Abstract

Vocabulary is a building block of understanding, especially in science classrooms where language abilities are mixed. To reduce academic inequalities, approaches to vocabulary instruction need to demonstrate benefits for students across learning contexts. We summarize the results from the first unit, “Earth Systems and Catastrophic Events,” in a longitudinal study investigating the effectiveness of the Science Vocabulary Support (SVS) program originally designed for sheltered classrooms. Four grade 7 classrooms, including 106 students (25% native English speakers; 29% former English learners [ELs]; 46% current ELs), participated in this quasi-experimental, matched-group study. Results indicated that students in SVS classrooms outperformed those experiencing regular instruction on science and targeted academic vocabulary, as well as on reading comprehension measures. We detected no significant program impact differences between current EL and proficient English-speaking students across measures. Results suggest that programs such as SVS may help teachers meet the needs of all students in mixed-English-proficiency classrooms.

摘要

词汇是理解的基础，尤其是在混合语言能力的科学教室中。为了减少学术上的不平等，词汇教学方法需要证明跨学习环境对学生的好处。我们在一项纵向调查中总结了第一单元“地球系统和灾难性事件”的结果，该调查研究了科学词汇支持的有效性（SVS）程序最初是为庇护教室设计的。四个准7年级教室，包括106名学生（25％以英语为母语的人； 29％以前的英语学习者[ELs]； 46％的当前ELs）参加了这项准实验，配对研究。结果表明，在SVS教室中，学生在科学，针对性的学术词汇以及阅读理解措施方面的常规教学表现要好于常规教学。我们发现，在所有措施中，当前的英语水平和英语熟练的学生之间在计划影响方面没有显着差异。结果表明，诸如SVS之类的计划可以帮助教师满足英语混合水平教室中所有学生的需求。