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The Effects of Science Instruction on Young Children’s Vocabulary Learning: A Research Synthesis

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Abstract

This article synthesized science instruction studies with preschool and kindergarten children to understand the magnitude of science instruction’s impact on young children’s vocabulary outcomes. A total of seven studies that met criteria for the synthesis and provided sufficient data for the calculation of effect size were included. Science instruction has been examined using science intervention and vocabulary intervention with a focus on science. The overall mean effect size was moderate (0.66), suggesting that a focus on science increased young children’s vocabulary outcomes. Science instruction appears to promote young children’s domain-specific words. Educational implications of these findings suggest that there is support for using science instruction to increase the vocabulary performance of young children.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Uzma Hingun for her support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Education, University of Cincinnati, 615 Teacher Hall, Cincinnati, OH, 45221, USA

    Ying Guo, Shanshan Wang & Allison Breit-Smith

  2. Eugene T. Moore School of Education, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, 29634, USA

    Anna H. Hall

  3. Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA

    Jamie Busch

Authors
  1. Ying Guo
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  2. Shanshan Wang
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  3. Anna H. Hall
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  4. Allison Breit-Smith
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  5. Jamie Busch
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Correspondence to Ying Guo.

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Guo, Y., Wang, S., Hall, A.H. et al. The Effects of Science Instruction on Young Children’s Vocabulary Learning: A Research Synthesis. Early Childhood Educ J 44, 359–367 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-015-0721-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-015-0721-6

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