Facilitating vocabulary acquisition of young English language learners.
OBJECTIVE
This study examined whether English-only vocabulary instruction or English vocabulary instruction enhanced with Spanish bridging produced greater word learning in young Spanish-speaking children learning English during a storybook reading intervention while considering individual language characteristics.


METHODS
Twenty-two Spanish-speaking children learning English (ages 4-6) who participated in a summer education program for migrant families were randomly assigned to receive 2 weeks of each instruction: (a) word expansions in English or (b) English readings with word expansions in Spanish. Researcher-created measures of target vocabulary were administered, as were English and Spanish standardized measures of language proficiency and vocabulary.


RESULTS
Results revealed significant improvement in naming, receptive knowledge, and expressive definitions for those children who received Spanish bridging. Spanish expansions produced the greatest gains in the children's use of expressive definitions. Initial language proficiency in both languages was found to affect participants' gains from intervention, as those with limited skills in both languages showed significantly less vocabulary growth than those with strong skills in Spanish.


CONCLUSIONS
Additional benefits to using Spanish expansions in vocabulary instruction were observed. Future research should explore additional ways of enhancing the vocabulary growth of children with limited skills in both languages in order to support and strengthen the child's first language and promote second language acquisition.
Lugo-Neris
Mirza J
MJ
Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA. mjl8079@fsu.edu
Jackson
Carla Wood
CW
Goldstein
Howard
H
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002648:Child; D002663:Child Language; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D007807:Language Tests; D007858:Learning; D008297:Male; D019303:Multilingualism; D011932:Reading; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013060:Speech; D013663:Teaching / Q000379:methods; D013997:Time Factors; D014171:Transients and Migrants; D014825:Vocabulary