ERIC Number: EJ1486790
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-Nov
Pages: 29
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0305-0009
EISSN: EISSN-1469-7602
Available Date: 0000-00-00
Exploring the Relations between Teachers' High-Quality Language Features and Preschoolers and Kindergarteners' Vocabulary Learning
JeanMarie Farrow1; Barbara A. Wasik2; Annemarie H. Hindman3
Journal of Child Language, v52 n6 p1338-1366 2025
This study explored the use of sophisticated vocabulary, complex syntax, and decontextualized language (including book information, conceptual information, past/future experiences, and vocabulary information) in teachers' instructional interactions with children during the literacy block in prekindergarten and kindergarten classrooms. The sample included 33 teachers and 421 children. We examined correlations among these language features and their unique contributions to children's vocabulary learning. Teachers who used more sophisticated vocabulary also engaged in more decontextualized talk about vocabulary and past/future experiences. Additionally, teachers' use of complex syntax was uniquely associated with talk about conceptual information. Both complex syntax and conceptual information talk predicted children's vocabulary learning; however, complex syntax emerged as the sole predictor when accounting for this relationship. This finding suggests that decontextualized talk about concepts, characterized by complex language structures, may facilitate vocabulary acquisition.
Descriptors: Child Language, Language Usage, Preschool Children, Kindergarten, Vocabulary Development, Syntax, Language Acquisition, Predictor Variables, Teacher Student Relationship, Interpersonal Communication
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Early Childhood Education; Elementary Education; Kindergarten; Primary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1College of Education and Human Development, Georgia State University; 2College of Education and Human Development, Temple University; 3School of Education, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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