Oxford Language Report 2023-24 Building Vocabulary at School
Oxford Language Report 2023-24 Building Vocabulary at School
Oxford Language Report 2023-24 Building Vocabulary at School
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Vocabulary matters Connections between school
A child’s vocabulary knowledge can have a big impact and home
on their reading development, later educational
success, and the way they experience emotions.1,2,3 Despite recognizing the importance of parental
Such a complex matter requires a multi-faceted support in a child’s vocabulary development, only
approach to ensure every child is equipped with the 44% of the teachers we surveyed said their school
vocabulary key to unlock their life-long potential. strategy encourages parents to be involved in their
child’s vocabulary development. 27% of teachers
A strong vocabulary will set a child up to succeed report that their school provides vocabulary-
at school, empathize with others, and approach focused resources or activities for home, and 48%
new situations with confidence.
have time to talk directly to parents and provide
guidance on vocabulary-building.
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Vocabulary building in schools What are the challenges
Whilst teachers individually appreciate the importance around building children’s
of vocabulary building, research suggests there is
room for more focused and strategic support at a
vocabulary
school-wide level.
In schools that do have a school-wide vocabulary
strategy, only a third of teachers are satisfied with it.
Building vocabulary is a priority for most
schools Lack of time, budget, and staff knowledge
Broadening pupils’ vocabulary is a ‘medium’ to ‘high’ are key barriers
strategic priority in 90% of schools, and it is a high
priority in two thirds of Primary schools. On average, The main reasons for dissatisfaction with or lack of a
two hours of class time are dedicated to vocabulary- school-wide policy are:
focused teaching per week in both Primary and • lack of time or competing priorities
Secondary. • lack of budget
• insufficient staff knowledge or coordination.
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How can schools support vocabulary development?
It is clear that a vocabulary strategy must not be prohibitively expensive or time consuming, but an effective
strategy should be woven into the curriculum at every level and perceived as an integral part of a child’s education.
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5 ways to build a language-loving community
A school-wide focus on language and literacy will help to put these skills
at the heart of the school community and support families along the way.
1 Encourage a two-way conversation about language between school
and home: what are families doing that could be shared more widely,
such as stories, songs and games? These are all valuable experiences
for language learning.13
2 Hold a ‘Word Celebration Day’ in which every child can ‘bring’ a word
to share. This could be their favourite word, a new word they have
learned, the longest word they know, a word from another language
spoken at home, or a regional word used in their local area. Allow
children to explain why they have chosen their word – hearing these
words used in context is really important.
3 Take time to find out about home languages and literacies:
celebrate this diversity and the opportunities it presents, as well as
understanding challenges it might pose.
4 For primary schools, if you already hold ‘How to support your child
with reading’ or ‘Meet the teacher’ sessions, consider adding an
element about ‘How to boost your child’s vocabulary’. Also bear in
mind the best ways to reach parents who cannot come into school.
5 Provide space for reading: offer reading time, such as breakfast or
after-school reading clubs. Hold regular sessions to which families
are invited. If you have a school library, make it an inviting space
offering engaging and representative books. Also, encourage visits to
the local library to enjoy the free events and resources on offer – not
to mention a range of books beyond those a child may have access to
at home or school.
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References
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Dyson, H., Best, W., Solity, J., & Hulme, C. (2017). Training mispronunciation correction and word meanings
improves children’s ability to learn to read words. Scientific Studies of Reading, 21, 392–407. https://doi.org/10.1080
/10888438.2017.1315424
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Schuth, E., Köhne, J., & Weinert, S. (2017). The influence of academic vocabulary knowledge on school
performance. Learning and Instruction, 49, 157–165. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2017.01.005
3
Tan, T. Y., Wachsmuth, L., & Tugade, M. M. (2022). Emotional Nuance: Examining Positive Emotional Granularity and
Well-Being. Frontiers in psychology, 13, 715966. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.715966
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Bialystok E. Bilingualism in development: Language, literacy, and cognition. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University
Press; 2001
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Mueller, L-M., Howard, K., Wilson, E., Gibson, J., & Katsos., N. (2020). Multilingualism in the Family and
Child Well-being: a scoping review. International Journal of Bilingualism, 24(5-6), 1049-1070. https://doi.
org/10.1177/1367006920920939
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Fan, S. P., Liberman, Z., Keysar, B., & Kinzler, K. D. (2015). The Exposure Advantage: Early Exposure to a
Multilingual Environment Promotes Effective Communication. Psychological Science, 26(7), 1090–1097. https://doi.
org/10.1177/0956797615574699
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Yow, W. Q., & Markman, E. M. (2015). A bilingual advantage in how children integrate multiple cues to understand
a speaker’s referential intent. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 18(3), 391–399. https://doi.org/10.1017/
S1366728914000133
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https://home.oxfordowl.co.uk/english/primary-vocabulary/
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Madigan S, McArthur BA, Anhorn C, Eirich R, Christakis DA. Associations Between Screen Use and Child
Language Skills: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. JAMA Pediatr. 2020;174(7):665–675. doi:10.1001/
jamapediatrics.2020.0327
Snell, E.K., Wasik, B.A., & Hindman, A.H. (2019, May). Text to Talk: Effects of a texting intervention on
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prekindergarten vocabulary. Paper presented at the School District of Philadelphia Research, Policy, and Practice
Conference, Philadelphia, PA.
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Ashley, K. (2019) Word Power. Singular Publishing
Perfetti C. A., Hart L. (2002). The lexical quality hypothesis. In Vehoeven L., Elbro C., Reitsma P. (Eds.), Precursors
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcoIKJ4Cg1E