The Critical Role of Vocabulary Development for English Language Learners

English language learners (ELLs) who experience slow vocabulary development are less able to comprehend text at grade level than their English‐only peers. Such students are likely to perform poorly on assessments in these areas and are at risk of being diagnosed as learning disabled. In this article, we review the research on methods to develop the vocabulary knowledge of ELLs and present lessons learned from the research concerning effective instructional practices for ELLs. The review suggests that several strategies are especially valuable for ELLs, including taking advantage of students' first language if the language shares cognates with English; ensuring that ELLs know the meaning of basic words, and providing sufficient review and reinforcement. Finally, we discuss challenges in designing effective vocabulary instruction for ELLs. Important issues are determining which words to teach, taking into account the large deficits in second‐language vocabulary of ELLs, and working with the limited time that is typically available for direct instruction in vocabulary.     

英语语义关系与词汇教学

了解和分析英语词汇的语义关系有助于学生准确掌握词义,增进对词汇的分析理解能力和敏感性,丰富他们的联想,从而帮助他们扩大词汇量,提高对词汇学习的兴趣。英语单词就其外在形象,即拼写和读音而言,是独立的个体,但是,从语义学上来说,所有单词之间都有一定的联系。因此,从常用的语义关系入手,分析各种语义关系及其在教学中的实际应用,可以提高词汇学习的效率。     

Intervention Provided to Linguistically Diverse Middle School Students with Severe Reading Difficulties

This study investigated the effectiveness of a multicomponent reading intervention implemented with middle school students with severe reading difficulties, all of whom had received remedial and/or special education for several years with minimal response to intervention. Participants were 38 students in grades 6-8 who had severe deficits in word reading, reading fluency, and reading comprehension. Most were Spanish-speaking English language learners (ELLs) with identified disabilities. Nearly all demonstrated severely limited oral vocabularies in English and, for ELLs, in both English and Spanish. Students were randomly assigned to receive the research intervention (n = 20) or typical instruction provided in their school's remedial reading or special education classes (n = 18). Students in the treatment group received daily explicit and systematic small-group intervention for 40 minutes over 13 weeks, consisting of a modified version of a phonics-based remedial program augmented with English as a Second Language practices and instruction in vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension strategies. Results indicated that treatment students did not demonstrate significantly higher outcomes in word recognition, comprehension, or fluency than students who received the school's typical instruction and that neither group demonstrated significant growth over the course of the study. Significant correlations were found between scores on teachers' ratings of students' social skills and problem behaviors and posttest decoding and spelling scores, and between English oral vocabulary scores and scores in word identification and comprehension. The researchers hypothesize that middle school students with the most severe reading difficulties, particularly those who are ELLs and those with limited oral vocabularies, may require intervention of considerably greater intensity than that provided in this study. Further research directly addressing features of effective remediation for these students is needed.     

英语词汇学习的三关

英语词汇学习中存在着单词难读、难记、难用的现象。我们从单词的形、音、义入手,借助语音、构词法、语义等,运用比较、类推,尤其是借助单词的文化翻译的意义、语言环境的翻译意义学习单词,举一反三,可使词汇学习达到事半功倍的效果。     

论Leech的语义七分法对英语词汇教学的启示

英语词汇教学是英语教学中的一个重要组成部分。本文针对英语词汇学习中存在的主要问题即缺乏对词义的正确理解而导致词汇误用的现象,提出运用Leech的词义七分法理论指导英语词汇教学,以期使学生正确理解词的意义和用法,提高词汇的运用能力。     

低水平英语学习者词汇认知错误类型分析

从词汇构建的初始阶段——词汇认知出发,通过对107名低水平英语学习者英文单词的对应中文词进行测试分析,发现学生词汇认知错误可表征为词形、词义及形义错误,造成学生词汇认知错误的原因受到教、学过程,心理词汇存储和提取以及母语干扰等诸多因素的制约。     

Predictors of English reading comprehension: Cantonese-speaking English language learners in the U.S.

In this paper, first language (L1) and second language (L2) oral language and word reading skills were used as predictors to devise a model of reading comprehension in young Cantonese-speaking English language learners (ELLs) in the United States. L1 and L2 language and literacy measures were collected from a total of 101 Cantonese-speaking ELLs during the early spring of second grade. Results show that English vocabulary and English word decoding, as measured with real and nonsense words, played significant roles in English reading comprehension. In particular, results highlight the crucial role of English vocabulary in the development of L2 English literacy skills. English listening comprehension did not predict English reading comprehension. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.     

中国非英语专业研究生词汇量不同词频等级分布状况研究

本文探讨了中国非英语专业研究生的接受性和产出性词汇量在高频、中频、低频以及学术类词汇四个词频等级的分布情况。上海市两所重点高校的360名研究生参加了两种分别测量学习者接受性和产出性词汇的词汇测试。研究结果表明,我国非英语专业研究生能够掌握大多数高频词和学术类词汇的基本含义,但由于他们对中低频词,尤其是低频词的认知率较低,在今后的学习中仍有可能面临词汇上的困难;研究生的产出性词汇量要远低于其接受性词汇量,且大部分产出性词汇仍属于高频词;尽管学生对学术类词汇的认知率较高,但他们在该词频上的产出性词汇量仍有待进一步提高。针对上述结果,研究建议在研究生英语教学过程中教师应注意对学生词汇学习策略的培养,并通过数据驱动学习、转变写作任务模式等途径扩大学生的产出性词汇量。     

重新认识高职英语词汇教学

词汇是高职学生英语学习的一大障碍,这一问题的产生来自两个方面：教师认识不够以及学生的多种原因而导致的词汇知识掌握片面。因此高职英语教师应对高职英语词汇教学重新认识,了解词汇掌握多维度的必要性。在此认识上,教师在教学中要引导学生以教材为根本形成自己的词汇学习策略,以词块为方式记忆单词。     

The Method of High School English Word Learning

Most Chinese students are not interested in English learning, especially English words. In this paper, I focus on English vocabulary learning, for example, the study of high school students English word learning method, and also introduce several ways to make vocabulary memory becomes more effective. The purpose is to make high school students grasp more English word learning skills.     

英语词汇组块构建与词汇学习有效性研究

词汇是语言学习的重要环节。本文尝试把组块构建记忆策略运用到英语词汇学习过程中,指出如何根据单词的音、形、义、用构建词汇组块,帮助学习者从四个维度全方位地学习单词,以提高单词的掌握与运用能力。在此基础上,本文阐述了词汇组块对英语词汇教学产生的启示意义,以提高学生的词汇组块意识和组块构建记忆策略在单词学习中的运用能力。     

Inviting conversation: meaningful talk about texts for English language learners

In Canada, as in other anglophone countries, classrooms are becoming more diverse as the number of English language learners (ELLs) increases. More and more teachers are faced with the task of meeting the needs of culturally and linguistically diverse students. In this article, I share excerpts of dialogue between ELL students, native English‐speaking children and their teacher during guided reading events. Excerpts will illustrate how conversations around texts during reading activities can shape and extend the construction of meaning for the benefit of all, but especially for ELL students. Based on Vygotsky's (1986) proposition that learning is socially situated, I suggest four ways for teachers to structure meaningful conversations: through questioning, teaching vocabulary, engaging in collaborative talk and recognising that the culture and identity of the child are important to literacy learning.     

大学生英语高频词汇水平实证研究

本文对非英语专业大学生英语高频词汇习得情况进行了描述和分析。结果显示,到大学二年级上半期,在总体为3000个的高频词汇中,大二学生的高频词汇量约1966个。不同英语综合能力水平的学生、男女生、来自不同区域学生的高频词汇水平差异非常显著。高频词汇水平与学生入学英语水平、对高频词汇的重视程度、学习单词的时间、记忆力以及对教材难易度的评价有不同程度上的相关。     

英国英语与美国英语词汇差异的成因及表现

从英国英语与美国英语词汇产生差异的原因入手,进而就二者在同词异义、同义异词、特有词、拼写差异等四种词汇差异类型进行了分析、归纳。对英语词汇教学和比较都有一定的参考意义。     

Does knowledge of connectives play a unique role in the reading comprehension of English learners and English‐only students?

Connectives (e.g., although, meanwhile) carry abstract meanings and often signal key relationships between text ideas. This study explored whether understanding of connectives represents a unique domain of vocabulary knowledge that provides special leverage for reading comprehension, and whether the contribution of knowledge of connectives to reading comprehension differs for students from distinct language backgrounds. Understanding of connectives, word reading efficiency and breadth of vocabulary knowledge of 75 English language learners (ELLs) and 75 English‐only (EO) fifth graders were assessed. Hierarchical multiple regression techniques revealed that understanding of connectives explained a sizeable and significant portion of unique variance in comprehension beyond that explained by breadth of vocabulary knowledge when controlling for word reading efficiency. The magnitude of this relationship was larger for EO students than for ELLs. Findings indicate that connectives play an important role in comprehension, but that the strength of their influence varies by readers’ linguistic background.     

Unraveling Vocabulary Learning: Reader and Item-Level Predictors of Vocabulary Learning Within Comprehension Instruction for Fifth and Sixth Graders

This study explores reader, word, and learning activity characteristics related to vocabulary learning for 202 fifth and sixth graders (N = 118 and 84, respectively) learning 16 words. Three measures of word knowledge were used: multiple-choice definition knowledge, self-report of meaning knowledge, and production of morphologically related words. Results indicate that significant vocabulary learning occurred on each measure and that certain words were easier to learn for certain types of readers. Controlling for other predictors in the model, reader characteristics like morphological awareness, reading comprehension, and language background were significant predictors of vocabulary learning, but not word reading fluency. Also, word characteristics like morphological family size and opaqueness were significant predictors of word difficulty but not number of morphemes or frequency of the word or root-word or affix. Controlling for other predictors in the model, morphological learning activities supported vocabulary learning for all 3 aspects of word knowledge. Implications for theory and instruction are discussed.     

Comparing vocabulary development in Spanish- and Chinese-speaking ELLs: the effects of metalinguistic and sociocultural factors

This study evaluated the impact of two metalinguistic factors, English derivational awareness and English?CSpanish cognate awareness, and the impact of two sociocultural factors, maternal education and children??s length of residence in Canada, on English Language Learners (ELLs)?? vocabulary knowledge. The participants of the study were 89 Spanish-speaking ELLs, 77 Chinese-speaking ELLs, and a comparison group of 78 monolingual English-speaking children in Grades 4 and 7. The sample included both first-generation (born outside of Canada) and second generation (born in Canada) immigrant children. The study?yielded several important findings. First, it confirmed the strong link between derivational awareness and vocabulary knowledge observed in the previous research, and extended this relationship to two groups of ELLs from different first language backgrounds. Second, this study unveiled differences in vocabulary learning between Spanish-speaking and Chinese-speaking ELLs. While Spanish-speaking children were able to utilize the cognate strategy to learn English words, this strategy was not available for Chinese-speaking ELLs. With respect to the sociocultural factors, length of residence in Canada was significantly related to ELLs?? vocabulary development. Interestingly, length of residence in Canada only influenced the development of noncognate vocabulary, but not cognate vocabulary, in Spanish-speaking ELLs, which provides additional evidence for these children??s use of the cognate strategy. Finally, maternal education was not related to English vocabulary development. The theoretical and educational implications of these findings were discussed.     

试论英语词汇和语法的相互关系

在传统的英语教学中，语法和词汇被认为是相互独立的部分，但一些新的理论提出了词的组合模式（句型结构）显示了词汇和语法两者可以进行有益的结合，所有的词都有它的句型结构，且有相同句型结构的词，有相似的词义。学习者在学习中应注意词汇与语法学习的不可分割性，并在学习中注意语言学习的四个重要方面：理解、准确、流畅及灵活性。     

Effectiveness of Supplemental Kindergarten Vocabulary Instruction for English Learners: A Randomized Study of Immediate and Longer-Term Effects of Two Approaches

Abstract

A two-cohort cluster-randomized trial was conducted to estimate effects of small-group supplemental vocabulary instruction for at-risk kindergarten English learners (ELs). Connections students received explicit instruction in high-frequency decodable root words, and interactive book reading (IBR) students were taught the same words in a storybook reading context. A total of 324 EL students representing 24 home languages and averaging in the 10th percentile in receptive vocabulary completed the study (Connections n = 163 in 75 small groups; IBR n = 161 in 72 IBR small groups). Although small groups in both conditions made significant immediate gains across all measures, Connections students made significantly greater gains in reading vocabulary and decoding (d =.64 and.45, respectively). At first-grade follow-up, longer-term gains were again greater for Connections students, but with smaller effect sizes (d =.29 and.27, respectively). Results indicate that explicit Connections instruction features designed to build semantic, orthographic, and phonological connections for word learning were effective for improving proximal reading vocabulary and general decoding; however, increases in root word reading vocabulary did not transfer to general vocabulary knowledge.     

汉英误译对英语词汇学习的启示

学生在汉译英时常犯的错误是用词错误。用词不当或词不迭意严重影响了对原文的正确表达。本文通过对学生英译句子里用词错误的分析，说明其对英语词汇学习所带来的启示。