Engaging Students through
Instruction and Assessment:
Research, Instruction
and Assessment Models
 

 

The Research:

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The Importance and Function of Vocabulary in Reading Comprehension

 

The ability to acquire vocabulary is essential to reading comprehension. When children begin to read, it is their print knowledge that limits their comprehension but as they progress, it is vocabulary that can hinder their understanding of what they read (Seidenberg, 2017). Castles, Rastle and Nation (2018) concur that "low vocabulary constrains comprehension" (p. 31) as does Páez, Bock and Pizzo (2010) in their assertion that one of the best predictors of reading comprehension in monolingual and bilingual children is vocabulary. Further, a key characteristic of dyslexia is poor fluency and word automaticity which leads to a"reduced vocabulary and strategies for text comprehension" (Gabrieli, 2009, p. 280). Seidenberg (2017) describes the relationship between vocabulary and reading as biodirectional which means that a "larger, richer vocabulary facilitates learning to read and skilled reading, but reading also promotes vocabulary development" (p. 116). Castles et al. (2018) conclude that "intervention improved vocabulary and growth in vocabulary supported reading comprehension" (p. 36). Seidenberg (2017) also maintains that many kinds of specialized vocabulary are acquired through reading. So how exactly does a student acquire vocabulary through reading? ​Starling et al. (2011) outline three tiers of words that can be taught through direct vocabulary instruction. Tier 1 words are every-day words while Tier 2 words are high frequency words found in many forms of communication but they are not as likely to be learned without instruction as are Tier 1 words. Tier 3 words are very specific to an academic domain and are low frequency. They maintain that instruction be focused on Tier 2 words and words that teachers identify as important to understanding new topics (Starling et al., 2011).

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How can we get students to work with words and use the phonological, morphographical and structural components of words to find meaning?