Vocabulary instruction and Mexican–American bilingual students: how two high school teachers integrate multiple strategies to build word consciousness in English language arts classrooms

Abstract

Despite the significance of vocabulary knowledge to student learning, limited studies have examined English language arts (ELA) teachers' skills and practices that may be effective for building word consciousness in high school Mexican–American bilingual students. The research objective of the present study is to examine how two high school ELA teachers use multiple strategies to build word consciousness in Mexican–American bilingual students. The study was conducted over 16 weeks. The sources of data were classroom observations, classroom videos, interviews, field notes, and teaching artifacts. The findings showed that the teachers integrated a variety of teaching strategies, including word analysis, cognate use, explicit scaffolding, online word search strategies, visual imaging, semantic mapping, and semantic feature analysis to connect instruction to background knowledge of their Mexican–American bilingual students and foster word consciousness in them. The findings suggest that it is crucially important that ELA teachers use multiple teaching strategies to make connections between vocabulary instruction and background knowledge that students bring from home and communities.

Keywords:

• Mexican–American bilingual students
• cognate use
• technology
• direct instruction
• scaffolds
• cognates use

Notes

1. The California English Language Development Test (CELDT) is a required state English skills test for English language proficiency that must be administered to kindergarten through grade 12 students whose first language is not English. The test is designed to help schools identify students who need improvement in listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills in English. CELDT is administered yearly by the California Department of Education.

2. ELA Standards refer to the California Standards for English language arts.

3. The Spanish Language Proficiency Test assesses the speaking and reading skills of Spanish-speaking students.

4. The National School Lunch Program provides free and reduced priced meals to low-income children before school, during school, and after school.

5. K – what you know; W – what you want to learn; and L – what you learn.