Department of Special Education, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37203, USA.
Children's Learning Institute, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
J Exp Child Psychol. 2021 May;205:105083. doi: 10.1016/j.jecp.2020.105083. Epub 2021 Jan 30.
Two approaches to word learning were investigated in 1214 6th- to 12th-grade students. Definitions were provided, followed either by two sentences that were semantically correct exemplars, called semantic reinforcement learning, or by one correct sentence and a contrasting incorrect sentence (i.e., example followed by a structurally aligned non-example), called semantic discrimination learning. Type of learning was blocked, and examples and non-examples were explained. Effects of affix frequency were also assessed. Students were taught words, followed by assessments of abilities to recall the meanings of the words immediately after learning them, to choose the correct words among distractors to match given definitions after all words had been instructed, and to judge the semantic veracity of new sentences containing taught words 1-3 days later. Explanatory item response models were used to predict word learning using student and item characteristics along with their interactions. Few grade-related differences emerged. Higher-frequency affixes were generally beneficial for learning and retention across comprehension skill levels and measures. Immediate recall of word meanings was facilitated by semantic reinforcement learning. In contrast, performance after all the words had been instructed was facilitated by semantic discrimination learning, but only for more highly skilled comprehenders. The ability to learn the meanings of new words accounted for unique variance on one measure of reading comprehension, controlling for decoding, previously acquired vocabulary knowledge, and working memory. Results are discussed with reference to models of vocabulary learning and implications for vocabulary instruction for adolescents.
本研究调查了两种词汇学习方法在 1214 名 6 至 12 年级学生中的应用。研究为学生提供了定义，随后提供两个语义正确的例句（语义强化学习）或一个正确例句和一个错误例句（语义辨别学习）。学习类型被分为两类，同时对例句和反例进行了解释。此外，还评估了词缀频率的影响。学生学习单词后，立即评估他们回忆单词含义的能力，在所有单词都教授完后，从干扰项中选择与给定定义匹配的正确单词，以及在 1-3 天后判断包含教授单词的新句子的语义真实性。使用解释性项目反应模型，根据学生和项目的特点及其相互作用，预测词汇学习。研究结果显示，几乎没有与年级相关的差异。在理解技能水平和各种测量中，高频率词缀通常对学习和保持都有帮助。语义强化学习有助于立即回忆单词的含义。相比之下，在教授完所有单词后，语义辨别学习对技能水平更高的理解者更为有利。学习新单词含义的能力可以在阅读理解的一个测量指标上解释独特的方差，该指标控制了解码、已获得的词汇知识和工作记忆。结果与词汇学习模型以及青少年词汇教学的意义有关。
