Study
Vocabulary acquisition in thepreschool years is predictiveof later reading skills and school success in general.
The amount of adult verbalinput predicts the rate ofvocabulary growth in youngchildren.
Through their daily interactions,teachers of young children havethe ability to greatly impactchildren’s vocabulary at a crucial timewhen vocabulary acquisition is occurringrapidly in development.
Subsets of the preschool population are at riskfor delays in vocabulary acquisition, including
children with disabilities,children who are economically disadvantaged,
and children who are English Language Learners.
Conceptual organizer
Results
Vocabulary instruction consists of both explicit instruction and implicit instruction.
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
What amount and typesof verbal communications
are used by teachersin inclusive preschool classrooms
across scheduled activities?
PARTICIPANTS
Study took place inteachers’ classrooms
or other school contexts.
What activities were teacher’s engaged in?
VocabularyInstructionIN INCLUSIVE PRESCHOOL CLASSROOMS
IMPLICIT INSTRUCTIONIs defined as incidental exposure to wordsthrough naturally occurring activities suchas conversations, questioning, storybooks,
and television.
EXPLICIT INSTRUCTIONIs defined as explaining words, defining
words, teaching word labels, anddiscussing words and ideas in various
contexts.
upona
How much vocabulary instruction is occurringin inclusive preschool classrooms?
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9 teacherswho worked in 5 different school districts in Northeast Ohio.
Teachers varied in years ofexperience, education,and population served
High level of diversityin terms of race, religion, nationality,
and socio-economic status.
What amount and typeof explicit vocabulary instructional
strategies are used by teachersin inclusive preschool
classrooms?
How does time spentin explicit vocabulary instruction
compare across ecological variables(i.e., scheduled activities,
intervention activities, materials,group arrangement)?
SCOPE-L (System of Classroom Observations for Program Evaluationof Language) was the measure that was used to examine ecologicaland teacher variables. The ecological variables included scheduledactivity, intervention activity, materials, and grouping. The teachervariables included vocabulary instruction-word labels, vocabularyinstruction-word meaning, verbal communication/language use, othercommunicative behaviors, and other non-communicative behaviors.
MEASURE
Teachers were observed for the length of a preschool session.
What amount and types of verbal communicationsare used by teachers in inclusive preschool classrooms
across scheduled activities?
Sources
* Brown, T. (2015). An exploratory study of vocabulary instruction in inclusive preschool classrooms. (Electronic Thesis or Dissertation). Retrieved from https://etd.ohiolink.edu/
Bowman, B. T., Donovan, M. S., & Burns, M. S. (2001). Eager to learn. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
Hart, B., & Risley, T. R. (1995). Meaningful differences in the everyday experience of young American children. Baltimore, MD: Brookes.
Hindman, A.H. & Wasik, B. A. (2013). Vocabulary learning in Head Start: nature and extent of classroom instruction and its contributionsto children’s learning. Journal of School Psychology, 51, 387-405.
Neuman, S.B., & Dwyer, J. (2009). Missing in action: vocabulary instruction in pre-k. The Reading Teacher, 62(5), 384-392.
Neuman, S.B., & Kaefer, T. (2013). Enhancing the intensity of vocabulary instruction for preschoolers at risk: the effects of group size onword knowledge and conceptual development. The Elementary School Journal, 113(4), 589-608.
A
60°C
ab2
CAT
BUGTREECAT
CAT
Free PlayCircle TimeClass ActivityChoice TimeTransitionsSnackCan’t tell
05
1015
2025303540
5045
Verbaliz
ation
37.9%
25.9%
13.2%
8.9%
5.7%
6.9%
1.6%
© 2015 Teresa Brown and Kristie Pretti-Frontczak. All rights reserved. http://b2kcoach.com
% of time each activity was observed
perc
ent o
f int
erva
ls o
bser
ved
BUGCAT
TREE
Music/D
ance/
Recitatio
n
Dramatic/
Dress-up
What was the focus of instruction whenteachers used explicit vocabulary strategies?
Pre-academic/
Cognitive
perc
ent o
f int
erva
ls o
bser
ved
0
10
20
30
40
50
Which materials did teachers use when delivering explicitvocabulary instruction?
Food & Food
Preparation
Pretend Play Toys
No materia
lsperc
ent o
f int
erva
ls o
bser
ved
010
20304050
During which daily activities did teachers useexplicit vocabulary instructional strategies?
perc
ent o
f int
erva
ls o
bser
ved
0
10
20
30
40
50
Word labels Word meaning
Word labels Word meaning
Which explicit vocabulary instructional strategies did teachers use?
0
5
10
15
perc
ent o
f int
erva
ls o
bser
ved
Questioning
Word Labels
Modeling W
ord Use
Directs
/Tells
Ask/Questi
ons
Provide Definition
Modeling
Word Mean
ing
Correcti
ng
Prompting