The Conceptual Nature of Gain in Vocabulary Research: An Analysis of Vocabulary Data from Schoolchildren |
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Authors: | Jørgen Frost Ernst Ottem Catherine E Snow Bente E Hagtvet Solveig Alma Helaas Lyster Claire White |
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Institution: | 1. University of Oslo, Faculty of Education;2. Harvard Garduate School of Education;3. Strategic Education Research Partnership |
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Abstract: | Two ways of measuring change are presented and compared: A conventional “change score”, defined as the difference between scores before and after an interim period, and a process-oriented approach focusing on detailed analysis of conceptually defined response patterns. The validity of the two approaches was investigated. Vocabulary knowledge was assessed by means of equivalent multiple-choice tests administered before and after an intervention, and four characteristic responses were observed: Words consistently not understood; words inconsistently understood; learned words; and words consistently understood. The results showed that inclusion of the category “words consistently not understood” offered a “truer” gain score than did the conventional change score. It captured more variance from age and cognitive constraints and appeared educationally more reliable from an assessment-for-teaching-perspective. |
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