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May research briefs
Building vocabulary of English Language Learners What is the best way for English-language learners (ELLs) to build vocabulary in their new language? Are they better off learning new words with vocabulary exercises or by repeatedly encountering words in their reading? A recent study of 50 high school ELLs in Taiwan found that students who engaged in reading plus vocabulary enhancement activities (RV) outperformed students who learned words by repeatedly encountering them while reading related articles (narrow reading-NR).
"More heat than light has been generated regarding the effect of extensive reading on acquisition of new second language (L2) vocabulary," writes researcher Hui-Tzu Min of the National Cheng Kung University.
The 50 male Chinese students participating in this 5-week intervention spent 2 hours per week in one of the 2 instructional treatments. One group read selected text and practiced vocabulary exercises while the other group read articles that were related to the selected text. A Chinese version of the modified Vocabulary Knowledge Scale was employed to assess students' knowledge of 50 vocabulary items. The RV group demonstrated significantly more knowledge about the target vocabulary than the narrow reading group.
"Narrow reading activities in this study did not offer as much help in understanding the meaning of a specific word unless students were active and strategic," Hui-Tzu Min writes. Based on this study vocabulary exercises seem to be a better option for teachers of ELLs, especially for teaching frequently used words, he adds. Students' sense of belonging can be an important factor in how well they do in school. But students have different conceptions of what it means to belong, with some students emphasizing the importance of interpersonal relationships and others emphasizing academic achievement or opportunity, according to a recent study of 6th-8th-graders in The Journal of Experimental Education. "Beliefs about belongingness are complex and multidimensional," the researcher writes. "For some, belonging among friends compensated for the perceived deficits of the school, whereas for others, the school did not compensate for lack of friendships. Likewise, teachers' caring and concern may compensate for lack of friends and vice versa." When students are starting a new school, it is important to understand students' expectations for the new school. Parents also need to involve students in the decision to change schools. "Students who anticipate a positive change in setting are more likely to feel that they belong if the experience is what they expected," the researcher writes. "In contrast, students who resist the change or who have a negative anticipatory goal for the change might be more likely to resist fitting in, especially if dire predictions are met." Program builds middle schoolers' confidence in math Middle school students participating in a 9 week intervention called Skill Builders showed improved self confidence and motivation in math, reports a study of 228 6th graders recently published in Professional School Counseling. Developed by one of the authors of the study, the school counselor led program builds confidence in math through lessons designed to foster 4 skills: time management, goal setting, study habits and help seeking. Each week, students have one Skill Builders lesson in the last 30 minutes of one of their regular math classes. There are 2 lessons for each of the 4 skills. Girls showed even greater gains than boys in scores on the 40 item measure, Attitudes Toward Mathematics Inventory (ATMI). There was no measure of math performance or achievement in this study. The program for all 6th grade classes in the study was led by the same female counselor. Time management lessons are designed to help students budget their time and plan out daily assignments and quizzes using a weekly schedule. Goal setting lessons help students set and reach obtainable goals related to math. Study habits lessons are designed to help students learn to chunk information in order to help organize math concepts and help seeking lessons are designed to help students be aware of when they do not understand a critical concept and to ask questions that will help them get the information they need. Sustained silent reading and students' reading habits More high school students who engaged in sustained silent reading (SSR) at school read books for leisure and saw reading as a pleasurable activity, reports a study of more than 200 freshman students. However, fewer students spent an hour or more of their own free time reading and fewer students thought reading books for leisure was useful and meaningful. "The cognitive reactions of students to reading books should be of concern," writes researcher Siah Poh Chua for The Clearinghouse. "Students spent fewer hours reading books for leisure after school subsequent to the launch of the SSR program." All students at the secondary school spent 20 minutes reading a book of their choice every day during first period. Teachers acted as role models by also doing their own reading. Teachers allowed no interruption of reading and encouraged students to write notes and reflections in their reading journals. The students in the study completed brief questionnaire three times from October 2002 to October 2003. The questionnaires asked them how much they read books for leisure and how many hours they spent reading after school. To gauge their attitudes toward reading, the questionnaires asked them what they thought about reading books for leisure and asked them to estimate how many of their classmates engaged in reading during the SSR period. During the study, estimates of how many classmates engaged in reading during SSR increased from 62% to 81%. While the percentage of students who agreed reading was pleasurable increased from 41% to 55% during the course of the study, the proportion who found reading to be meaningful decreased from 68% to 62% and the proportion who found it to be useful decreased from 73% to 66%. Best science trade books of 2007 A book about sneezing for grades K to 5, a book that tracks a caribou herd for 5 months for grades 3 to 8 and a breast cancer update for grades 6 to 8 are among the 32 titles selected by the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) and the Children's Book Council (CBC) in the Outstanding Science Trade Books For Students K 12 competition for 2007. The book selection panel based its selections on the following criteria:
The panel also reviewed the sequence and presentation of ideas, the illustrations, and the organization of the books. This was competition's 35th year. Click here to see winners of best trade books Web Site Design By Flying Change Webs & Graphics |