A comparison of the effects of different methods of vocabulary instruction on vocabulary knowledge and reading comprehension.
Item
-
Title
-
A comparison of the effects of different methods of vocabulary instruction on vocabulary knowledge and reading comprehension.
-
Identifier
-
AAI9020762
-
identifier
-
9020762
-
Creator
-
Grimason-Loewenthal, Gloria.
-
Contributor
-
Adviser: Shirley Feldmann
-
Date
-
1990
-
Language
-
English
-
Publisher
-
City University of New York.
-
Subject
-
Education, Educational Psychology
-
Abstract
-
The present study was conducted to examine the relationship between vocabulary and reading comprehension. More specifically, the effect of the pre-teaching of vocabulary on the reading comprehension of passages containing that vocabulary was investigated. Vocabulary training through the use of strategies for acquiring meaning from context (decontextualization) and training in the rapid recall of word meanings (speed of semantic access) were examined separately and in combination with other.;The sample consisted of 90 undergraduate students at an inner city community college who had been identified by a standardized reading test as not meeting the minimal reading competency requirement for college courses. One would expect the findings to generalize to students in similar settings.;Subjects in intact reading classes were randomly assigned to four study conditions, consisting of three treatment groups (Decontextualization, Speed of Semantic Access, Combination) and a control group. A sequence of pretests, treatment, and posttests were used for all groups. Tests for vocabulary knowledge (VK) and reading comprehension (RCA) were developed for the present study and contain 16 targeted words.;Data was analyzed by means of a mixed model analysis of variance design. The within subjects factor was time of testing (pre/post). Group membership constituted the between subjects factor. Hypotheses requiring pre/posttest comparisons were measured by t-tests, while one-way ANOVAS on both gain and posttest scores were conducted for the appropriate treatment and control comparisons.;Results showed strong gains in vocabulary knowledge and reading comprehension following vocabulary training. No differentiation was found as to training method. This lack of differentiation may be the result of the high level of vocabulary learning demonstrated by all training groups and the subsequent strong ceiling effect found on the vocabulary knowledge test.;The results of this study reinforce the importance of providing intensive vocabulary instruction within the reading curriculum. The choice of method used for this training may depend upon the particular teaching situation and the instructional goals.
-
Type
-
dissertation
-
Source
-
PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
-
degree
-
Ph.D.
