Which Instructional Strategies For Vocabulary Are Supported By Empirical Research

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McKeown and Beck (2004), whose earlier work on vocabulary instruction demonstrated that vocabulary instruction can improve reading comprehension (Beck, Perfetti, & McKeown, 1982; McKeown, Beck, Onianson, & Perfetti, 1983), have outlined the kind of vocabulary instruction that influences reading comprehension. Based on their research, they asserted that vocabulary instruction should offer multiple exposures of the target words, employ a breadth of information with varying contexts for the target words, and provide opportunities for students to process and interact with word meanings actively and deeply. Other leaders in the vocabulary literature have also identified these strategies as effective based on the instructional and Tag Heuer Replica Watches intervention research available for both native English speaking (NS; Blachowicz & Fisher, 2000; Nagy, 2005; Stahl & Fairbanks, 1986) and ELL populations (August, Carlo, Dressier, & Snow, 2005; Calderon et al., 2005; Shanahan & Beck, 2006). In addition to these principles of vocabulary ...
... instruction, August et al. (2005) asserted that ELLs need increased visual support and increased practice time for new vocabulary. Thus, the guiding principles for all Language Workshop activities were the following:
1. Provide multiple exposures to words in multiple contexts.
2. Provide multiple opportunities to processwords.
3. Encourage personalization of words.
4. Provide visual support and extra practice time whenever possible.

While these principles of vocabulary instruction have both a theoretical and empirical foundation, they had not been empirically studied with academic vocabulary words and adolescent ELLs prior to this study.

Literacy development is essential for all adolescents, but ethnic- and language-minority students as well as students living in poverty, continue to perform below their NS and privileged peers it literacy achievement, as measured by the Nationa Assessment of Educational Progress (Institute o Education Sciences, 2006). Sturtevant et al. (2006 suggested that efforts to improve adolescent literacy must be rooted in contexts and instructional materials that are relevant and motivating to students In addition, they recommended that dynamic and diverse instructional and collaborative strategic should be used in concordance with direct instruction of reading comprehension, vocabulary, and relevant background information. Like Sturtevant and her colleagues, Klingner and Vaughn (2004) posited the value of cooperative learning activities among adolescents, but they added additional recommendations Tag Heuer Carrera Replica based on their review of the literature on ELLs Klingner and Vaughn asserted that adolescent ELL; need high-quality instruction and teachers who understand the cognitive processes of bilingual students. They emphasized the heightened importance of vocabulary for ELLs and recommended less recitation, more opportunities for meaningful practice with language, and increased instruction of reading comprehension and vocabulary using graphic organizers and direct strategy instruction.