Vocabulary Instruction Within a Multi-Tier Approach

Abstract

Vocabulary instruction provided within a response-to-intervention (RTI) framework has great potential for supporting the vocabulary development of all students, including those who are most at risk for language and literacy difficulties. The majority of research on RTI has focused on code-based literacy skills such as phonemic awareness and decoding. We believe, however, that a multi-tier approach to vocabulary instruction has great potential for supporting the vocabulary development of all students, including those who are most at risk for language and literacy difficulties. In this article we discuss vocabulary acquisition and the challenges that educators face with providing vocabulary instruction in schools, describe a series of research studies supporting direct vocabulary instruction within an RTI approach, and provide suggestions for future research.