Abstract
We report results from two studies on the underlying dimensions of morphological awareness and vocabulary knowledge in elementary-aged children. In Study 1, 99 fourth-grade students were given multiple measures of morphological awareness and vocabulary. A single factor accounted for individual differences in all morphology and vocabulary assessments. Study 2 extended these results by giving 90 eighth-grade students expanded measures of vocabulary and morphology that assessed (a) definitional knowledge, (b) usage, (c) relational knowledge, and (d) knowledge of morphological variants, with each potential aspect of knowledge assessed using an identical set of 23 words to control for differential knowledge of specific vocabulary items. Results indicated that a single-factor model that encompassed morphological and vocabulary knowledge provided the best fit to the data. Finally, explanatory item response modeling was used to investigate sources of variance in the vocabulary and morphological awareness tasks we administered. Implications for assessment and instruction are discussed.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 959-988 |
| Number of pages | 30 |
| Journal | Reading and Writing |
| Volume | 28 |
| Issue number | 7 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Sep 26 2015 |
Funding
This research was supported by Grant Number R305F100005 and Grant Number R305F100027 from the Institute for Education Sciences, Grant Number P50 HD52120 from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, and a Predoctoral Interdisciplinary Training Grant Number R305B090021 from the Institute for Education Sciences.
Keywords
- Item response modeling
- Morphological awareness
- Structural equation modeling
- Vocabulary knowledge
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Neuropsychology and Physiological Psychology
- Education
- Speech and Hearing
- Linguistics and Language
