997). Questions have been asked about whether the PPVT-III is an appropriate measure to use with young English Language Learners (ELL) because items may be culturally or linguistically biased. Further, it is of both psychometric and educational relevance to understand measurement of English vocabulary acquisition among young English First Language (EL1) and English Language Learner (ELL) children. PPVT-III scores were compared in two language groups – 52 EL1 and 73 ELL 4- and 5-year-old children. There were significant differences between the two groups in overall standard scores, with EL1 students performing significantly better than ELL students. In contrast, demographic factors of grade, gender and maternal education were not related to PPVT-III standard scores. A Mantel-Haenszel Differential Item Functioning (DIF) analysis provided a detailed picture of how individual test items functioned psychometrically in the two language groups. This analysis showed limited indications of DIF in the first 168 items of the PPVT-III, suggesting minimal test bias on the PPVT-III. Further analyses examined teachability of items, that is, how easily words can be taught, and the semantic categories of items, that is, parts of speech such as verbs, nouns and adjectives. These further analyses showed that the mean proportion of correct scores for all types of words was significantly different for EL1 and ELL children. Based on these detailed analyses it was concluded that differences in PPVT-III standard scores for EL1 and ELL 4- and 5-year-old children were not due to test bias, nor were they due to specific item properties. The mean differences observed between EL1 and ELL children were thus taken to reflect item impact, a difference in overall receptive vocabulary. In addition to establishing the utility of the PPVT-III for linguistically diverse kindergarten children this study also provides a descriptive picture of how EL1 and ELL children show variation across different types of word learning.

In order to evaluate the appropriateness of a standardized vocabulary measure for linguistically diverse kindergarten children this study examined response patterns of young Canadian children using the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test –Third Edition (PPVT-III, Dunn & Dunn, 1997). Questions have been asked about whether the PPVT-III is an appropriate measure to use with young English Language Learners (ELL) because items may be culturally or linguistically biased. Further, it is of both psychometric and educational relevance to understand measurement of English vocabulary acquisition among young English First Language (EL1) and English Language Learner (ELL) children. PPVT-III scores were compared in two language groups – 52 EL1 and 73 ELL 4- and 5-year-old children. There were significant differences between the two groups in overall standard scores, with EL1 students performing significantly better than ELL students. In contrast, demographic factors of grade, gender and maternal education were not related to PPVT-III standard scores. A Mantel-Haenszel Differential Item Functioning (DIF) analysis provided a detailed picture of how individual test items functioned psychometrically in the two language groups. This analysis showed limited indications of DIF in the first 168 items of the PPVT-III, suggesting minimal test bias on the PPVT-III. Further analyses examined teachability of items, that is, how easily words can be taught, and the semantic categories of items, that is, parts of speech such as verbs, nouns and adjectives. These further analyses showed that the mean proportion of correct scores for all types of words was significantly different for EL1 and ELL children. Based on these detailed analyses it was concluded that differences in PPVT-III standard scores for EL1 and ELL 4- and 5-year-old children were not due to test bias, nor were they due to specific item properties. The mean differences observed between EL1 and ELL children were thus taken to reflect item impact, a difference in overall receptive vocabulary. In addition to establishing the utility of the PPVT-III for linguistically diverse kindergarten children this study also provides a descriptive picture of how EL1 and ELL children show variation across different types of word learning.

The present work contributes to the ongoing discussion of the factors involved in perfecting foreign language learning through a close examination of vocabulary use. Motivated by Laufer’s (1991) argument that the use of less frequent vocabulary items is a sign that a language learner is approximating the lexical competence of a native speaker, I set out to model Laufer and Nation’s (1995) study that assessed lexical frequency. The first goal of this work was to assess the usefulness of the lexical frequency profile (Laufer and Nation, 1995) in evaluating written texts produced by learners of German. This lexical frequency profile had mostly been used to examine vocabulary use of learners of English. Instead of using frequency bands of German, this work relied on three generated word frequency lists. The second goal of this work was to examine how the language repertoire of aspiring bilinguals varies at the lexical level by comparing vocabulary use at three competency levels (Introductory German I, II and Intermediate German). The analysis revealed that the lexical frequency profile is a valuable tool for evaluating lexical use by language learners, although the tool was difficult to adapt for research of texts in German. Furthermore, learners in all three courses relied heavily on vocabulary from learning materials used in their courses, and they were more likely to use less frequent words as they progressed from the introductory to the intermediate language course.