Ashley M. Fenn

A Need For Effective Vocabulary Instruction
• No Child Left Behind
• Goal for all students to meet proficiency on state tests
• Link between vocabulary instruction and reading comprehension
• School Improvement Plans

What the Research Suggests
• Embedded and Small Group Instruction
• Post-Graphic Organizer
• Daily Vocabulary Instruction
• Concept Definition Map
• Frayer Model
• Interactive Word Wall

Mulvane Middle School
• Approximately 436 Students
• Approximately 40 teachers
• 93.9% Caucasian
• 1.1% African American
• 3.4% Hispanic
• 1.6% Other
• 20% Economically Disadvantaged
• 10% Disabled

How Can We Improve?
• School Improvement Plan (SIP) o Quality Performance Assessment (QPA) Committees o o
Analyze Data
Determine Improvement Areas
• MMS 2008-2009 SIP o Reading
 Reading Comprehension
 Tool: Graphic Organizers o Math
 Computation
 Tool: Spiraled Weekly Mini-Lessons o All Curriculum Areas
 Vocabulary Development
 Tool: Graphic Organizers, Cross-Curricular
Vocabulary Use

Participants:
A Seventh Grade Math Class
• 16 Students o 7 Boys o 9 Girls
• No Special Needs
Students
• Age Range o 12 to 14
• 1 English Language
Learner
• 4 Economically
Disadvantaged • Race o 1 Hispanic o 15 Caucasian
• Various Academic
Abilities

The Goal
• Meet or Exceed 80% Proficiency
• Incorrect Responses on Posttests o Write term's definition o Provide at least 2 examples o Conference with teacher o o
Discuss misconceptions
Questioning

Traditional Strategy
Research-Based Strategy
• quadrant
• x-axis
• positive integer
• graph
• ordered pair
• coordinate plane
• integer
• y-coordinate
• absolute value
• y-axis
• negative integer
• origin
• x-coordinate
• area
• formula
• ratio
• equivalent fractions
• percent
• simplest form
• perimeter
• linear equation
• two-step equation
• prime number
• greatest common factor
• composite number

The Traditional Strategy
• Pretest
• Basic Graphic Organizer o o
Page number
Definition o Example
• Posttest

The Research-Based Strategy:
The Concept Definition Map
• Pretest
• Concept Definition Map o o
Braintstorm examples
 Choose 3 examples
Similarities or properties of the examples
 Choose 4 properties o Identify categories
 Choose 1 category o Create definition
• Posttest

Traditional Strategy
• Pretest
• Posttest
Research-Based Strategy
• Pretest
• Posttest
• Field Notes o Observations o Interviews

• Posttest o Lowest Score
 62% o Highest Score
 100%
• Gains o Smallest Gain
 8% o o o
Greatest Gain
 100%
All students increased score from pre to posttest
Not all met proficiency
 5 students did not meet proficiency

Traditional Strategy: Results Analysis
• Unsuccessful in meeting proficiency goal
• All students improved scores
• Possible Causes o Definitions on organizer vs. posttest o Need for examples o Time o o
Differences in learning styles
Lack of meaningful connections o Number of terms learned

Research-Based Strategy Results
Posttest
• Lowest Score o 52%
• Highest Score o 100%
• Gains o Smallest Gain
 9% o o o
Greatest Gain
 75%
All students increased score from pre to posttest
Not all met proficiency
 6 students did not meet proficiency

Research-Based Strategy: Results
Analysis
• Unsuccessful in meeting proficiency goal
• All students improved scores
• Possible Causes o Definitions on organizer vs. posttest o Number of terms learned o Time o Differences in learning styles

Field Notes Summary
• Observations o o
Student engagement
 Provided suggestions and examples
 Actively engaged
Student use of background knowledge o Breaking down of terms o Association of terms
 Identifing common properties
 Make connections
• Interviews o o o o
Preferred research-based to traditional strategy
Additional information aided in learning new terms
Making more connections with terms
Required more inquiry and thought

Traditional Strategy
• 11 of 16 students met proficiency
• Average gain score was
40%
• 8 of 16 students had a larger gain score
Research-Based Strategy
• 10 of 16 students met proficiency
• Average gain score was
42%
• 8 of 16 students had a larger gain score

Strategy Comparison: Results Analysis
• Minimal difference in achievement
• 2% increase in average gain score per student using research-based strategy
• Both strategies were successful in improving vocabulary
• Neither strategy met the proficiency goal

What Does This Mean?
• Need for further research
• Need for modification in methodology
• Differentiation o Student needs o May need various strategies

• Examine how specific strategies affect individual students
• Self-created graphic organizers
• Fewer terms
• Examples on pre and posttests
• Longer research period

• FOR-PD's reading strategy of the month: Concept Definition Map. (2004, April). Florida
online reading professional development. Retrieved September 20, 2008, from University of Central Florida Website: http://forpd.ucf.edu/strategies/stratMap.html
• Lucas, C. A., & Goerss, B. L. (2007, Winter). Using a post-graphic organizer in the mathematics classroom. Journal of Reading Education, 32(2), 26-30. Retrieved
October25, 2008, from http://vnweb.hwwilsonweb.com.proxy.wichita.edu/hww/results/results_single_fulltext.jht
ml;hwwilsonid=E42RIUUE0BY3FQA3DINCFF4ADUNGIIV0
• Trochim, W. M. K. (2008). Qualitative Methods. Retrieved November 5, 2008, from http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/qualmeth.php