Connecting explicit vocabulary study to movement, talk, and shared decision-making offers a potent yet often untapped route to deeper reading comprehension in the middle elementary years. This article describes a concise routine--semantic gradients enacted by visibly random triads on vertical non-permanent surfaces--that fuses embodied learning…

Although strong claims have been made about museums being ideal word learning environments, these are yet to be empirically supported. In the current study, 152 four- to five-year-olds children (81-M, 71-F) from minority backgrounds were taught six vocabulary items either in a museum, in their classroom with museum resources, or in their classroom…

This longitudinal study examined how receptive and expressive vocabulary assessments capture vocabulary development in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and typically developing (TD) children. Using mixed regression modelling, we explored when children with ASD significantly different from TD children. We also examined the variability…

Words direct visual attention in infants, children, and adults, presumably by activating representations of referents that then direct attention to matching stimuli in the visual scene. Novel, unknown, words have also been shown to direct attention, likely via the activation of more general representations of naming events. To examine the critical…

The interaction of visual exploration and auditory processing is central to early cognitive development, supporting object discrimination, categorization, and word learning. Research has shown visual-auditory interactions to be complex, created from multiple processes and changing over multiple timescales. To better understand these interactions,…

Like verbs, adjectives pose a challenge to the young word learner in that some -- like "red," "round," "rough," or "rectangular" -- map onto properties that are detectable through the senses, while others -- like "ready," "reasonable," or "required" -- express abstract…

What does it mean to learn a word? How can we tell when a sequence of letters or sounds becomes a word in the mind of the learner? While many second language (L2) vocabulary teaching and learning studies continue to use traditional vocabulary tests to measure learning (such as multiple choice, translation, gap-fill), these measures tend to come…

Multi-accent environments offer rich but inconsistent language input, as words are produced differently across accents. The current study examined, in two experiments, whether multi-accent variability affects infants' ability to LEARN WORDS and whether toddlers' prior experience with accents modulates learning. In Experiment 1,…

Purpose: In this clinical focus article, we discuss the nature of critical thinking, its importance for adolescents, and its interaction with later language development. We also introduce a language arts program, "Philosophy for Adolescents." The program aims to support critical thinking, narrative and expository discourse, and the use…

While some guiding principles have been proposed for the selection and presentation of vocabulary, it is unclear whether these notions have been applied systematically, particularly in ways that highlight cultural nuances. To explore the cultural foundations of vocabulary, this study garnered prototypical words for Hexagonal French (the French of…

Background: The purported reciprocity between motivation and academic achievement in education has largely been supported by correlational data. Aims: Our first aim was to determine experimentally whether motivation and achievement are reciprocally related. The second objective was to investigate a potential behavioural mediation pathway between…

Picture book reading is widely regarded as an activity that promotes multiple aspects of children's language acquisition, including their vocabulary development. Historically, researchers interested in what underlies the link between picture book reading and vocabulary development have investigated a suite of caregiver behaviors during picture…

There is good evidence that high-quality instruction targeting reading-related skills in the classroom leads to gains in reading. However, considerably less is known about the possible efficacy of "remote" instruction. This study evaluated the efficacy of an interactive evidence-based language-rich literacy programme. 184 children were…

The middle and high school years represent a unique challenge for students who have not yet attained proficiency with word reading. By this time, it is generally expected that students will be able to independently read a variety of texts to gain content knowledge and to read for understanding. Students with or at-risk for learning disabilities…

Do mono- and bilingual children differ in the way they learn novel words in ambiguous settings? Listeners may resolve referential ambiguity by assuming that novel words refer to unknown, rather than known, objects--a response known as the "mutual exclusivity effect." Past research suggested that mono- and bilinguals differ with regard to…