Vocabulary method improves reading for all groups, study finds

A research project in Iceland found that teaching frequently used learning words can significantly improve reading comprehension across student groups, mbl.is reports.

The project was conducted by associate professors Sigríður Ólafsdóttir and Auður Pálsdóttir at the University of Iceland’s School of Education, in cooperation with Árnastofnun and the university’s School of Humanities, for Menntamálastofnun.

The researchers examined nearly 2,300 of the words used most frequently and developed learning materials covering 30 weeks. About 6,000 children and 52 teachers took part. Half of the children participated in an experiment in which they were tested before and after working with the learning words.

Sigríður said the results were particularly strong, noting that around 25 percent of students at lower secondary level struggle with letters, which accounts for much of their performance in tests.

The researchers had only six weeks to conduct the study because funding was limited. During that period, the children learned 10 words each week.

The initial tests showed that boys performed below girls, consistent with findings from the Programme for International Student Assessment, or PISA. However, boys and girls made the same progress during the six-week period.

Sigríður said the most encouraging result was that children with two Icelandic-born parents and children with two foreign-born parents made the same progress, even though the former group had performed best at the beginning.

Everyone agreed that the method worked, she said. Sigríður discussed the findings earlier this week on mbl.is’s Dagmál programme with Haukur Arason, an associate professor at the University of Iceland’s School of Education. They also discussed the latest PISA results and how to respond to the negative trend in education.