QUANTITATIVE ARTICLE REVIEW 1
Quantitative Article Review
Summary
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to report on a three-year formative experiment usage and
testing of a long-term vocabulary program in fourth-fifth grade classroom in three diverse
schools. This study tried to address the limitations that have been noted in previous vocabulary
intervention. Taking all of this into account, a long-term, multifaceted, and comprehensive
instructional plan was developed. This study proved an accelerated growth in general vocabulary
knowledge within students when compared to normal standardized instruction (Manyak et al.,
2021).
Description of Participants
This study was conducted in fourth and fifth grade classrooms located within three
different regions: Rocky Mountains, Great Lakes, and Midwest. These schools were all public
and were selected based on two criteria: diversity and a positive response for participation from
administration and teachers. The Rocky Mountain school was located in an area where sixty-six
percent of the families were of Latin descent, and ninety percent of the students on free or
reduced lunch. The Great Lakes school was adjacent to a major city and had a diverse population
of different immigrant families. The Midwest school was located in an agricultural area and was
racially diverse. Out of all three schools, thirty classrooms participated, equaling a total of 585
students that participated. During the three years of this study, on average, two fourth grade and
two fifth grade classes at each school participated each year. Including all three schools, twenty
percent of students were African American, thirty-five percent were of Latin decent, thirty-eight
percent were white, and seven percent were other races or ethnicities. Sixty-five percent of the
students home language was English, thirty percent were Spanish, and five percent were other.
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Out of the 585 students, 205 were ELL students. A total of fifteen teachers participated in the
study, nine of which participated for the entire three-year duration. The majority of the teachers
had taught for ten years or more and many had either a master’s degree in education or
professional development in ESL pedagogy. The research team for this study consisted of two-
three members and included principle investigators, doctoral students, and curriculum specialists,
all of whom had elementary teaching experience (Manyak et al., 2021).
Design, Method, Analysis, and Results
The research design of this study was a formative experiment. The purpose of a formative
experiment is to “explore pedagogical innovations implemented iteratively in authentic school
settings,” (Manyak et al., 2021). The use of this type of experiment has increased withing various
literacy interventions. This type of experiment aligned perfectly with this study in order to test
the feasibility of the instructional program. To collect data for this study, one standardized test
and three researcher-constructed assessments were given. The standardized test was the Gates-
MacGinitie Reading Tests Vocabulary Subtest, and this test served as a way to monitor growth in
general vocabulary. The three researcher-constructed assessments included the Vocabulary
Knowledge Assessment, which assessed students’ learning of explicitly taught word meanings,
the Morphic Awareness Assessment, which assessed students’ knowledge of morphemes and
morphemic elements, and the Context Analysis Assessment, which evaluated the students’ ability
to use context clues to identify the meaning of low frequency words. Analyzing the data from the
assessments was based and grouped according to students’ English language status. A one-way
ANCOVA was conducted to compare the post-test scores of the groups while controlling for pre-
test scores. The average normal curve equivalent (NCE) across the grades and schools increased
drastically. The findings of this study confirmed an accelerated growth of students’ general
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vocabulary knowledge when using the instructional program that was presented in the study
(Manyak et al., 2021).
Critical Analysis
For further research of this vocabulary instructional program, the study could extend
further than fourth and fifth grade. Implementing this program as early as kindergarten could
drastically alter the growth of the students’ general vocabulary knowledge. It would be
interesting to see the data of how the students have grown in vocabulary from kindergarten to
fifth grade. A five-year study following a class throughout their elementary school career could
benefit the validity of this program. When reviewing this article, comparing the growth of
different students in different states and regions could weaken the validity of this study due to
different curriculum and standards required by each state. When trying to have an accurate gage
on the academic growth of students, the curriculum should be the same for every student. Not
mentioned in the article that may also affect the validity of the study would be the socioeconomic
status of the schools. Students in the Rocky Mountain may have more access to materials in
additional the program being tested than the students in the Midwest region. When reviewing the
findings of this article, English language learners were able to accelerate and grow in vocabulary
through this instructional program.
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References
Manyak, P. C., Blachowicz, C. L. Z., & Graves, M. F. (2020). The Multifaceted, Comprehensive
Vocabulary Instructional Program: Quantitative Findings from a Three-Year Formative
Experiment. Literacy Research and Instruction, 60(4), 301–331.
https://doi.org/10.1080/19388071.2020.1822473
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