Megan Garcia
Subject: English
“I saw a lot of stellars”: Effects of Structured Word Squares on Vocabulary Acquisition and Development in the Mainstream Ninth-Grade English Classroom
Research Questions:
What are the effects of using structured maps for word forms on students’ acquisition of vocabulary and understanding of forms of word usage?
Sub-questions:
* What are the effects of focusing on word forms and parts of speech during vocabulary instruction on students’ vocabulary growth?
* What are the effects of focusing on word forms and parts of speech during vocabulary instruction on students’ views of their own vocabulary strengths?
* What are the effects of focusing on word forms and parts of speech during vocabulary instruction on reading comprehension as reported by students?
* To what extent will knowledge of word usage and relationships lead to an increase in student confidence and willingness to interact with unfamiliar words?
Research Activities:
Context: This study took place in a ninth-grade mainstream English Language Arts class composed of twenty-two students at a comprehensive high school. 25% of students are designated as “Below Basic” and “Far Below Basic” on the California Standards Test for English Language Arts. There are seven re-designated English Language Learners in the class. Methods and Data: The instructional intervention took place over the course of five weeks, and student self-assessment data were collected for an additional two weeks. The purpose of the intervention was to investigate the effects of structured vocabulary squares on students’ retention of vocabulary words and students’ ability to use new vocabulary appropriately in sentences. The teacher-created vocabulary square strategy incorporated visualization, language of origin, native-language cognates, and word form variations. Data were collected in the form of baseline, outcome, and in-the-midst vocabulary quizzes and vocabulary square completion tallies, as well as teacher-created attitude and self-assessment surveys, and teacher observations based on field notes and student-teacher conversations. Results: Between the baseline and outcome data, the vocabulary quiz class average increased a total of 25-percentage points. Students showed greater success in creating complex sentences, as measured by a 20-percentage point increase on the sentence portion of the quiz. Students also reported a higher sense of confidence in vocabulary skills, as measured by a 23-percentage point increase in the self-assessment data. Findings indicate that structured vocabulary squares should be used to increase student success in vocabulary usage and retention.
Grade: 9
Research Methods:
Grammar/syntactical assessment; Homework tallies; Observation-Field notes; Student work; Survey-Attitude; Survey-Self-assessment; Vocabulary assessment
Curriculum Areas:
English Language Arts
Instructional Approaches:
Graphic organizers/concept maps; Homework; Vocabulary development
The preparatory work for setting up the MA/Credential Teacher Research database was supported in part by the UC Language Minority Research Institute