Oral vocabulary and reading comprehension : What intervention studies have taught us

Children with weak oral vocabulary knowledge are likely to have difficulties with reading comprehension, which in turn makes it difficult for them to learn new words from their independent reading. Such difficulties can have negative consequences for a child’s academic achievement and functioning in everyday life, and it is crucial for speechlanguage pathologists to know how to help these children. In this paper, the research on vocabulary intervention for school-aged children is reviewed, with a focus on the links between vocabulary knowledge and reading comprehension. It is concluded that effective vocabulary instruction involves a long-term approach which combines direct, rich instruction in functionally useful words, with instruction in strategies for deciphering the meanings of unfamiliar words. Examples of instruction methods and further resources are provided.