What Classroom Observations Reveal about Oral Vocabulary Instruction in Kindergarten.

Abstract

The purpose of this dissertation study was to examine how vocabulary instruction is enacted in naturalistic classroom settings in kindergarten. Four days (12 hours) of instruction was observed in 55 classrooms in a range of socio-economic communities. All instruction was audio-taped for a total of 660 hours of observation, and coded for evidence of vocabulary instruction. Results revealed no planned vocabulary instruction. Instead, teachers provided word explanations that resembled “teachable moments” in the context of other instruction. Findings revealed negligible repeated explanations, inconsistent word selection, and minimal time devoted to subject areas, such as science and social studies, in which word explanations were most dense. Teachers serving economically-advantaged children provided a greater number of word explanations and were more likely to explain sophisticated words than those serving economically disadvantaged children. These results suggest that the current state of instruction may be contributing to rather than ameliorating vocabulary gaps by socioeconomic status.