The Connection Between Flashcards and Reading Comprehension Research

The Connection Between Flashcards and Reading Comprehension

Research Question: TO WHAT EXTENT DOES VOCABULARY AFFECT READING COMPREHENSION? Background & Context: How can knowing domain specific vocabulary increase reading comprehension? How do Flashcards help facilitate vocabulary acquisition? Scholars are doing a novel study while learning weekly vocabulary words Each week, they are given a list of vocabulary words to study Flashcards given to write word and definition for review

Literature Review Article 1 – “Acquisition of Knowledge” A. B. Access and Acquisition – Practice (Focus on teaching words that are semantically related) 1. Grim, eerie 2. Anxious, perspiration, desperately 3. Withered, wilted 4. Ominously, premonition Retention and Repetition

Literature Review Article 2 Fluency – Bridge between decoding and reading comprehension (Pikulski & Chard) 1. Automaticity of Decoding 2. Exposure & Efficiency 3. Variations of Repeated Reading (Guided & Independent)

Literature Review Article 3 Flashcards – function and frequency (Nicholson) 1. OVERLEARNING 2. FLUENCY OF SIGHT WORDS 3. DIFFERENTIATION OF UNDERSTANDING (SCAFFOLDING THROUGH DIVERSITY OF WORDS)

Methods • VOCABULARY WORDS GIVEN WEEKLY RANGING FROM (10 -15 WORDS) • SCHOLARS MAKE FLASHCARDS • SCHOLARS STUDY USING DIFFERENT FUNCTIONS OF QUIZLET • EACH DAY THEY ARE GIVEN HOMEWORK AND CLASSWORK ASSOCIATED WITH VOCABULARY (WRITING DEFINITIONS 5 TIMES, DRAWING A PICTURE DEPICTING THE MEANING OF WORD) • INTRODUCTION OF SYNONYMS AND ANTONYMS RELATED TO VOCABULARY THROUGHOUT THE WEEK • SCHOLARS TAKE VOCABULARY TEST ON THE WEEKLY WORDS • SCHOLARS TAKE READING COMPREHENSION TEST WEEKLY

Results Part 1 Vocabulary Test Scores 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 Student 1 Student 2 Student 3 Vocabulary Test Scores Student 4 Student 5 Student 6

Results Part 2 Reading Comprehension Test Scores 100 95 90 85 80 75 70 65 60 55 50 Student 1 Student 2 Student 3 Reading Comprehension scores Student 4 Student 5 Student 6

Results (Side by Side Analysis) Vocabulary Test Scores Reading Comprehension Test Scores 100 95 90 90 80 85 80 70 75 60 70 65 50 60 40 55 30 Student 1 Student 2 Student 3 Vocabulary Test Scores Student 4 Student 5 Student 6 50 Student 1 Student 2 Student 3 Reading Comprehension scores Student 4 Student 5 Student 6

Conclusion and Discussion of Results • OVERALL VISIBLE TREND & CORRELATION BETWEEN VOCABULARY TEST SCORES AND READING TEST SCORES • VALIDITY – LIMITATIONS OF STUDY (LACK OF CERTAINTY IN ISOLATING ROLE OF VOCABULARY) • RELIABILITY • DEPTH AND DURATION