Publication: Explanations and young children's vocabulary acquisition
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Date
2000
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Abstract
This study investigated the effects of shared reading on the vocabulary knowledge of 46 Singaporean pre-schoolers. A pretest-posttest design was utilised to assess the acquisition of vocabulary. Delayed posttests were administered four weeks later assess maintenance of learning. The efficacy of providing brief explanations during reading was assessed as a strategy to improve vocabulary acquisition.<br><br>Two texts were chosen and eleven words from each text were designated as target words. Receptive vocabulary tests were developed for each text and children's pre-existing vocabulary knowledge was assessed using the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test, Third Edition, Form IIIA (PPVT). The PPVT raw scores and an informal measure of reading ability were used to place the children into one of three groups for each measure: high, middle and low pre-existing vocabulary knowledge and reading ability respectively.<br><br>The results of the present study demonstrated that Singaporean pre-school children can learn new vocabulary from listening to stories. In addition, hearing brief explanations of words more than doubled the children's acquisition of target vocabulary. Differential gains based on pre-existing literacy abilities were found although all groups made statistically significant gains. Learning was well maintained over a four-week period indicating that the vocabulary acquired was relatively permanent.