Hostname: page-component-7dd5485656-dk7s8 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-10-31T10:52:01.768Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Development of morphological awareness and vocabulary knowledge in Spanish-speaking language minority learners: A parallel process latent growth curve model

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 April 2011

MICHAEL J. KIEFFER  and
NONIE K. LESAUX
MICHAEL J. KIEFFER*
Affiliation:
Teachers College, Columbia University
NONIE K. LESAUX
Affiliation:
Harvard Graduate School of Education
*
ADDRESS FOR CORRESPONDENCE Michael J. Kieffer, Assistant Professor of Language and Education, Department of Arts & Humanities, Teachers College, Columbia University, 525 West 120th Street, Box 66, New York, NY 10027. E-mail: mk3157@columbia.edu
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Despite acknowledgement of the limited English vocabularies demonstrated by many language minority (LM) learners, few studies have identified skills that relate to variation in vocabulary growth in this population. This study investigated the concurrent development of morphological awareness (i.e., students’ understanding of complex words as combinations of meaningful smaller units) and vocabulary for LM learners in early adolescence. A cohort of Spanish-speaking LM learners (n = 90) was followed from fourth through seventh grade and assessed annually. Latent growth modeling results indicated a strong relationship between rates of growth in the two skills, such that learners with rapid growth in derivational morphological awareness also demonstrated rapid growth in vocabulary. Despite positive vocabulary growth during this period, the learners remained far below national norms. Findings highlight the need for language-focused instructional intervention for this population and suggest that morphological awareness may be a promising point of leverage for such instruction.

Information

Type
Articles
Information
Applied Psycholinguistics , Volume 33 , Issue 1 , January 2012 , pp. 23 - 54
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2011

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

REFERENCES

Anglin, J. M. (1993). Vocabulary development: A morphological analysis. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, 58 (Serial No. 238).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Batalova, J., Fix, M., & Murray, J. (2007). Measures of change: The demography and literacy of adolescent English language learners: A report to the Carnegie Corporation of New York. New York: National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy, Migration Policy Institute.Google Scholar
Baumann, J. F., Edwards, E. C., Font, G., Tereshinski, C. A., Kame'enui, E. J., & Olejnki, S. (2002). Teaching morphemic and contextual analysis to fifth-grade students. Reading Research Quarterly, 37, 150–176.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bollen, K. A., & Curran, P. J. (2006). Latent growth curve models: A structural equation approach. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.Google Scholar
Bond, T. G., & Fox, C. M. (2007). Applying the Rasch model: Fundamental measurement in the human sciences (2nd ed.). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.Google Scholar
Bowers, P. N., & Kirby, J. R. (2009). Effects of morphological instruction on vocabulary acquisition. Reading and Writing, 23, 515–535.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bryant, P., Nunes, T., & Bindman, M. (2000). The relations between children's linguistic awareness and spelling: The case of the apostrophe. Reading and Writing, 12, 253–276.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Byrne, B., Olson, R. K., Samuelsson, S., Wadsworth, S., Corley, R., DeFries, J. C., et al. (2006). Genetic and environmental influences on early literacy. Journal of Research in Reading, 29, 33–49.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carlisle, J. F. (1995). Morphological awareness and early reading achievement. In Feldman, L. (Ed.), Morphological aspects of language processing (pp. 189–209). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.Google Scholar
Carlisle, J. F. (2000). Awareness of the structure and meaning of morphologically complex words: Impact on reading. Reading and Writing, 12, 169–190.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carlo, M. S., August, D., McLaughlin, B., Snow, C. E., Dressler, C., Lippman, D. N., et al. (2004). Closing the gap: Addressing the vocabulary needs of English-language learners in bilingual and mainstream classrooms. Reading Research Quarterly, 39, 188–215.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chiliounaki, K., & Bryant, P. (2007). How children learn about morphological spelling rules. Child Development, 78, 1360–1373.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Crosson, A. C., Lesaux, N. K., & Martiniello, M. (2008). Factors that influence comprehension of connectives among language minority children from Spanish-speaking backgrounds. Applied Psycholinguistics, 29, 603–625.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cunningham, A. E., & Stanovich, K. E. (1997). Early reading acquisition and its relation to reading experience and ability 10 years later. Developmental Psychology, 33, 934–945.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Deacon, S. H., & Kirby, J. R. (2004). Morphological awareness: Just “more phonological”? The roles of morphological and phonological awareness in reading development. Applied Psycholinguistics, 25, 223–238.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Deacon, S. H., Wade-Woolley, L., & Kirby, J. (2007). Crossover: The role of morphological awareness in French immersion children's reading. Developmental Psychology, 43, 732.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Droop, M., & Verhoeven, L. (2003). Language proficiency and reading ability in first- and second-language learners. Reading Research Quarterly, 38, 78–103.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dunn, L. M., & Dunn, L. M. (1997). Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (3rd ed.). Circle Pines, MN: American Guidance Service.Google Scholar
Fang, Z., & Schleppelgrell, M. J. (2008). Reading in the secondary content areas: A language-based pedagogy. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press.Google Scholar
Gamse, B. C., Bloom, H. S., Kemple, J. J., & Jacob, R. T. (2008). Reading first impact study: Interim report (NCEE Report No. 2008-4016). Washington, DC: US Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance.Google Scholar
Garcia, G. E. (1991). Factors influencing the English reading test performance of Spanish-speaking Hispanic children. Reading Research Quarterly, 26, 371–392.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kieffer, M. J., & Lesaux, N. K. (2007). Breaking words down to build meaning: Vocabulary, morphology, and reading comprehension in the urban classroom. Reading Teacher, 61, 134–144.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kieffer, M. J., & Lesaux, N. K. (2008). The role of derivational morphological awareness in the reading comprehension of Spanish-speaking English language learners. Reading and Writing, 21, 783–804.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kieffer, M. J., & Lesaux, N. K. (2010). Morphing into adolescents: Active word learning for English language learners and their classmates in middle school. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 54, 47–56.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kuo, L., & Anderson, R. C. (2006). Morphological awareness and learning to read: A cross-language perspective. Educational Psychologist, 41, 161–180.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lesaux, N. K., Crosson, A., Kieffer, M. J., & Pierce, M. (2011). A dissociation between reading words and comprehending text: Investigating the reading development of Spanish-speaking language minority learners. Unpublished manuscript.Google Scholar
Lesaux, N. K., Kieffer, M. J., Faller, S. E., & Kelley, J. G. (2010). The effectiveness and ease of implementation of an academic vocabulary intervention for linguistically diverse students in urban middle schools. Reading Research Quarterly, 45, 198–230.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lesaux, N. K., Koda, K., Siegel, L., & Shanahan, T. (2006). Development of literacy. In August, D. & Shanahan, T. (Eds.), Developing literacy in second-language learners: Report of the National Literacy Panel on Language-Minority Children and Youth. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.Google Scholar
Manis, F. R., Lindsey, K. A., & Bailey, C. E. (2004). Development of reading in grades K–2 in Spanish-speaking English-language learners. Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, 19, 214–224.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mahony, D. (1994). Using sensitivity to word structure to explain variance in high school and college level reading ability. Reading and Writing, 6, 19–44.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McBride-Chang, C., Twila, T., Jeung-Ryeul, C., Hua, S., Fletcher, P., Stokes, S. F., et al. (2008). What's in a word? Morphological awareness and vocabulary knowledge in three languages. Applied Psycholinguistics, 29, 437–462.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McBride-Chang, C., Wagner, R. K., Muse, A., Chow, B., & Hua, S. (2005). The role of morphological awareness in children's vocabulary acquisition in English. Applied Psycholinguistics, 26, 415–435.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nagy, W. E., Anderson, R. C., & Herman, P. (1987). Learning word meanings from context during normal reading. American Educational Research Journal, 24, 237–270.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nagy, W. E., Berninger, V. W., & Abbott, R. D. (2006). Contributions of morphology beyond phonology to literacy outcomes of upper elementary and middle-school students. Journal of Educational Psychology, 98, 134–147.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nagy, W. E., Diakidoy, I. A., & Anderson, R. C. (1993). The acquisition of morphology: Learning the contribution of the suffixes to the meaning of derivations. Journal of Reading Behavior, 23, 155–170.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
NICHD. (2000). Teaching children to read: An evidence-based assessment of the scientific research literature on reading and its implications for reading instruction. Washington, DC: Author.Google Scholar
Nunes, T., Bryant, P., & Bindman, M. (1997). Morphological spelling strategies: Developmental stages and processes. Developmental Psychology, 33, 637–649.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Nunes, T., Bryant, P., & Bindman, M. (2006). The effects of learning to spell on children's awareness of morphology. Reading and Writing, 19, 767–787.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nunes, T., Bryant, P., & Olsson, J. (2003). Learning morphological and phonological spelling rules: An intervention study. Scientific Studies of Reading, 7, 289–307.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Páez, M., Tabors, P., & López, L. M. (2007). Dual language and literacy development of Spanish-speaking preschool children. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 28, 85–100.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pearson, P. D., Hiebert, E. H., & Kamil, M. L. (2007). Vocabulary assessment: What we know and what we need to learn. Reading Research Quarterly, 42, 282–296.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Proctor, C. P., Carlo, M., August, D., & Snow, C. E. (2005). Native Spanish-speaking children reading in English: Toward a model of comprehension. Journal of Educational Psychology, 97, 246–256.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
RAND Reading Study Group. (2002). Reading for understanding: Toward an R&D program in reading comprehension. Santa Monica, CA: Author.Google Scholar
Short, D., & Fitzsimmons, S. (2007). Double the work: Challenges and solutions to acquiring language and academic literacy for adolescent English language learners: A report to the Carnegie Corporation of New York. Washington, DC: Alliance for Excellent Education.Google Scholar
Singer, J. D., & Willett, J. B. (2003). Applied longitudinal data analysis: Modeling change and event occurrence. New York: Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Snow, C. E., Burns, M. S., & Griffin, P. (Eds.). (1998). Preventing reading difficulties in young children. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.Google Scholar
Stahl, S. A. (1999). Vocabulary development. Cambridge, MA: Brookline Books.Google Scholar
Stahl, S., & Nagy, W. (2006). Teaching word meanings. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.Google Scholar
Swanson, H. L., Sáez, L., & Gerber, M. (2006). Growth in literacy and cognition in bilingual children at risk or not at risk for reading disabilities. Journal of Educational Psychology, 98, 247–264.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Torgesen, J. K., Wagner, R. K., & Rashotte, C. A. (1999). Test of word reading efficiency. Austin, TX: Pro-Ed.Google Scholar
Wagner, A. E., Muse, A. E., & Tannenbaum, K. R. (2007). Promising avenues for better understanding implications of vocabulary development for reading comprehension. In Wagner, R. K., Muse, A. E., & Tannenbaum, K. R. (Eds.), Vocabulary acquisition: Implications for reading comprehension. New York: Guilford Press.Google Scholar
Wagner, R. K., Torgesen, J. K., & Rashotte, C. A. (1999). Comprehensive test of phonological processing. San Antonio, TX: Pearson.Google Scholar
Woodcock, R. W. (1991). Woodcock language proficiency battery—Revised. Itasca, IL: Riverside Publishing.Google Scholar