Evaluating the Effect of Rich Vocabulary Instruction and Retrieval Practice on the Classroom Vocabulary Skills of Children With (Developmental) Language Disorder
Publication: Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools
Volume 53, Number 2
Pages 542-560
Abstract
Purpose:
Learning new vocabulary has been identified as a challenge for students with (developmental) language disorder ((D)LD). In this study, we evaluate the effects of two active learning methods, (a) retrieval practice (RP) and (b) rich vocabulary instruction (RVI), in a group of students with (D)LD in secondary school.
Method:
A quasi-experimental counterbalanced within-subject design was used to compare and evaluate the effect of RP and RVI on learning Tier 2 vocabulary, with target and control words as dependent measures. Eleven students with (D)LD (M age = 14.9 years) attending a language unit participated. RP and RVI were implemented in regular classroom activities during 16 lessons (eight lessons/instructional condition). Learning was assessed by comparing performance on a pretest session 1–2 weeks prior, with posttest performance 1 week after each instructional condition.
Results:
The learning gain for RP was superior to that for RVI, both with respect to the Bayesian probabilistic estimations for target words relative to control words and in direct comparison with RVI. Only weak evidence was found for RVI with respect to the Bayesian probabilistic estimations for target words relative to control words.
Conclusions:
All participants showed positive learning gains following RP, whereas the outcome for RVI was more diverse. This initial work suggests that RP promotes larger learning gains relative to RVI and promotes learning across language profiles. This study extends previous studies by exploring the implementation of RP in regular classroom activities and by using more complex to-be-learned material (Tier 2 words).
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Published In
Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools
Volume 53 • Number 2 • 11 April 2022
Pages: 542-560
PubMed: 35320680
Copyright
Copyright © 2022 American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
History
- Received: Jul 15, 2021
- Revised: Oct 7, 2021
- Accepted: Dec 27, 2021
- Published online: Mar 23, 2022
- Published in issue: Apr 11, 2022
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Citing Literature
- Laurence B. Leonard, Patricia Deevy, Justin B. Kueser, Word learning by children with developmental language disorder: Identifying gaps in our understanding of spaced retrieval effects, Autism & Developmental Language Impairments, 10.1177/23969415241275940, 9, (2024).
- Laurence B. Leonard, Patricia Deevy, Sharon L. Christ, Jeffrey D. Karpicke, Justin B. Kueser, Kaitlyn Fischer, Learning Verbs in Sentences: Children With Developmental Language Disorder and the Role of Retrieval Practice, Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 10.1044/2024_JSLHR-24-00321, 67, 11, (4446-4465), (2024).
- Leesa Marante, Shannon Hall-Mills, Exploring Speech-Language Pathologists' Perception of and Individualized Education Program Goals for Vocabulary Intervention With School-Age Children With Language Disorders, Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 10.1044/2023_LSHSS-23-00078, 55, 2, (368-380), (2024).
- Melina L. Knabe, Christina C. Schonberg, Haley A. Vlach, Does the public know what researchers know? Perceived task difficulty impacts adults’ intuitions about children’s early word learning, Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications, 10.1186/s41235-023-00493-y, 8, 1, (2023).
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- Katherine R. Gordon, Holly L. Storkel, Stephanie L. Lowry, Mollee J. Sultani, A Word-Learning Intervention Pilot Study Utilizing Principles of Retrieval- and Criterion-Based Learning for Children With Developmental Language Disorder, American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 10.1044/2023_AJSLP-23-00037, 33, 2, (530-551), (2023).
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