Efficacy of an Academic Vocabulary Intervention for Low-Income Children

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of a storybook-based academic vocabulary learning intervention for young children from low-income families. The transition to primary school is particularly challenging for low-income children. To help smooth this transition, this study implemented an academic vocabulary learning program using storybook-based activities. High-frequency general academic vocabulary was extracted from a corpus compiled from transcripts of kindergarten and primary-level classroom instruction, primary-level textbooks, and lesson plans presented in kindergarten curriculum guidelines. An experimental group was provided with opportunities to learn the target academic vocabulary while reading storybooks and participating in follow-up activities, when a control group participated in regular shared storybook reading sessions. The study found that the experimental group showed significantly more growth than the control group in knowledge of the target academic vocabulary.