Becoming Acquainted with the Faces of Words: Fostering Vocabulary Development in Kindergarten Students through Storybook Readings

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to examine the effect of storybook readings with explicit instruction of target words on the vocabulary acquisition of primary grade students. The secondary focus of the research sought to investigate vocabulary learning through storybook readings as it relates to students’ entering vocabulary knowledge. The study involved 78 kindergarten students who were randomly assigned to one of three groups: Storybook reading with explicit instruction of target words, storybook reading without explicit instruction of target words, and a control group. The Peabody-Picture Vocabulary Test-III was used to assess receptive vocabulary knowledge. Data analysis indicated that there was a statistical difference between students who received storybook readings with explicit instruction and students who were not exposed to storybook readings. A trend was noted between the explicit storybook group with explicit instruction, which had higher mean scores, and the storybook reading only group. However, statistically significant differences were not indicated. Students with higher initial vocabularies made greater vocabulary knowledge gains on the vocabulary posttest measure suggesting a --Y΄rich-get richer effect‘ pertaining to vocabulary acquisition.