This experimental study aimed to replicate and extend a previous efficacy study of an elementary grade content literacy intervention that demonstrated positive effects on students’ vocabulary knowledge depth, argumentative writing, and reading comprehension. Using a cluster (school) randomized trial design, this replication experiment was conducted with 5,494 first- and second-grade students in 30 elementary schools in an urban school district located in the southeastern USA. Teachers implemented thematic lessons (20 lessons) that provided an intellectual framework for helping students who acquire networks of related vocabulary knowledge while learning science and social studies content. Teachers integrated thematic lessons, concept mapping, and interactive read-alouds of conceptually related informational texts to enable their students to build networks of vocabulary knowledge and to transfer this knowledge to argumentative writing and collaborative research activities. Confirmatory analyses replicated positive findings on science vocabulary knowledge depth (ES = 0.50) and argumentative writing (ES = 0.24) and also extended positive findings to social studies vocabulary knowledge depth (ES = 0.56) and argumentative writing (ES = 0.44). Positive and statistically significant findings were not replicated on domain-general reading comprehension. Exploratory analyses indicated that students’ vocabulary knowledge depth partially mediated the impact of content literacy instruction on domain-specific argumentative writing outcomes.

这项实验性研究旨在复制和扩展先前对基本年级内容素养干预的功效研究，该研究证明了对学生的词汇知识深度，议论性写作和阅读理解的积极影响。使用整群（学校）随机试验设计，对位于美国东南部城市学区的30所小学的5,494名一年级和二年级学生进行了该复制实验。教师实施了主题课程（共20课），提供了一个智力框架，可帮助学生在学习科学和社会研究内容的同时获得相关词汇知识的网络。教师整合了主题课程，概念图，以及与概念相关的信息文本的互动式朗读功能，使他们的学生能够建立词汇知识网络，并将这些知识转化为论据性写作和合作研究活动。验证性分析复制了关于科学词汇知识深度（ES = 0.50）和议论写作（ES = 0.24）的积极发现，并且还将积极发现扩展到了社会研究词汇知识深度（ES = 0.56）和论据写作（ES = 0.44）。在一般领域的阅读理解中，没有重复出现阳性和统计学上显着的发现。探索性分析表明，学生的词汇知识深度部分介导了内容素养教学对特定领域议论文写作结果的影响。