Research indicates that linguistic input from teachers may affect child vocabulary development in preschool and beyond (Dickinson & Tabors, 2001). Currently, there is little research on the relationship between specific teacher language use in individual interactions on child language outcomes for preschool children at risk for academic delays. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of teacher vocabulary input and use of strategies for supporting vocabulary learning on childrens vocabulary outcomes in three measurement contexts (within session, in language samples, on standardized assessments). Secondary analyses explored the relationship between teacher use of complex syntax and African-American Vernacular English (AAVE) and child use of these language features. Thirty-six teachers provided 60 7-10 minute sessions of Enhanced Milieu Teaching (EMT) to one or two target children with low language in their Head Start classrooms. One EMT session for each teacher-child dyad was transcribed and coded for teacher vocabulary and use of strategies to support vocabulary development, child use of vocabulary, teacher use of EMT strategies, and teacher and child use of complex syntax and AAVE. Descriptive data language indicates great variability for both teacher and child language in EMT sessions. Linear mixed models analysis indicated significant relationships between teacher vocabulary use and supports and proximal (within session) and medial (post-test language sample) measures of child vocabulary use. A negative relationship was found between teacher input and child post-test receptive language scores (distal measure).
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:VANDERBILT/oai:VANDERBILTETD:etd-09142010-180932 |
| Date | 04 December 2010 |
| Creators | McLeod, Jennifer Ragan Henderson |
| Contributors | Ann Kaiser, Mark Wolery, Mary Louise Hemmeter, David Dickinson, Mark Lipsey |
| 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-09142010-180932/ |
| 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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