The Effects of Word Instruction During Classroom Read-Alouds on the Acquisition of Vocabulary

159 Pages·2014·1.41 MB·English

by  Marla Renee Muncy

Eastern Kentucky University
Encompass
Online Theses and Dissertations Student Scholarship
January 2011
The Effects of Word Instruction During Classroom
Read-Alouds on the Acquisition of Vocabulary
Marla Renee Muncy
Eastern Kentucky University
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Online Theses and Dissertations. 196.
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THE EFFECTS OF WORD INSTRUCTION
DURING CLASSROOM READ-ALOUDS
ON THE ACQUISITION OF VOCABULARY

By

MARLA R. MUNCY

Bachelor of Science
Eastern Kentucky University
Richmond, Kentucky
1983

Master of Arts in Education
Eastern Kentucky University
Richmond, Kentucky
1986

Rank I, Elementary Education
Eastern Kentucky University
Richmond, Kentucky
1988

Submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of
Eastern Kentucky University
in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the degree of
DOCTOR OF EDUCATION
in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies
December, 2011
Copyright  Marla Muncy, 2011
All rights reserved
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DEDICATION

I dedicate this dissertation to my second grade teacher,
Amelia Burton,
who encouraged me as a child and an adult
to truly value culture as a means to educate.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I would like to thank my chair, Dr. James Rinehart, for his patience, guidance,
and understanding. I would also like to thank Dr. Aaron Thompson for his
encouragement of my ideas and inspiration to be creative. Additionally, Dr. Michael
Martin and Dr. Deann Allen agreed to support my quest to earn a doctoral degree. They
shared their advice and maintained interest in my journey. Cumulatively, these scholars
deserve recognition.
My family deserves credit for helping me follow my dreams. They made
important decisions with me long before I started the processes described in this
document. I share my accomplishments with them. Because of the value that my parents
put on my education, I am capable of many things. My brother, who has more knowledge
about life than most people, is an amazing individual. I value his understanding that I can
strive for anything. My children support me because both of them love adventures.
I would like to share my accomplishments with the faculty and staff of my school.
I am fortunate to teach in an environment where educating children is the focus of all
efforts. Most of all, the children help me understand that adult efforts are worthwhile in
the field of education.

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ABSTRACT
To focus on the need to improve literacy in rural Appalachia, this study
investigates the use of Text Talk during read-alouds to increase the receptive vocabulary
of participants. The researcher read six picturebooks to two groups of kindergarteners.
Group A had 21 participants and Group B had 20 participants. Each group received
instruction on two different sets of target vocabulary words, three in each book. The
researcher administered a pre-test and post-test to each student patterned after the
Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test. T-tests revealed that students made significant
progress learning words when the reader used Text Talk during the lessons. When the
students did not receive direct instruction on target words, they were unable to identify
their meanings in the post-test. The researcher concluded that using Text Talk as a
teaching strategy employed during read-aloud with kindergarteners, is an effective way to
increase the receptive vocabulary of children.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER PAGE

I. INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY...............................................................................1

Background ..............................................................................................................1
Conceptual Underpinnings for the Study .................................................................3
Statement of the Problem .........................................................................................9
Purpose of the Study ..............................................................................................10
Definitions of Key Terms ......................................................................................11
Rural Appalachia .......................................................................................12
Read-aloud .................................................................................................12
Picturebook ................................................................................................13
Vocabulary acquisition ..............................................................................13
Incidental exposure ....................................................................................14
Interventionist ............................................................................................14
Vocabulary gap ..........................................................................................14
Limitations and Assumptions ................................................................................15
Summary ................................................................................................................17

II. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE ....................................................................19

Theories Underlying the Conceptual Development of the Study ..........................22
Historical Perspectives on Vocabulary and Instruction .........................................24
Vocabulary Knowledge and Acquisition ...............................................................26
Vocabulary Instruction and Read-Alouds ..............................................................28
Type of instruction .....................................................................................32
Repeated readings ..........................................................................32
Extended instruction ......................................................................33
Vocabulary Visits...........................................................................35
Text Talk .......................................................................................36
Selection of Books .................................................................................................38
Selection of Target Words .....................................................................................41
Vocabulary Assessment Instruments .................................................................................44
Culturally Responsive Pedagogy and Rural Appalachia ...................................................47
Critical cultural consciousness of teachers ............................................................50
Diverse communities of learners ...........................................................................53
Multicultural curriculum and instruction ...............................................................56

III. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY .......................................................61

Population and Sample ..........................................................................................61
Site selection ..............................................................................................62
Sample........................................................................................................62
Materials for the Study...........................................................................................62
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Picturebooks ...............................................................................................63
Target words ..............................................................................................66
Lesson plans ...............................................................................................67
Interventionist ............................................................................................68
Miscellaneous materials .............................................................................68

Instrumentation and Data Collection ....................................................................69
Data Analysis ........................................................................................................70
Summary ...............................................................................................................71

IV. RESULTS ...................................................................................................................72

Context for the Study ............................................................................................73
Research Question ................................................................................................76
General Procedures ............................................................................................... 77
Participants ................................................................................................ 77
Book selection ...........................................................................................78
Word selection ..........................................................................................80
Researcher needs and site selection ..........................................................81
Instrumentation .........................................................................................82
Research Design ....................................................................................................84
Descriptive and Inferential Statistics ....................................................................87
Summary ...............................................................................................................91

V. FINDINGS, CONCLUSION, AND IMPLICATIONS ...............................................93

Summary of the Study ..........................................................................................94
Findings .................................................................................................................97
Analysis .................................................................................................................97
Discussion of Theories Guiding the Inquiry .......................................................100
Implications of the Research ...............................................................................102
Future Research ..................................................................................................104
Limitations ..........................................................................................................106
Reflections and Observations ............................................................................. 108
Conclusion ..........................................................................................................111
LIST OF REFERENCES ................................................................................................113
APPENDICES ................................................................................................................130
A. Letter of Interest ..................................................................................................130
B. Letter Requesting Parental Permission ...............................................................132
C. Book Selection Form ..........................................................................................134
D. Kid Pick Form .....................................................................................................136
E. Lesson Plan-Group A ..........................................................................................138
F. Lesson Plan-Group B ..........................................................................................140
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