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Running Head: VOCABULARY LITERATURE REVIEW
Literature Review
Erica Ousley
Wilmington College
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Introduction
I reviewed three articles on the component of vocabulary. In the article, Instruction of
Metacognition Strategies Enhances Reading Comprehension and Vocabulary Achievement of
Third-Grade Students, the authors tested the effectiveness of vocabulary on comprehension.
They tested the students’ vocabulary by giving vocabulary tests and using semantic webs for the
words. For the article, The Effect of Aided Language Stimulation on Vocabulary Acquisition in
Children with Little or No Functional Speech, Dada wanted to test the acquisition of vocabulary
for students with little or no functional speech by using an intervention that aided language
stimulation. Dada tested the students by showing them the vocabulary word and they must point
to the correct representation of it. The last article, Effects of Supplemental Vocabulary Program
in Third-Grade Reading/Language Arts studied the effectiveness of a supplemental program of
vocabulary instruction.
Summary
In the first study, the focus of the intervention was to describe the nature and frequency
of the aided language stimulation program and determine the effects of a 3-week-long aided
language stimulation program on the vocabulary acquisition skills of children with little or no
functional speech (Dada, 2009, 50). Twenty-four vocabulary words were used in the
intervention. The intervention that was used was the technique of aided language stimulation,
which refers to the researcher/teacher simultaneously pointing to symbols on a communication
board at the time as providing ongoing spoken language stimulation (Dada, 2009, 55). The
teacher would say the vocabulary word and point to a representation of it such as a picture or toy.
A probe test was given to each student to see how well they had acquired the new vocabulary.
The test consisted of the student pointing to an object that represented the spoken word to show
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that they understand the concept of the word. In order for the student to get it counted correct,
they must point to the correct object within ten seconds of hearing the word. The findings of the
study showed that the students did acquire the target vocabulary words, but at different rates. The
students with the cognitive impairments found it beneficial because it allowed them to visually
understand the words.
For the next article I read, the focus was to determine the effectiveness of direct
instruction of metacognitive strategies on comprehension and vocabulary development. Students
need vocabulary skills to decode words and be able to monitor and reflect their understanding on
what has been read. If the students vocabulary component is inadequate then comprehension can
be impeded. To measure the students’ vocabulary, a criterion-referenced test was given that used
words from many different lessons. The test was multiple choice and the student had to pick the
correct synonym of the given vocabulary word. One section of the lesson that the teacher focused
on was vocabulary. The teacher introduced new vocabulary words and the students used
semantic webs to connect information to the words. Students whose vocabulary instruction
required generating semantic webs showed a greater increase on vocabulary measure. It appears
that constructing synonyms, antonyms, and other related words creates a deeper understanding of
a word, which in turn heightens the ability to recall meaning (Boulware, 2007, 76).
In the last article, the author examined the effectiveness of a vocabulary intervention that
employed structured, supplemental story read-alouds and related oral-language activities
(Apthorp, 2006, 67). During the study, the effectiveness of Elements of Reading: Vocabulary,
which is a supplemental program of vocabulary instruction, was tested. The program was
designed to be used daily and delivered in 20 minutes of teacher-led, whole- class instruction.
Some things that were used with the program was a teacher’s guide, read-aloud anthology, word
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photo cards, word cards for the 168 vocabulary words, word watcher chart, and student books.
The program is used in 24 weekly lessons that have a focus of 7 words per week. Each day of the
week consists of a different activity that allows the students’ to work with the words in different
ways. At the end of the week the teacher gives the students an assessment in multiple choice
format. The students made significant gains in sight vocabulary. The posttest achievement tests
of reading vocabulary and reading comprehension were strongly and positively correlated
(Apthorp, 2006, 75). In reading vocabulary and comprehension, some students gained more than
others.
Conclusion
All of the articles discuss the importance of vocabulary and how different strategies work
better than others. I agree with Boulware, because I believe that students need vocabulary skills
in order to decode words. Once they are able to decode the words then it sets them up to
understand what they are reading. I really like Boulware’s idea of using semantic webs for new
vocabulary words so that students are able to connect more meaning to them. It helps them recall
more information about the word because they might visually remember what they drew in their
web. Also, by making more connections to the vocabulary word other than the definition it
makes it easier to recall the information.
Running Head: VOCABULARY LITERATURE REVIEW
References
Apthorp, H. (2006). Effects of a supplemental vocabulary program in third-grade
reading/language arts. Journal of educational research, 100(2), 67-79.
Boulware--Gooden, R., Carreker, S., Thornhill, A., & Joshi, R. (2007). Instruction of
metacognitive strategies enhances reading comprehension and vocabulary
achievement of third-grade students. Reading teacher, 61(1), 70-77.
Dada, S., & Erna, A. (2009). The effect of aided language stimulation on vocabulary
acquisition in children with little or no functional speech. American journal of
speech-language pathology, (18), 50-64.
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