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This funding examines how word definitions, contextual support, and cognate status affect 4th grade Spanish speaking English learners’ (EL) understanding of unfamiliar wordsin text. The inclusion of monolingual and bilingual dictionary definitions as a support for independent word learning is a ubiquitous practice in EL instruction, yet, the field lacks experimental work that isolates and tests the
effect of dictionary definitions on EL vocabulary learning. Research on effective vocabulary instruction for ELs has typically relied on interventions that include multiple teaching strategies, each considered exemplary of best practice, but that lack evidence of their unique contribution to EL vocabulary learning.
The value of definitions as supports for independent learning has been brought into question in research with monolingual English speakers. The bulk of this work suggests that definitions are mostly ineffective in promoting independent learning of word meanings. However, a metaanalysis on the value of testing accommodations for ELs indicates that provision of an English dictionary is a form of accommodation that is effective in boosting ELs’ reading comprehension performance in testing situations. The same metaanalysis found that the estimates of the effect of providing a Spanish dictionary varied considerably
across studies, suggesting that some students benefited more from this practice than others. The widespread use of dictionary definitions in EL instruction coupled with the inconsistent evidence regarding their utility to ELs and English monolinguals, compel us to study how ELs’ use definitions to aid their understanding of unfamiliar words in text. Thus, we study the extent to which Spanish-speaking ELs benefit from English and Spanish definitions during independent learning situations and how ability to use definitions to understand English text interacts with other potential sources of information about word meaning, namely sentence context and cognate status.

PI: Maria Carlo,PhD
Funder: U.S. Department of Education

Contact: 
Maria S. Carlo, PhD

Principal Investigators:
Maria S. Carlo, PhD
Dr. Sara A. Smith, University of South Florida

Funding Source:
Institute of Education Sciences (IES)

Project Description:

There is reason to believe that instruction that incorporates Spanish definitions in teaching academic English words may benefit Spanish-speaking children who are learning English as a second language. This study compares the effectiveness of mixed-language (English and Spanish) vs single language (English) vocabulary instruction in promoting learning of English words by 4th grade Spanish speaking children who are learning English. The students receive 6 weeks of vocabulary instruction twice a week via remote instruction (using Microsoft Teams) with USF instructors. Students learn 60 academic words that are taught via 6 units about the Florida Everglades.  We expect that results of this research will help us design more effective curricular materials for English learners.  

Contact: 
Maria S. Carlo, PhD

Principal Investigators:
Dr. Tricia Zucker, The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, PI
Maria S. Carlo, PhD - Co-PI

Funding Source:
Institute of Education Sciences (IES)

Project Description:

English learners living in poverty are at risk for later reading difficulties and are less likely than their peers to encounter the level of responsive, extended conversations in their homes and preschools needed for school readiness. Furthermore, many types of dual language programs in U.S. schools operate in ways that delay regular exposure to English until later grades, rather than systematically teaching in ways that build on students’ knowledge of their home language to accelerate English proficiency. The proposed project will evaluate a dual-language approach that: a) maintains and improves the home language of English learners who speak mostly Spanish in their homes via parent coaching, and b) simultaneously coaches teachers to use an explicit cross-language transfer approach in which sophisticated concepts are introduced in Spanish before English. The expected outcome of this project is increased understanding of effective classroom instruction and family engagement approaches for English learners at risk of later reading difficulties. This project is led by The University of Texas Health Science Center’s Children’s Learning Institute in collaboration with USF.

Contact: 
Maria S. Carlo, PhD

Principal Investigators:
Maria S. Carlo, PhD - PI
Dr. Mary Avalos, Co-PI University of Miami Subcontract

Funding Source:
Institute of Education Sciences (IES)

Project Description:

This project involves series of studies to inform the development of instructional strategies intended to help Spanish-speaking 4th grade English learners learn the meanings of new words in English. The studies test the benefits of providing students with definitions in English versus Spanish, supportive text context, and cognates--words such as profound-profundo which are spelled similarly and mean the same in Spanish and English--on students’ ability to independently learn new English words.  The project will provide evidence of potentially promising practices for helping English learners learn new academic vocabulary in English.