The Vocabulary Development of Children: The Impact on Literacy

The Vocabulary Development of Children: The Impact on Literacy

            Vocabulary is the inventory of words that a person both uses and understands—the words we use to communicate (Montgomery, 2008). Words are the building blocks of our language. Without words we would not be able to make sentences in order to read, or talk with others. Each word we know has its own meaning and many of those words have multiple meanings (Spiegel, 1991). Vocabulary is largely related to overall literacy such as reading, writing, listening, and speaking language. Literacy is an individual’s ability to read, write, speak and problem-solve in order to function at work, school, home, and in society (Bass, Williams, & Goldstein, 2007). Vocabulary is a building block for literacy development and it is important for caregivers to help develop good vocabulary skills in children.

            There are several reasons why it is important for caregivers to aid in the development of a child’s vocabulary. Parents and caregivers are children’s first teachers. Hannon the author of Literacy Home and School claims that learning literacy, including vocabulary, takes place at home before children enter into school. Children are born knowing 0 words. Although these words seem to just appear, children have actually learned these words from their exposure to information that they have heard and seen in their environment (Ukrainetz 2006;Edwards, Fourakis, Beckman, and Fox, 1999). In this sense, children are blank slates that need to be written on, with words!

            It is a common misunderstanding that children learn words only by their grade level when in fact, children mostly learn words through their personal experiences with them (Montgomery, 2008). This is why it is crucial for caregivers to facilitate vocabulary development at home. It is recommended that children learn approximately 3,000 words per year, when only 200-400 words are taught directly in school (Montgomery, 2008). According to the statistic above, it is assumed that most children are not being confronted with all the words that they should be learning.

            Caregivers can help by adopting techniques or methods that allow children to learn new words. It is important for caregiver’s to know that there are two ways that children learn vocabulary: directly and indirectly. The direct learning of vocabulary is considered to be a more formal way of learning words, usually by direct instruction, direct word review, and word learning strategies (Montgomery, 2008); like the vocabulary training that is taught in school. The other way that children learn vocabulary is the indirect method. Indirect vocabulary learning is accomplished when children have meaningful conversations with adults, listen to stories, and read to themselves (Montgomery, 2008). This type of exposure can increase a child’s knowledge of words to supplement or add to the vocabulary inventory that a child has (Hay & Fielding-Barnsley, 2007). Although this is not to say that caregivers cannot teach vocabulary from a direct approach but it is statistically proven that children are more likely to expand their vocabulary when they learn word meanings indirectly. However, The National Reading Panel urges that vocabulary should be taught directly and indirectly. More importantly, a combination of these teaching methods can lead to the best exposure for a child (2007; Montgomery, 2008).

            Not only is it important for parents to know how children learn vocabulary but caregivers should also know that there are four types of vocabulary that are important for children to develop in order to increase their literacy. These four types are listening, speaking, reading and writing (Montgomery, 2008). Well developed vocabularies can help children improve their overall literacy skills. Children with higher levels of literacy skills are more likely to succeed both academically and socially (Beirman et al., 2008).

            For literacy development it is important that children be able to develop a listening vocabulary (Montgomery, 2008). This is a person’s ability to understand spoken language. This type of vocabulary starts to develop in infancy when young children rely on the noises around them in order to begin forming words. Most children begin learning vocabulary by listening to the adults around them (Ukrainetz, 2006). As children develop and go on to school expectations for listening increase. For children this skill is necessary to have so that they can understand directions that are given orally (Beirman et al., 2008). Children need to be able to listen so that they can be taught the language rules that are required for reading and writing (Justice, Meir, Walpole, 2005). Not only is a listening vocabulary used for following directions but it will aid the child in understanding stories they hear or conversations they may have with others.

            Another type of vocabulary that is important for literacy development is speaking vocabulary. This type of vocabulary can be defined as the words that one uses to speak or the words we use to express ourselves. This type of vocabulary is important for literacy development so that children can express themselves (Beirman et al.). Speaking vocabulary begins when children are around one year old. This spoken vocabulary allows children to communicate their wants and needs. When children have limited spoken vocabularies they often have difficulty communicating their wants, needs, and feelings that are biological, social, and emotional in nature (Wasik, Bond, & Hindman, 2006). Children first learn literacy through their listening and speaking vocabularies. It is important that caregivers supply opportunities for children to communicate through the means of listening and speaking. In order for children to learn how to read and write, they must rely on their listening and speaking vocabularies so that they may make sense of sentences and words.

            Vocabulary is of primary importance when children are learning how to read. According to The National Reading Panel, “Vocabulary development has long been considered important for reading comprehension and is one of the five building blocks necessary for reading” (2001). Good vocabulary allows children to understand or make sense of the meaning of written text (Beirman et al.).  Researchers suggest that children with underdeveloped vocabularies are at risk for later reading problems (Justice, Meir, Walpole, 2005). Reading comprehension is a complex task that is especially dependant on one’s own knowledge of vocabulary (2007). It goes for any reader that if too many words are not understood by a person when they read, it is unlikely that the reader will gain an understanding from what they read; this is especially true in children who are struggling readers (Rupley & Nichols, 2005). The National Reading Panel urges that reading comprehension is important to the growth of a child’s reading skills, as well as their capacity to obtain an education. It is also important that caregivers help develop their children’s written vocabulary. Words are the tools that are used for writing, so it is important that a child is equipped with these tools so that they may be able to write. When children are writing they must be able to come up with the words that they write on their own. Further, children should be able to understand the meaning of words that they are using in order to write and use them correctly (Brynildssen, 2000). The size and quality of a child’s vocabulary affects the quality of a child’s writing skills. Vocabulary will influence the descriptiveness and accuracy of the child’s writing (Brynildssen, 2000).

            Since vocabulary is a foundation for literacy, establishing a good vocabulary base is important for children if they are to become literate individuals. Children with strong vocabularies are more able to identify and access the meanings of words in order to comprehend through reading, writing, listening, and speaking. All of these skills will increase a person’s literacy and the likelihood for academic success and social adjustment (Wise, Sevcik, Morris, Lovett, &Wolfe, 2007). Researchers claim, “Language skills, like vocabulary, support social-emotional adjustment and foster childrens’ abilities to understand and comply with the demands of school” (Bierman et al., 2008).

            Caregivers can engage in many activities that can help children develop their own vocabulary skills that will ultimately improve literacy skills (Rupley & Nichols, 2005). One of the most beneficial activities is dialogic reading. Dialogic reading is a method of book reading where children are provided with many opportunities to talk and engage in conversation. The caregiver becomes an active listener that asks questions, adds information, and encourages the child to talk about pictures as well as discuss important concepts (Wasik, Bond, & Hindman, 2006). There are several themes found within dialogic reading that can attribute to vocabulary learning. The first theme is repeated exposure to words. Wasik, Bond, & Hindman, suggest that book reading offers experiences for children to be exposed to unfamiliar words that children may not encounter in everyday experiences. The more the child comes in contact with a word the more likely that the child will remember, understand, and use the word. Justice et al. suggest that repeat exposure to new words through conversation, text, or reading helps when children are learning new words (2005). Another method for increasing exposure is known as expansion. This is where the caregiver adds to a phrase or word that a child says. This can help expose children to new words that are more complex. The second theme is adult interactions. Children expand their knowledge of new words by relating them to words that they already know. Adults can help with this process by helping the child make connections between word meanings (Hay & Fielding-Barnsley, 2007). Vocabulary words can also be more meaningful to the child if caregivers can connect words to a child’s experiences (Hay & Fielding-Barnsley, 2007). Caregivers can also rephrase sentences to help simplify word meanings so that the caregivers can be sure that the child is making sense of the words. Another theme is that children should be asked to point out pictures or words in a book and ask the child to comment on them (Center for Family Literacy). The caregiver can also ask the child questions like “What do you call this?” in order for a child to name objects or people in a book. If I child is unsure of what a word means or what to call something the caregiver should be sure to give the child information to expand their understanding. Dialogic reading can help a child to develop each of the four types of vocabulary mentioned earlier. Overall research shows that dialogic reading conducted between caregivers and children can increase and accelerate the vocabulary development needed for good literacy skills (Hay & Fielding-Barnsley, 2007).

            Vocabulary is a strong predictor of a child’s literacy skills. More specifically, vocabulary development that allows a child to listen, speak, read, and write. Caregivers can engage in meaningful activities with children to accelerate their vocabulary development so that they may assist a child in developing the literacy skills that can critically influence a child’s opportunities for success.