Word definition skills in the early school years

Abstract

Aim(s): The presentation will cover two studies related to word definitions skills in the early school years, and its relationship
with linguistic and cognitive factors, as well as the effect of formal schooling and a teacher Continuing Professional Development (CPD) program.
Study 1: Investigate monolingual and bilingual students’ word definitions (WD) of 10 cross-curricular words.
Study 2: Evaluate the effect of a teacher CPD program on their students’ WD skills.

Theoretical framework/area of investigation: Well-developed WD skills are important for academic success. The use of clear and concise word definitions is required in many academic tasks, such as taking tests and writing expository texts. Teachers play a crucial role in developing children’s WD skills. However, vocabulary instruction in the classrooms is generally not in line with current research base, and teachers often report being unsure of how to support their students’ vocabulary development.

Methodological design:

Study 1: 208 children (range 6:8–9:0 years) were assessed with a 10-item WD task.
Study 2: 25 elementary school teachers, teaching grade 1 and 2, took part in a CPD program targeting language and
communication supporting techniques in the classroom, for example evidence-based strategies for vocabulary
instruction. The effect of the CPD was evaluated on WD skills of 209 of the participating teachers’ students.

Findings and conclusion
Study 1: Many students gave superficial, or incorrect, WDs of the words included in the task. On average, monolingual students outperformed the bilingual students. However, bilingualism alone cannot explain poor results, and other factors must be taken into account when analyzing poor WD skills.

Study 2: Different developmental trajectories between intervention and control condition indicated some positive effect on students WD skills, following a teacher CPD. However, more research is needed on how teachers best develop students’ WD skills.

The results will be discussed in relation to an upcoming research project investigating the interaction between linguistic, cognitive, and social variables shaping variability in WD skills.