Experimental Effects of Word Generation on Vocabulary, Academic Language, and Perspective Taking in High Poverty Middle Schools

Abstract

Time to Act, a 2009 report of the Carnegie Corporation’s Council on Advancing Adolescent Literacy, concludes that U.S. students are ill-prepared for the literacy challenges of 21st century higher education, employment, and citizenship. The poor performance of U.S. high schoolers in international comparisons contrasts sharply with the relatively good performance of U.S. 4th graders. The success of 4th graders, and indeed the recent rise in 4th grade NAEP scores, is believed to reflect the success of federal and state policies focused on primary literacy. It seems we have learned to teach students to read at the 4th grade level without preparing them for subsequent literacy challenges. As a result, a high proportion of middle and high school students are struggling. These strugglers are overrepresented in urban districts, among students living below the poverty line, and among ethnic and linguistic minorities. Improving reading for understanding in the post-primary grades requires exposing students who read at all levels to new instructional elements that focus on higher-order comprehension skills (e.g., analysis, synthesis, critique, problem-solving). To target these higher order skills, teachers need (1) a better understanding of the component skills required and how they develop, (2) a set of digestible instructional activities that, if well executed, build these skills, and (3) opportunities to learn the classroom discussion procedures that support student progress. High quality discussions are critical to three basic components of reading comprehension: perspective-taking, complex reasoning, and academic language skill. Word Generation (WG) is a research-based vocabulary program for middle school students designed to teach words through language arts, math, science, and social studies classes. The program consists of weekly units that introduce 5 high-utility target words through brief passages designed to spark active examination and discussion of contemporary issues. WG was designed with the understanding that promoting classroom discussion can result in particular kinds of academic benefits, such as improved word knowledge, reasoning, and expression. The IES funded evaluation of WG (as part of the Reading for Understanding initiative) is a school-level experimental study that includes two cohorts of schools randomized to treatment and control conditions. The first cohort has been studied for three years and the second cohort for two years; we present findings after the end of the 2nd year of the study and at the end of the 3rd year of the study