Accumulating evidence from research indicates that input from teachers, measured at the utterance level, may positively impact childrens language and vocabulary growth. To date, few studies have investigated teachers commenting practices during shared book reading. The purpose of the present study is to evaluate the effects of the level of instructional strategies and content of teachers comments on the vocabulary growth of children with differing funds of knowledge. A sample of 52 Head Start preschool teachers who were randomly assigned to one of three different curriculum conditions was video taped during shared book reading sessions. Videos were transcribed and coded for the instructional level of teachers comments, as well as the content. Descriptive analyses reveal the effect of curriculum on teachers commenting practices, as those assigned to the experimental condition produced more comments associated with language growth. Multi-level modeling was used to determine the effects of teachers commenting practices on childrens end of preschool receptive and expressive vocabularies, and general language ability, in relation to childrens initial levels of vocabulary knowledge. Children with differing levels of vocabulary profited differently from teachers instructional comments and content, with typical language children receiving more benefits. Evidence indicates that direct instruction through medium-level strategies linked with content within the childs zone of proximal development was the most influential for producing receptive vocabulary growth. The differences in learning between the two groups of children indicate a need for differentiation of strategies during shared book reading so that all children may receive appropriate instruction. Implications for the practice and future research, and limitations are also addressed.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:VANDERBILT/oai:VANDERBILTETD:etd-08302013-091544 |
| Date | 30 September 2013 |
| Creators | Barnes, Erica Marie |
| Contributors | David K. Dickinson, Deborah Rowe, Amanda Goodwin, Ann Kaiser |
| Publisher | VANDERBILT |
| Source Sets | Vanderbilt University Theses |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | http://etd.library.vanderbilt.edu/available/etd-08302013-091544/ |
| Rights | unrestricted, I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached hereto a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dissertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to Vanderbilt University or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report. |
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