Efficacy of Supplemental Early Vocabulary Instruction Linked Directly with the Core Beginning Reading Program J. Ron Nelson University of Nebraska, Lincoln Collaborators Pat Vadasy & Elizabeth Sanders Washington Research Institute IES Research Conference Washington, DC 2010

Outline of Presentation Background ◦ Assumptions guiding the development of the intervention ◦ Conceptual framework for the intervention ◦ Linkage with core beginning reading programs Study Methods ◦ Research design ◦ Sample ◦ Intervention conditions Study Outcomes ◦ Year one proximal and distal implementation effects ◦ Year two proximal and distal follow-up effects

Assumptions Guiding the Development of the Intervention Although familiar to most English speaking students, high frequency root words may not be known by ELs (Biemiller, in press; McKeown et al., 1983) Lexical quality hypothesis holds that knowledge of word meanings facilitates word recognition (Perfetti & Hart, 2002) ◦ Learning to decode high frequency root words (e.g., lip, tap, ham, sack) used for beginning reading instruction and practice is supported in L1 students by their familiarity with the meanings ◦ EL children who are not/less familiar with the words used to teach decoding skills are not able to monitor their pronunciation and recognize when they have successfully sounded out these words This suggests teaching the meanings of high frequency, decodable root words used in core beginning reading programs to insure that Els practice decoding with words that are in their speaking as well as reading vocabulary Students with stronger word identification skills are more likely to expand their vocabulary knowledge through reading practice (Cunningham & Stanovich, 1998) Little vocabulary instruction takes place in schools prior to 3 rd grade (Biemiller, in press) ◦ Singular focus on decoding may reduce students’ word awareness

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK FOR INTERVENTION Change in Reading Vocabulary & Comprehension Measure WRMT-R/NU Word Comprehension Cluster Change in Reading Vocabulary & Comprehension Measure WRMT-R/NU Word Comprehension Cluster Change in Root Word Vocabulary Instructional Components 2, 3, 4, 5, & 6 Measure CBM Root Word Vocabulary Change in Root Word Vocabulary Instructional Components 2, 3, 4, 5, & 6 Measure CBM Root Word Vocabulary Change in Word Reading Skills Instructional Components 1 & 3 Measure WRMT-R/NU Basic Skills Cluster Change in Word Reading Skills Instructional Components 1 & 3 Measure WRMT-R/NU Basic Skills Cluster Instructional Components Proximal Effects Distal Effects Proximal=linked directly with the instructional focus of the intervention Distal=not linked directly with the instructional focus of the intervention

Example Lesson

Linkage with Core Beginning Reading Programs Frequent + Decodable ________ =184 Root Words Zeno, Ivens, Millard, and Duvvuri 1995

Study Methods: Design Cluster randomized trial ◦ Two cohorts from six elementary schools: one cohort per year for two consecutive years  Each cohort was pre-tested (fall), post-tested (spring), and follow-up-tested (winter following intervention year) ◦ Within classrooms, students were randomly assigned to one of two small groups (n=2 to 5); groups were then randomly assigned to treatment or comparison conditions Sample ◦ Spanish-speaking K students  Scores fell within the limited or non-English speaker levels of the Oral Language component of the norm-referenced, Pre-Literacy Language Assessment Scales 2000 (pre-LAS 2000) ◦ Final 2-cohort sample comprised 29 (n=93) treatment and 28 (n=92) comparison groups ◦ Final 2-cohort follow-up sample comprised 29 (n=74) treatment and 28 (n=66) comparison groups

Study Methods: Intervention Conditions Treatment: Early Vocabulary Connections: First Words to Know and Decode Comparison: Modified version of Interactive Book Reading ◦ Used picture cards to introduce words rather than prop boxes ◦ Three prong instructional Sequence  Introduce and define the target (root word) and conceptually connected  e.g., target=bank: conceptually connected=money, teller, and safe  Discuss target and conceptually connected words during and after storybook reading  Provide opportunities for children to use target and conceptually connected words independently after storybook reading Across conditions ◦ Same root words taught in both conditions ◦ Delivered by paraeducators in small groups outside of the classroom (20 min per day, 5 days per week, from Oct to Apr (dosage=55% of program) ◦ General and component treatment fidelity for both conditions were very high  Small or no correlation between fidelity and outcome measures (rs range from.09 to.22)

Study Methods: Dependent Measures Root word vocabulary (proximal) ◦ 50 multiple choice items (target words were randomly selected from the 184 target words included in the program)  Student was required to match a meaning read by the tester with choice of three words read by the student: one target and two distractors Reading vocabulary (distal) ◦ Woodcock Reading Mastery Test-Revised/ Normative Update (WRMT-R/NU; Woodcock, 1987/1998) Word Comprehension cluster Word Reading (proximal) ◦ WRMT-R/NU Basic Reading Skills Cluster

Results Analytic approach ◦ 3-level HLM models  Student scores (Level 1) nested within small groups (Level 2), nested within school (Level 3)  Pre-tests used as covariate  Allowed for estimation of random effects due to small groups and schools Results ◦ Year one proximal and distal implementation effects  Vocabulary  Proximal root word vocabulary (d=1.04)  Distal reading vocabulary (d=.38)  Proximal word reading (d=.69) ◦ Year 2 proximal and distal follow-up  Vocabulary  Proximal root word vocabulary (d=.23)  Distal reading vocabulary (d=.29)  Proximal word reading (d=.35) *Effects were stronger when receptive vocabulary (PPVT-IIIA) was used as covariate in the HLM models