Improving Elementary School Students' Vocabulary Skills and Reading Comprehension through a Word Learning Strategies Program
Li, Linlin; Ringstaff, Cathy; Tripathy, Rachel Grimes; Flynn, Kylie; Thomas, Larry (2019). Retrieved from: https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED604594
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examining1,553Students, grade4
Single Study Review
Review Details
Reviewed: August 2021
- Single Study Review (findings for Word Learning Strategies (WLS))
- Randomized Controlled Trial
- Meets WWC standards without reservations because it is a cluster randomized controlled trial with low cluster-level attrition and individual-level non-response.
This review may not reflect the full body of research evidence for this intervention.
Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.
Findings
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Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Researcher-developed Word Learning Strategies (WLS) |
Word Learning Strategies (WLS) vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Full sample;
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21.33 |
16.53 |
Yes |
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Vocabulary Assessment Study in Education (VASE) |
Word Learning Strategies (WLS) vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Full sample;
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59.14 |
58.43 |
No |
-- | |
|
Gates-MacGinitie Reading Tests (GMRT): Total |
Word Learning Strategies (WLS) vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Full sample;
|
474.47 |
474.55 |
No |
-- |
Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.
Sample Characteristics
Characteristics of study sample as reported by study author.
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California
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Race Other or unknown 100%
Study Details
Setting
The study took place in 12 districts in the state of California. The intervention was implemented as a whole-class supplementary curriculum during English Language Arts classes.
Study sample
A total of 1,553 students from 83 grade 4 classrooms in 12 school districts were included in this study. The authors do not include details on sample characteristics. It is alluded to that the sample includes schools with high numbers of English learners and students from low-income backgrounds. The authors randomly assigned 50 classrooms to the intervention group and 48 classrooms to the comparison group.
Intervention Group
WLS is a supplemental curriculum for teaching word learning strategies that helps students to infer the meanings of unknown words encountered while reading. All students are taught to use context clues, word parts, and the dictionary, while Spanish-speaking English learners receive additional instruction in using cognates, and all English learners receive instruction in recognizing idioms. WLS is a 15-week program in which the whole class receives 30 minutes of instruction three days per week. Additional web-based lessons are available for English learners and for students who need more practice. The program was developed as part of a Small Business Innovation Research development study awarded by the Institute of Education Sciences.
Comparison Group
The comparison classrooms implemented their usual English Language Arts curriculum.
Support for implementation
Teachers of the intervention classrooms received interactive online training as well as the following materials: online tutorials and technical instructions, a detailed teacher manual with daily lesson plans, a teacher reflection log, and presentation materials including slides for overhead projecting, posters, and game cards. Students received activity books, quizzes, tests, and web-based instruction and games. According to data collected from the weekly teacher logs, a majority were able to implement at least 90 percent of the curriculum; however, only 27 percent of cohort 1 teachers and 12 percent of cohort 2 teachers were able to implement all lessons in 15 weeks.
Additional Sources
In the case of multiple manuscripts that report on one study, the WWC selects one manuscript as the primary citation and lists other manuscripts that describe the study as additional sources.
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Li, Linlin; Flynn, Kylie; Ringstaff, Cathy; Tripathy, Rachel; Lepori, Kathleen; Wang, Jennifer. (2016). Evaluation of Word Learning Strategies: A Program for Upper-Elementary School Students.
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Li, Linlin; Flynn, Kylie; Tripathy, Rachel Grimes; Wang, Jennifer; Austin-King, Kelsey; Graves, Michael F. (2018). Word Learning Strategies: A Program for Upper Elementary School Students.
An indicator of the effect of the intervention, the improvement index can be interpreted as the expected change in percentile rank for an average comparison group student if that student had received the intervention.
For more, please see the WWC Glossary entry for improvement index.
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The sample on which the analysis was conducted.
The group to which the intervention group is compared, which may include a different intervention, business as usual, or no services.
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The number of students included in the analysis.
The mean score of students in the intervention group.
The mean score of students in the comparison group.
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Study findings for this report.
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Tier 2 Moderate indicates moderate evidence of effectiveness, and
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as defined in the
non-regulatory guidance for ESSA
and the regulations for ED discretionary grants (EDGAR Part 77).