Spellings of Words: A Neglected Facilitator of Vocabulary Learning
نویسندگان
چکیده
Vocabulary learning is central to reading ability and academic achievement. Vocabulary researchers and educators have viewed its essence as a process of associating the pronunciations and meanings of words in memory, and they have paid little attention to the contribution that spellings might make to vocabulary learning. We review theory and evidence showing that this is a serious oversight. Once children become literate, they retain the spellings of words bonded to their pronunciations and meanings in memory. Several studies show that spellings of words are retained in memory and influence phonemic and syllabic segmentation of words, they enhance memory for pseudowords, and they impact the detection of oral rhyming words. Two studies show that exposing second and fifth graders to the spellings of new vocabulary words enhances their memory for pronunciations and meanings of the words. Students with better developed orthographic knowledge benefit more from spellings in learning vocabulary words than students with weaker knowledge. In fact, the detection of a Matthew effect suggests that differences in orthographic knowledge create a difference in vocabulary size that grows increasingly large over time. Findings carry implications for enhancing vocabulary learning and instruction. Teachers need to show the spellings of new vocabulary words when they discuss their meanings. Students need to stop and pronounce unfamiliar words rather than skip them during independent reading. Researchers need to incorporate orthography into their theories explaining vocabulary acquisition, specifically phonological working memory theories, and they need to attend to its influence in studies they conduct.
منابع مشابه
The Effect of “Narrow Reading” on Learning Mid-Frequency Vocabulary: The Role of Genre and Author
This study investigated the effect of Narrow Reading (NR) on learning mid-frequency words. Vocabulary Size Test (VST) designed by Nation and Beglar (2007) was administered as the first pre-test to 196 students, from among whom 91 students whose vocabulary size ranged between 2100- 3500-word families, , became the target of this study and were randomly c...
متن کاملThe Role of Facilitator in Teaching and Learning Within Small Groups: A Continuing Education Article
Small groups that optimally consist of 8 to 12 members bring about extraordinary opportunities for teaching and learning. Almost all researchers in this area believe that an experienced group facilitator is amongst the most important prerequisites for achieving the desired outcomes. The aim of the current study therefore is to introduce some of the most important guidelines that help a group...
متن کاملL2 Learners' Vocabulary Learning: Differential Effect(s) of Comprehension-Based vs. Production-Based Proactive/Reactive Focus on Form
This study aims to compare the effects of four types of FFI on second language vocabulary learning. To do so, the study adopted a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design, including five groups, each receiving a distinct treatment. The participants were 80 fourth-grade male students ranging in age from 17 to 19. Before the treatment phase, the participants took a researcher-made test of vocab...
متن کاملThe Effects of L1 and L2 Glossing on the Retention of L2 Vocabulary in Intentional and Incidental Settings
The current study investigated the effects of L1 and L2 glosses on L2 vocabulary retention in incidental and intentional settings. To this end, 100 intermediate Iranian female learners of English as a foreign language at Soroosh High School were given a pre-test to make sure that they do not have any prior knowledge of the target words. Reading passages with three different glossing conditions ...
متن کاملThe Use of Educational Humor in the Process of Learning and Teaching: A Special Facilitator for Second Language Learners
The Use of Educational Humor in the Process of Learning and Teaching: A Special Facilitator for Second Language Learners A. Zeyaa'ee Mehr, Ph.D. Research on educational humor during the past two decades demonstrates both the role and the impact of humor on the processes of learning and teaching, especially in the area of second/foreign language learning. There are a number of theories...
متن کامل