While vocabulary instruction is important because it improves comprehension,
it also may play a societal role. Society often makes judgments about
individuals based upon a person’s use of language. Unfortunately, language
usage may become a factor for discrimination. Lack of vocabulary
undoubtedly excludes individuals from advanced levels of education and better
paying jobs. The research suggests that insufficient word knowledge most
likely impacts students educationally at risk.
Consider the following research:
• Mainstream children know about 50% more words than disadvantaged children.
(White,Graves, Slater, 1990)
Since we know that vocabulary knowledge directly impacts comprehension,
consider the following information:
• Close to half of all 17 year olds cannot read or do math at the level
needed to get a job in a modern automobile plant. Barring some other special
knowledge that would allow them to make a living, such as a plumber or an
artist, they lack the skills to earn a middle-class paycheck in today’s
economy” (Murnane & Levy, 1996).
• 17 year olds who can gain information from specialized text (e.g. science
section of a newspaper):
1 in 12 Whites
1 in 50 Latinos
1 in 100 African Americans (Educational Leadership, March 2001)
Vocabulary instruction helps all students read better. But for less-
proficient students, it not only improves reading, it may also improve their
lives. The lack of sufficient reading skills creates denied access to both
educational and employment opportunities.
Excerpted from Marina Michalsky's lecture for Teaching Comprehension
Strategies at UCIrvine (April 9, 2011).
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