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Examining the underlying dimensions of morphological awareness and vocabulary knowledge

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Abstract

We report results from two studies on the underlying dimensions of morphological awareness and vocabulary knowledge in elementary-aged children. In Study 1, 99 fourth-grade students were given multiple measures of morphological awareness and vocabulary. A single factor accounted for individual differences in all morphology and vocabulary assessments. Study 2 extended these results by giving 90 eighth-grade students expanded measures of vocabulary and morphology that assessed (a) definitional knowledge, (b) usage, (c) relational knowledge, and (d) knowledge of morphological variants, with each potential aspect of knowledge assessed using an identical set of 23 words to control for differential knowledge of specific vocabulary items. Results indicated that a single-factor model that encompassed morphological and vocabulary knowledge provided the best fit to the data. Finally, explanatory item response modeling was used to investigate sources of variance in the vocabulary and morphological awareness tasks we administered. Implications for assessment and instruction are discussed.

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Notes

  1. Based on the prompt, two items, run and light, could involve the use of either regular or irregular inflections (i.e., runs or ran and lights or lit).

  2. These words were part, stable, store, resign, suspend, and consume.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by Grant Number R305F100005 and Grant Number R305F100027 from the Institute for Education Sciences, Grant Number P50 HD52120 from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, and a Predoctoral Interdisciplinary Training Grant Number R305B090021 from the Institute for Education Sciences.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, The Florida Center for Reading Research, Florida State University, PO Box 3064301, 1107 West Call Street, Tallahassee, FL, 32306-4301, USA

    Mercedes Spencer, Andrea Muse, Richard K. Wagner, Barbara Foorman, Yaacov Petscher, Christopher Schatschneider, Elizabeth L. Tighe & M. Denise Bishop

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  1. Mercedes Spencer
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  2. Andrea Muse
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  3. Richard K. Wagner
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  4. Barbara Foorman
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  7. Elizabeth L. Tighe
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  8. M. Denise Bishop
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Correspondence to Mercedes Spencer.

Appendix 1

Appendix 1

List of words used in the vocabulary and morphological assessment

Run (Example)

Cover

Clear

Light

Catch

Part

Clean

Drop

Store

Rough

Stable

Tangle

Treat

Stand

Wake

Note

Still

Found

Store

Resign

Suspend

Honor

Support

Consume

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Spencer, M., Muse, A., Wagner, R.K. et al. Examining the underlying dimensions of morphological awareness and vocabulary knowledge. Read Writ 28, 959–988 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-015-9557-0

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