Does size matter? YES! According to Jessica Aguilar, Elena Plante, and Michelle Sandoval, size does matter when it comes to the set of different examples provided to young children during vocabulary instruction. They worked with 4-5-year-olds with specific language impairment. One group received vocabulary instruction of nouns with a single object corresponding to each word, while the other group was exposed to three different exemplar objects with varying physical attributes (size, color, material, shape). Training occurred during two consecutive days on the first week and an additional day on the second or third week. Each child’s ability to identify the target words with generalized items was assessed directly after each training day and then three weeks after the training period.
And so…. The group that received multiple examples was able to identify significantly more words three weeks after the training period in comparison to the group that only received single examples. However, this did not apply to the training period. When the terms were assessed directly after an instruction day, the two groups yielded similar results. Thus, based on their data, the benefits from providing multiple examples were more apparent weeks after instruction. Aguilar et al. explain that adding variability to examples helps promote generalization of vocabulary words as it highlights the common salient features of the target word class.
Why the heck is this important? Vocabulary is a key factor for academic performance and social interactions, and students with specific language impairment can be particularly susceptible to limitations in this area. Thus, vocabulary is a key area of focus in language intervention. Adding examples during vocabulary instruction is an easy-to-implement practice that can benefit the long-term generalization of the words that our students learn. What’s next? Well, you should probably consider an augmentation…. of example set size that is.
Resources
The Brains: Jessica Aguilar, Elena Plante, and Michelle Sandoval
The full article:
Aguilar, J., Plante, E., & Sandoval, M., (2018). Exemplar variability facilitates retention of word learning by children with specific language impairment. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 49, 72-84.
http://lshss.pubs.asha.org/article.aspx?articleid=2663823&resultClick=3
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I never thought laughter and reading research would coincide, but you made it happen! Keep it up so staying current with evidence-based practice is both easy and entertaining!
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