Big Words for Little Kids: Rare Vocabulary Use by Preschool Children.

PURPOSE: This study presents a preliminary examination of rare vocabulary use by preschool children using a recently developed tool called the Wordlist for Expressive Rare Vocabulary Evaluation (WERVE). METHOD: The WERVE was used to identify rare vocabulary words language samples of 74 preschool children (M age = 56 months). We examined the relations among rare vocabulary use, performance on norm-referenced measures of single-word vocabulary, and language sample measures of language complexity and lexical diversity. RESULTS: Rare vocabulary use was significantly, positively correlated with standard scores on norm-referenced vocabulary measures and with language complexity and lexical diversity in language samples. Children with higher vocabulary scores used significantly more rare vocabulary than children with lower vocabulary scores. CONCLUSIONS: The WERVE shows some promise for providing information about the rare vocabulary use of preschool children. Findings from this preliminary study indicate that further research on rare vocabulary use is warranted. SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.23518845.

Feasible Implementation Strategies for Improving Vocabulary Knowledge of High-Risk Preschoolers: Results From a Cluster-Randomized Trial.

Purpose Many children begin school with limited vocabularies, placing them at a high risk of academic difficulties. The goal of this study was to examine the effects of a vocabulary intervention program, Story Friends, designed to improve vocabulary knowledge of at-risk preschool children. Method Twenty-four early-childhood classrooms were enrolled in a cluster-randomized design to evaluate the effects of a revised Story Friends curriculum. In each classroom, three to four preschoolers were identified as having poor language abilities, for a total of 84 participants. In treatment classrooms, explicit vocabulary instruction was embedded in prerecorded storybooks and opportunities for review and practice of target vocabulary were integrated into classroom and home practice activities. In comparison classrooms, prerecorded storybooks included target vocabulary, but without explicit instruction, and classroom and home strategies focused on general language enrichment strategies without specifying vocabulary targets to teach. Intervention activities took place over 13 weeks, and 36 challenging, academically relevant vocabulary words were targeted. Results Children in the treatment classrooms learned significantly more words than children in the comparison classrooms, who learned few target words based on exposure. Large effect sizes (mean d = 1.83) were evident as the treatment group averaged 42% vocabulary knowledge versus 11% in the comparison group, despite a gradual decline in vocabulary learning by the treatment group over the school year. Conclusions Findings indicate that a carefully designed vocabulary intervention can produce substantial gains in children's vocabulary knowledge. The Story Friends program is feasible for delivery in early childhood classrooms and effective in teaching challenging vocabulary to high-risk preschoolers. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.13158185.

Iterative Development of a Home Review Program to Promote Preschoolers' Vocabulary Skills: Social Validity and Learning Outcomes.

Purpose This article describes the iterative development of a home review program designed to augment vocabulary instruction for young children (ages 4 and 5 years) occurring at school through the use of a home review component. Method A pilot study followed by two experiments used adapted alternating treatment designs to compare the learning of academic words taught at school to words taught at school and reviewed at home. At school, children in small groups were taught academic words embedded in prerecorded storybooks for 6 weeks. Children were given materials such as stickers with review prompts (e.g., "Tell me what brave means") to take home for half the words. Across iterations of the home intervention, the home review component was enhanced by promoting parent engagement and buy-in through in-person training, video modeling, and daily text message reminders. Visual analyses of single-subject graphs, multilevel modeling, and social validity measures were used to evaluate the additive effects and feasibility of the home review component. Results Social validity results informed each iteration of the home program. The effects of the home program across sites were mixed, with only one site showing consistently strong effects. Superior learning was evident in the school + home review condition for families that reviewed words frequently at home. Although the home review program was effective in improving the vocabulary skills of many children, some families had considerable difficulty practicing vocabulary words. Conclusion These studies highlight the importance of using social validity measures to inform iterative development of home interventions that promote feasible strategies for enhancing the home language environment. Further research is needed to identify strategies that stimulate facilitators and overcome barriers to implementation, especially in high-stress homes, to enrich the home language environments of more families.

Teaching Undergraduate Clinicians Empirically Supported Practices for Preschool Vocabulary Instruction.

Purpose To incorporate evidence-based practice into clinical settings, there is a need for efficient, effective ways to share information from research to speech-language pathologists (SLPs) and to students preparing to become SLPs. The purpose of this study was to implement and evaluate a method for teaching undergraduate student clinicians to use empirically supported practices in vocabulary instruction during shared storybook reading with preschoolers. Method Undergraduate students enrolled in a semester-long preschool practicum participated in the study. In Study 1, 11 students participated in a multiple-baseline, single-case design. In Study 2, an additional 10 students were included in a quasi-experimental group design. All students completed prerecorded, online teaching modules that taught empirically supported practices for teaching vocabulary during shared storybook reading. Half of the students received weekly e-mails with performance feedback. Targeted practices included selection of appropriate vocabulary targets, explicit teaching, and use of interactive teaching strategies. Results In Study 1, treatment effects were observed for targeted practices for many of the student clinicians. In Study 2, group comparisons indicated an effect of e-mail performance feedback for 1 of 3 outcomes with a large effect size. Conclusion Prerecorded teaching modules may be an efficient, effective way to teach specific empirically supported practices to undergraduate student clinicians. E-mail feedback might improve use of taught practices for some students or for some practices. Future studies can examine the potential of these types of teaching modules for other outcomes or with groups of practicing SLPs.

Examining Performance on a Process-Based Assessment of Word Learning in Relation to Vocabulary Knowledge and Learning in Vocabulary Intervention.

Vocabulary knowledge of young children, as a well-established predictor of later reading comprehension, is an important domain for assessment and intervention. Standardized, knowledge-based measures are commonly used by speech-language pathologists (SLPs) to describe existing vocabulary knowledge and to provide comparisons to same-age peers. Process-based assessments of word learning can be helpful to provide information about how children may respond to learning opportunities and to inform treatment decisions. This article presents an exploratory study of the relation among vocabulary knowledge, word learning, and learning in vocabulary intervention in preschool children. The study examines the potential of a process-based assessment of word learning to predict response to vocabulary intervention. Participants completed a static, knowledge-based measure of vocabulary knowledge, a process-based assessment of word learning, and between 3 and 11 weeks of vocabulary intervention. Vocabulary knowledge, performance on the process-based assessment of word learning, and learning in vocabulary intervention were strongly related. SLPs might make use of the information provided by a process-based assessment of word learning to determine the appropriate intensity of intervention and to identify areas of phonological and semantic knowledge to target during intervention.

Measuring Explicit Word Learning of Preschool Children: A Development Study.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this article is to present preliminary results related to the development of a new measure of explicit word learning. The measure incorporated elements of explicit vocabulary instruction and dynamic assessment and was designed to be sensitive to differences in word learning skill and to be feasible for use in clinical settings. METHOD: The explicit word learning measure included brief teaching trials and repeated fine-grained measurement of semantic knowledge and production of 3 novel words (2 verbs and 1 adjective). Preschool children (N = 23) completed the measure of explicit word learning; standardized, norm-referenced measures of expressive and receptive vocabulary; and an incidental word learning task. RESULTS: The measure of explicit word learning provided meaningful information about word learning. Performance on the explicit measure was related to existing vocabulary knowledge and incidental word learning. CONCLUSIONS: Findings from this development study indicate that further examination of the measure of explicit word learning is warranted. The measure may have the potential to identify children who are poor word learners. SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.5170738.