Courtney Bauguess Actionresearchpaper Final

RUNNING HEAD: LITERATURE CIRCLE ROLES APPLIED TO SCIENCE VOCABULARY
Science Vocabulary:
How is science vocabulary knowledge impacted when fifth grade students participate in
modified literature circle groups compared to those who receive traditional instruction?
Courtney Bauguess
East Carolina University
Dr. Elizabeth Swaggerty
February 10th, 2015
LITERATURE CIRCLE ROLES APPLIED TO SCIENCE VOCABULARY
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to determine whether literature circle roles applied to science
vocabulary affected fifth grade students vocabulary understanding. An intervention group of 22
students completed modified literature circle roles and modified frayer models, while the
comparison group received traditional vocabulary instruction. An independent t test of the pre
and post vocabulary scores and concept assessment scores suggest that the results of the
intervention are significant. These results lead the researcher to believe that this intervention can
impact a students ability to understand science vocabulary.
Keywords: vocabulary instruction, literature circle roles, science vocabulary
modified literature circle groups compared to those who receive traditional instruction?
Content area vocabulary terms can present a challenge to students due to the words being
abstract, as well as, the broad range of terms students are expected to learn. This can be
especially true in the content area of science. Without a concrete understanding of content area
vocabulary, acquisition and understanding of content topics and concepts can be hard to achieve
for students. Vocabulary directly correlates to concepts within content areas, making vocabulary
an integral part of instruction in areas such as Science and Social Studies. This action research
project explored whether or not literature circle roles can be applied to student vocabulary groups
in order to improve students understanding of the vocabulary and how it relates to the concepts
being taught in Science.
By utilizing a concept like literature roles, there is an incorporation of direct and explicit
instruction of vocabulary. This intervention strategy also used strategies such as cooperative and
social learning groups and applying and connecting vocabulary to students previously learned
ideas and words. Making connections and helping students see the relationships between the
vocabulary, concepts, and already existing schema help support this intervention and instruction
based around it. A literature review supporting this line of inquiry follows.
Literature Review
Teaching concepts is an important aspect of any content area subject such as Language
Arts, Science, Math, and Social Studies. Even more important is the vocabulary contained within
the concepts and content areas. It is this vocabulary within the content that helps students
understand what they are being taught. The vocabulary that is introduced at each grade level for
any given subject area is usually more words than would be required if one were learning a new
language for the first time (Nelson-Herber, 1986). In order for a student to be successful with
learning the concepts being taught, a vast vocabulary must also be obtained in the process.
Teachers must place an emphasis on teaching content vocabulary and understand the ways in
which vocabulary should be taught in order for students to learn these new and sometimes
challenging vocabulary words (Carrier, 2012). While indirect methods of learning vocabulary
such as reading or hearing about them can benefit students, one cannot simply rely on indirect
methods alone. Direct and explicit teaching of the words, the semantics of the words, and indepth recognition of the words is crucial (Vitale & Romance, 2008).
Content knowledge comes from making sense of new experiences by linking prior
knowledge to it and by integrating associations with concepts or vocabulary (Winters, 2001).
Vocabulary that is taught by connecting the new word to a students existing schema is an
essential piece to vocabulary instruction. Helping students connect words to prior learning can
open doors to the learning of new vocabulary. Making new meaning and forming connections in
this manner outweighs the traditional method locating of words in a dictionary and copying the
word and definition (Smith, 1990).
Teachers should also provide multiple opportunities for students to interact with new
vocabulary words (Longo, 2008). Varying the activities and instructional strategies scaffolds the
learning of new vocabulary and builds upon the other opportunities students have been given to
use and apply the words. Interacting with the words multiple times can strengthen students
knowledge of the words in various contexts and modalities (Longo, 2008). Going beyond
activities that are literal and knowledge based and moving to activities that involve application
and synthesis of the words are beneficial (Smith, 1990).
Another approach towards teaching content vocabulary to students is the opportunity to
learn words in a social context with a hands on approach (Carrier, 2012). Social interactions with
other learners and social interactions within a group context can help the students broaden their
own learning. While a learners own connections and prior experiences related to a vocabulary
word can be substantial, hearing and discussing another learners connections or hearing
anothers schema unfold can broaden the understanding of new words. Connecting members of a
group and linking his or her prior knowledge to others creates a springboard for ideas and
acquisition of vocabulary knowledge (Winters, 2001).
Direct and Explicit Instruction
Vocabulary instruction should not solely be learned through indirect instruction such as
reading, listening to words in context, or being part of a rich verbal environment. Direct
instruction must also be part of a teachers repertoire when teaching content vocabulary (Vitale
& Romance, 2008). Direct instruction involves activities such as teaching words prior to a lesson
or reading, enhancing word consciousness in various contexts, teaching word learning strategies
and definitions, providing multiple exposures to words, and connecting new vocabulary to
students prior knowledge (Putman & Kingsley, 2009).
Research shows that students who are explicitly taught vocabulary through direct
methods of instruction can increase their repertoire of vocabulary by up to 400 words a year
(Putman & Kingsley, 2009). In a study looked at recently, students who generally scored around
the 50th percentile in reading comprehension assessments, increased their scores by around 30
percent after receiving direct instruction in vocabulary (Putman & Kingsley, 2009).
Knowledge of vocabulary is strongly correlated to effective reading comprehension.
Direct instruction is recommended in order for students to comprehend material that is related to
vocabulary. Furthermore, instruction that involves different contexts can improve comprehension
of a concept or topic (Nelson-Herber, 1986). More specifically, when a learner is directly
involved with the learning process through direct instruction, gains should be seen in their
comprehension as well.
Content Area Vocabulary
One of the main components of academic language (within content areas) is academic
vocabulary. Correlations between a lack of academic language and student success have been
explored. The less academic vocabulary a student has, the more at risk a student becomes at any
given grade level (Nagy & Townsend, 2012). Content vocabulary is different in that abstract
ideas must be illustrated to students in a way that isnt typically found from social conversation
or everyday language acquisition.
Content vocabulary contains more Latin and Greek roots and morphologically complex
words than other vocabulary, making the learning of these words more difficult for students
(Nagy & Townsend, 2012). The differences in content vocabulary can create an abstractness that
can be hard for students to understand. It is imperative that instruction communicates not only
the word meaning, but also the morphology and semantics of the word and how those elements
connect to the words meaning.
While vocabulary in any subject is important, vocabulary in Reading instruction may not
necessarily be needed when comprehending a lesson or a text. Unknown words may not
necessarily affect the overall comprehension of a text or passage. Content areas such as Science
or Social Studies however, contain vocabulary that may be essential for learning a new concept
or gaining an understanding of a topic (Armbruster & Nagy, 1992). New vocabulary in content
areas such as Science, Math, and Social Studies are rarely associated with a familiar concept but
instead may be a new idea in which students are expected to understand. In content areas, the
vocabulary students learn is often new to students and never before heard or seen. There are
words within areas such as science that are related in meaning and can be grouped together in
concept clusters. This aspect of vocabulary in content areas supports that making connections
among words within a specific unit is important during instruction (Armbruster & Nagy, 1992).
Science Vocabulary
The content area of science is often very dependent and intensive in vocabulary
development. Analysis of science text books indicate that approximately 1,000 to 3,000 science
vocabulary words are found in most (Miller, Straits, Kucan, Trathen, & Dass, 2007). Due to the
enormity of words contained within each grade level in science, the teaching and learning of
these abundant vocabulary words can be a struggle for both teachers and students.
When teaching science vocabulary, the goal is to help students think like scientists.
Inquiry and hands-on learning that provides multiple opportunities to interact with words is
important for students in order to gain a concrete understanding of the words in relation to the
concept being learned (Kucan, Trathen, & Straits, 2007).
A common misconception among many teachers is that reading skills taught early on in a
students career can carry them throughout the remainder of their learning. This is a
misconception because reading skills learned early on cannot directly be applied when reading a
content text such as a science textbook. The unfamiliarity of words contained in a science
textbook can present issues with understanding new concepts as well (Nelson-Herber, 1986).
Most students at an elementary age are taught to use context clues surrounding a word when
faced with a new vocabulary word in which they do not know the meaning. When you apply this
skill to the reading of a science text, it can be difficult for students because most of the words
and sentences surrounding the unknown word are also unknown in meaning (Nelson-Herber,
1986). Strategies like the use of context clues can be hard to use when those context clues also
contain challenging and unknown words.
Many teachers try to use readability formulas and reformat texts based on formulas by
excluding words and shortening sentences (Carrier, 2012). When dealing with science texts,
words cannot simply be removed because most of the words contained within a technical text,
such as science, are important to the text. The removal of such words would decrease the
understanding of the vocabulary concepts represented in the text.
While many academic vocabulary words are used across the curriculum and throughout
the grade levels, students rarely hear scientific vocabulary outside of the science classroom or
lesson. Therefore, hearing, seeing, or using the words in many different contexts can be difficult.
This is why multiple exposures across the content areas and within the science lesson are key to
vocabulary acquisition (Carrier, 2012).
Instructional Strategies
When teaching new words in a content area, teachers must first differentiate between
target vocabulary and prerequisite vocabulary (Armbruster & Nagy, 1992). Identifying words
that students must know prior to learning new vocabulary is essential in order to scaffold and
connect new vocabulary to a students word knowledge. Teaching words in concept clusters is
also a strategy that can be implemented to provide more of a focus for understanding the
vocabulary being introduced. Grouping target words into categories can make learning easier and
make connecting the words to each other easier (Nelson-Herber, 1986).
Building relationships and forming connections to previously learned words is key in all
vocabulary instruction. The incorporation of graphic organizers or matrices can help facilitate
this method of instruction (Smith, 1990). Words in isolation can be harder to learn than those that
are connected to words a student may already know or words that can be grouped with the
unknown word. Integrating associations and relationships among words increases concept
knowledge and provides a familiarity of unknown words (Winters, 2001). When providing
instruction to students for making connections and scaffolding their learning, guiding questions
can be useful such as the following: What is it like? What are examples of this? What is this?
Incorporating these questions into a graphic organizer can be powerful and beneficial (Smith,
1990).
Social interaction among learners in the context of paired or group learning is also
beneficial. Learning is not a single-person operation and can be greatly facilitated by other
students in an educational setting. Students are found to verbally express their thoughts
throughout their learning, often expressing their own connections and building of knowledge,
which in turn can activate the learning of others in this socially interactive learning environment
(Winters, 2001). Activities such as applying roles to students in the learning of words can be one
specific activity that builds upon this type of social learning and also illustrates connections and
relationships among words. Roles similar to literature roles can be transferred to the learning of
vocabulary. Students participate in these roles and while doing so, make connections, build
meaning, and gain word knowledge through various methods (Miller, Straits, Kucan, Trathen, &
Dass, 2007).
The limiting of vocabulary terms into a smaller set of words is yet another instructional
strategy that can be used in effective teaching of vocabulary. Narrowing down the words being
taught into small portions can make learning easier and more achievable. Creating activities that
directly extend from the teaching of concepts can help narrow down the vocabulary being used
within a lesson or teaching of a concept (Vitale & Romance, 2008).
In conclusion, the comprehension of concepts depends on students individual
understandings of the vocabulary presented in the content areas. Vocabulary is correlated to the
comprehension of material being taught, thus the teaching of vocabulary must be a central part of
teaching in the content areas. Vocabulary in the science content area is difficult because of the
unfamiliarity of the words being introduced, the inability to connect these words to previous
knowledge, and the magnitude of the words being introduced in a single grade level. Words must
be grouped in clusters that are related to one another in order to be more easily learned and must
be connected to each other to produce an understanding among students. While indirect learning
of vocabulary is an ongoing process, direct instruction must occur in order to provide students
with multiple opportunities for learning, seeing and using words in a variety of contexts, and
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explicitly teaching the semantics and morphology of these sometimes difficult words. Learning
in a social context can be beneficial for students and will help them increase their own
understanding by hearing the connections of other learners, generating ideas from one another,
and building upon each group members knowledge and schema.
Based on the review of this literature, the following research question was explored,
modified literature circle discussion groups, when compared to those who receive only
traditional instruction? The methodological details of this study follows.
Methodology
This action research project included a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest comparison
group design. The independent variable of interest was science vocabulary instruction and was
assigned two levels; literature circle roles as an intervention and traditional instruction.
Traditional instruction consisted of copying of notes and definitions in science journals. The
dependent variable was student growth and understanding of science vocabulary.
Intervention Students:
Comparison Students: Words and
Literature Circle Roles Applied
Definitions in Student Science
to Vocabulary
Journals
Dependent Variable:
1.Researcher Log observations
1. Pre and Post Test Science
Science Vocabulary
2. Pre and Post Test Science
Vocabulary Assessment
Understanding and
Vocabulary Assessment
2. Pre and Post Assessment on
Application
3. Pre and Post Assessment on
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Science Concept being taught
Science Concept being taught

Figure 1: Independent Variable: Science Vocabulary
Participants and Setting
This research study took take place in two fifth grade classrooms, each with 22 students.
The researcher was the teacher of record for the intervention class and has seven years of
experience. This class has 15 females and 7 males. Of these students, 20 are Caucasian, 1 African
American, and 1 Hispanic. The comparison group was the other fifth grade classroom where
Kristen Mathis is the teacher of record with 12 years of experience. Of the 22 students in this
classroom, 15 are female and 7 are male. There are 19 Caucasian students and 3 Hispanic
students.
The research setting was a small rural school in Western North Carolina. The school has
less than 300 students currently enrolled. Approximately 80 percent of the students in attendance
at the school are participants in the free and reduced lunch program.
Intervention
The method of applying literature circle roles to science vocabulary as described by
Miller, Kucan, and Straits (2007) was used in this action research project. The strategy was
incorporated into the classroom word work station, three to four days a week. The intervention
used traditional literature circle roles and rather than applying them to text, they were applied to
science vocabulary words for the science unit that would be taught on the different human body
systems after the intervention was over. As described by Miller, Kucan, and Straits (2007), roles
included a connector, discussion director, word wizard, scientist seeker, and webmaster. Students
were randomly placed into groups of five students and then students self-selected one of the five
roles. Students performed the role that was given to them, corresponding to a set of five
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vocabulary words (Appendix A). All groups received the same set of words each week. When
roles were individually completed, students brought the information they found and they
discussed their findings as a group. After the discussions took place in groups, students
collaboratively wrote and displayed their information from their discussions and individual roles
in a modified frayer model for each of the five words. After groups completed their organizers,
the products were photocopied for each member of the group and were compiled into a personal
student glossary. Each student had his or her own glossary of science vocabulary words
containing each of the thirty graphic organizers created during this six week intervention.
While the intervention was found successful with secondary students in the content area
of science, the framework for this intervention was implemented with modifications to suit fifth
grade students. These modifications included longer periods of time to work through the roles,
less roles, and the use of the word clustering concept (Smith, 1990) for vocabulary. Words were
grouped by their relation to one another. The intervention began on January 13th and ended
March 4th. The intervention took place three days a week during this time period. There was
more modeling and teaching of the intervention during the first week of instruction due to the
intervention being new to students and students needing more guidance and support.
The intervention was characterized by the integration of the clustering of concept
vocabulary (Appendix A). Vitale and Romance (2008) found that clustering vocabulary and even
limiting the amount of words students are expected to understand is beneficial in vocabulary
instruction. When grouping words, it is important that the words that make the most sense in
context to one another are placed together (Smith, 1990). Each group was given five words each
week (Appendix A) to explore and the words were connected to the other words in that group.
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Students were placed into small, social learning groups with other peers as encouraged
by Winters (2001). Students were grouped randomly each week to allow students to work with
many different students over the course of the six weeks. Students worked together to create a
final product displaying the understanding of the word. Creating a final product as a group was
part of the application process and students were able to build off of the individual schema each
group member possessed and the connections that others were making to the words.
An emphasis on creating connections to previously learned vocabulary, as well as
building relationships among words, as suggested by Nagy (2012), Nelson-Herber (1986), and
Carrier (2012), was the main priority in this intervention. Students built meaning through
applying their prior knowledge to the words being learned. Each group of students created a
graphic organizer (modified frayer model) as described by Smith (1990), for each of the five
words each week. The graphic organizer (figure 2) contained information found and compiled by
each person holding a role for a specific word. Groups were assigned five words within a
concept cluster each week and then five graphic organizers were completed for those words.
Each week the graphic organizers the groups created were photocopied and distributed to all of
the members of the group in order to build their own personal science glossaries for the human
body unit being taught.
Scientists
Related to
the Word
Illustration
Word and
Definition
Interesting
Facts About
the Word
What is this
word like or
similar to?
A drawing of
this word would
go here
Dr. William
Beaumont
similar to
digestion,
digestive
system
14
-Acid is used to
help digiest
food (pretty
gross!)
-It can take 24
to 48 hours to
digest food
Digest:
To Break
down
This word is Food
Figure 2
Data Sources and Data Collection Procedures
Three sources of data were utilized in this action research study: a pretest and posttest of
science vocabulary words (Appendix B), a researcher/teacher log, and a pre and posttest
comprehension assessment of the concept that the vocabulary is derived from (Appendix C). A
pretest that includes vocabulary from the North Carolina Essential Standards unpacking
document for Science and the Human Body unit was used during the first week of intervention
instruction. The same posttest was given at the end of the intervention during the sixth week. The
same pretest and posttest was given to the comparison group. Students matched the vocabulary
word with the correct definition for this assessment. The vocabulary assessments were graded by
giving students a point for each one they answered correctly.
Along with the pretest and posttest (Appendix B), there was also a comprehension
assessment of the human body concept (Appendix C). If a student cannot understand the
vocabulary on a science assessment, they often have a more difficult time answering the
questions about the concepts they are learning. For this reason, the researcher gave students a
unit concepts assessment. This assessment had many questions on it that contained the words
students learned during the intervention. By completing a pre and post assessment that involved
the understanding and comprehension of the science concepts, I was able to make some
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generalizations and observations about whether the intervention contributed to the understanding
of vocabulary within the concept comprehension assessment. I wanted to find out if seeing the
words in another context, like this assessment, would reveal anything about the students
vocabulary understanding. This test was scored by giving students a percentage correct out of
100%.
The researcher log was used throughout the entire six week process and has entries after
each use of the intervention sessions during the six week time frame. Things that were included
in the journal are reflections, insights, student reactions to the intervention, possible changes that
should be made in the future, and researcher observations. After the intervention was complete,
the log was looked at for general ideas and themes that made themselves apparent in the
researcher log.
Data Analysis
The purpose of the study was to assess the use of applying literature circle roles to
science vocabulary in order to increase vocabulary understanding. Analyses of the data involved
two comparisons because the study involved two separate measures for the quantitative data and
an independent analysis for the qualitative data.
Quantitative. In the first quantitative analysis, the intervention and control groups data
were compared using the pre and post test scores from the vocabulary assessment. The mean
gains of these scores were entered into the Del Siegel spreadsheet. A one was given as a code to
the intervention class and a two was given to the class that was the control group. Codes were
given in order to show the difference between the two groups scores. The difference between the
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pre and post test scores, or change scores, was entered on the spreadsheet for both the
intervention group and the control group. Two separate spreadsheets were created: one for the
pre and post vocabulary assessment (Appendix D) and another for the pre and post vocabulary in
context assessment (Appendix E). Once the change scores were entered into the spreadsheet, it
calculated the mean and the standard deviation for each group by using a t-test.
In order to determine whether the intervention had an impact on the understanding of
science vocabulary, the t-test was evaluated further during another quantitative analysis.
Specifically, the two tailed p-value was analyzed to determine whether or not the intervention
was responsible for the change of student scores or if the change was a random one. In order for
an intervention to be the cause of change in scores, the two tailed p-value must be less than 0.05.
Qualitative. A qualitative analysis was also completed with the researchers log in order
to analyze the data and discover themes relating to the research question. In order to analyze the
log, the researcher printed the log and began to reread all of the log entries and mark up areas in
which the log contributed to the research question. The researcher also looked for themes and
made various notes throughout the log that corresponded to the different themes being seen.
After noting themes throughout the log, the researcher narrowed the themes in the log down to
the following: ability to connect the word to existing schema, shift towards more independent
work, and vocabulary understanding.
Validity and Reliability or Trustworthiness
There were some threats to the validity of this study. One threat was the history threat.
Our school district frequently misses school due to inclement weather. Consistency with the
intervention days and times could have been altered by this threat. This type of threat cannot be
avoided however, days the intervention is given could have been increased if needed.
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Another threat to validity was the mortality threat to internal validity. Students from
either class could have moved to another district or been transferred to other schools. This is also
a threat which cannot be avoided or changed, however the data for the students who could
possibly move or transfer could have been disregarded at the end of the study.
Subject characteristics could have been a possible threat due to the unbalanced
distribution of the fifth grade classrooms being compared. One class had a larger number of
students who are academically and intellectually gifted (AIG) than the other and one class had
more students who have learning disabilities and were served throughout the day by resource
teachers. Two of these students were out of the classroom several times during the time of this
intervention and were receiving services from the reading resource teacher. The data for those
students who posed a threat to validity were withdrawn from the final data analysis.
To lessen the effect of a testing threat, the pre and posttests had different orders to
questions. This threat was decreased by applying the strategy of rearranging questions on pre and
posttest to both the intervention group and the comparison group.
Credibility was established by triangulation of the vocabulary pre and posttest, the
concept pre and posttest, and the researcher log. This study however was not generalizable and
was only applicable to the classroom in which the intervention took place and the comparison
group in which the students were not provided the intervention.
Findings/Results
Qualitative Data
Following the study of this intervention, results of both the pre and post vocabulary
assessments as well as the pre and post concept assessment, were analyzed in order to find the
difference in mean gain scores. The analysis of the mean score data for the vocabulary pre and
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post test data shows that the intervention group (N=22) had a mean gain of 14.5 points and the
control group (N=22) had a mean gain of 7.86 points. The standard deviation was 6.76 for the
intervention group and 4.94 for the control group (See Table 1 and Figure 3). Due to the fact that
the intervention group had gains that surpassed the control group gains, it was determined that
the literature circle roles being applied to science vocabulary was an influence on the data.
An analysis was performed to determine the mean gain scores for the pre and post human
body concepts assessment. The data shows that the intervention group (N=22) had a mean gain
score of 18.41 and the control group (N=22) had a mean gain score of 9.32. The standard
deviation for the intervention group was 9.68 and was 17.81 for the control group (See Table 1
and Figure 3). Based on the scores, the intervention group had greater gains in mean scores than
the control group.
Table 1
Pre and Posttest Vocabulary Means
Intervention Group = 22; Control Group = 22
Mean
Intervention
14.5
Control
7.86
Pre and Post Vocabulary in Context Assessment
Mean
Intervention
18.41
Control
9.32
SD
6.76
4.94
SD
9.68
17.81
19
20
18
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
Intervention Group
Control Group
Figure 3. The bar graph shows the data from the pre and post vocabulary assessment and the pre
and post vocabulary in context assessment. This figure shows the difference in mean and
standard deviation for both qualitative sets of data.
The calculation of the mean gain scores of the vocabulary pre and posttest and the human
body concepts pre and post assessment, was used to determine the effect that the vocabulary
intervention had on students understanding of science vocabulary. The mean gain scores were
entered into an equal variance independent samples t-test. The results of the t-test show that there
was statistical evidence indicating that the use of literature circle roles applied to science
vocabulary had an effect on science vocabulary understanding. In order for a great significance
to be present, the two tailed p value should be less than 0.05. Each of the two data sets show two
tailed p values of less than 0.05 (See Table 2 and Figure 4). The p value for the pre and post
vocabulary assessment was 0.00 and the p value for the pre and post concept assessment was
0.04.
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Table 2
Independent t-Test on Science Vocabulary Understanding based on Vocabulary Pre/Post Test and Vocabulary in Context
Pre/Post Test
Mean Difference
SE
t-value
df
two tailed p
Pre/Post Vocabulary Assessment
6.64
1.79
3.72
42
.00
Pre/Post Vocabulary in Context Assessment
9.09
4.32
2.10
42
.04
Note: p < 0.05 indicates significant change due to intervention
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Mean Difference
SE
Pre/Post Vocabulary
t-value
df
two tailed p
Pre/Post Vocabulary in Context/Concepts
Figure 4. This bar graph displays the findings of the independent t-test on Science Vocabulary
Understanding based on the data from the pre and post vocabulary assessment and the pre and
post vocabulary in context assessment. This figure displays results for the mean difference,
standard error, t-value, and two tailed p value. Data for this graph is displayed in table 2.
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Qualitative Analysis
During the implementation of the intervention, the researcher took detailed notes about
observations and reactions in relation to the intervention. During the six week time period, notes
were entered into the researcher journal on the days the intervention occurred. These notes were
later analyzed in order to find themes that could be related to the intervention during the six
week time period.
Connecting new words to existing schema. When reviewing the researcher log, the
researcher recognized that students were connecting the new science vocabulary they were
learning to previously learned words or background knowledge they already possessed. Early in
the researchers log a description of a lesson where one student connected interdependent organs
to a puzzle was detailed. The student said, Interdependent organs are like a puzzle piece
because the pieces depend on all of the others in order to be complete. Many students
throughout the researcher log resembled this type of thinking and students were frequently
overheard having discussions about what the word looked like, what it looked similar to, and
what the word reminded them of.
One of the most impacting observations regarding connections made by the researcher,
was when a student who struggles with reading comprehension and specifically making
connections, had a breakthrough. In the log, the researcher is circulating throughout the room
during the intervention and stops to check in with the student who previously has struggled. This
student had the role of connector for the week. The researcher asked the student to explain his
connections to some of the words he was working on. The student explained that the vocabulary
word muscle reminded him of what he knew about muscles already. He said, Muscles help
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you pull things, push things, lift up things and do a lot of different jobs. He went further and
said, Muscles remind me of work, and I think muscles do work for your body and help your
bones work too. The student was encouraged to share his findings with the class later in the
week and students discussed how the analogy to work was correct due to the fact that muscles do
work for the body.
Building upon others connections. Throughout the review of the log, the researcher
noticed several instances of students building understanding through other group members
connections and background knowledge. Early in the six week process, the researcher noted that
the discussion director in one group, who was responsible for posing questions about the
vocabulary words to the group, played a key part in others understanding. The researcher noted
that the discussion directors questions led to other questions by students and other experiences
that the group members add that answered the questions. Specifically, one group was struggling
with the words independent organs and interdependent organs. One student posed the
question, What are those organs like? Is there something that we can use as an example?
Another student responded, Interdependent organs are like a puzzle. The puzzle would not be
complete without all of the pieces working together. The researcher wrote that this comment
resonated within the group and seemed to send off light bulbs in other childrens learning.
In another intervention session, one group was discussing the word structure. One
student said that they have heard structure when people refer to houses. Immediately, another
student said, Yes! You have to have a structure before you can build a house. It is like the base
that holds the house up. Another student then added that a house with walls is similar to the
human skeleton because they both provide structure and keep the object from collapsing. In this
session, the researcher reflected on the way that the students expanded on each group members
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personal connections and experiences to gain a complete understanding and connection to the
word.
Throughout the six week period, students also joined connections from the intervention
itself. Students who performed different roles within the group, would meet back together at the
end of the week. When meeting, students would connect what they found in their research to
what others found during the week with their roles. An example of this the researcher noted was
when the discussion director in one group asked, How long is the femur? Another student
excitedly spoke up and discussed their work as web director for the week. They were anxious to
talk about the interesting facts they had found about the word femur and explained that they had
discovered the femur is the longest bone in the human body.
Advancement of independent work. Gradually throughout the six weeks, the researcher
noticed that students were becoming more and more independent with the intervention. The
researcher also began to notice that the students didnt ask as many questions about the process,
the words, or how to perform their roles. A gradual release of responsibility was discovered when
reflecting upon the researcher log.
The researcher noticed that the first two weeks of the intervention required consistent
reiterating of roles to students. Several instances of students posing questions to the teacher
about how to find certain information and what to include in their personal role research seemed
to be constant during these first two weeks. By the third week, the researcher noticed in the log
that there was a reflection of increasing independence. The researcher stated that this week
students seemed to work more independently and less questions were being posed by individuals
and groups.
24
During the fourth week, students seemed to get started more quickly than previous
weeks. The researcher wrote that students seemed more at ease today and students got started
right away. The researcher noticed that student leaders were becoming evident in the groups and
meaningful conversation was taking place. In one of the researchers reflections, she mentions
that looking back from week one to week four, progress can be seen not only in vocabulary
understanding but the growth of the student as a whole. The students are becoming more
confident in themselves and more willing to share with their group members. They do not ask as
many questions as they did the first few weeks and they seem much more capable of completing
their roles and are completing them in a more efficient time frame. Their work is getting quicker
but more detailed.
A pivotal moment that was noted in the researcher log was when the researcher realized
that students were not simply building their vocabularies with this intervention but also learning
social skills. Students are becoming leaders through this intervention. Many students are
becoming better decision makers individually and not requiring the assurance of others or
encouragement from the teacher. Gains in working independently were evident by the end of
the researchers log.
Discussion/Conclusions
The purpose of this study was to explore whether or not there was an impact on
vocabulary understanding for fifth grade students when applying literature circle roles to science
vocabulary in comparison to those who experienced traditional instruction. The researcher
predicted that the group receiving the intervention would have a greater mean gain score from
pretest to posttest than the control group. The gains would be an effect of using modified
literature circle roles and applying them to science vocabulary. The gains would also be an effect
25
of using social grouping, concept clustering of words, and the use of a modified frayer model.
The outcome was that the group receiving the intervention displayed more growth from pretest to
posttest on the vocabulary assessment than the comparison group. Students who received the
intervention also did better on the post concept comprehension assessment due to understanding
more of the vocabulary within the test itself. Quantitative data showed that there was significant
difference in understanding between students who used a modified frayer model and modified
literature circle roles and those who received traditional instruction of writing words and
definitions down in their vocabulary journals.
The two tailed p-value of the quantitative data indicates a significant difference, due to
both p-values being less than 0.05. The p-values indicate that students were successful in gaining
vocabulary understanding during the six week intervention process.
Research done by Kucan, Trathen, & Straits (2007) supports the results of this action
research. The researchers, in an effort to enhance vocabulary instruction, outline using modified
literature circle roles for instruction of content area vocabulary. These teacher researchers
developed and implemented the approach of modified literature circle roles to support students in
creating representations of vocabulary and word meanings, to understand word features, and to
most importantly help students use connections to create meaning by utilizing their individual, as
well as other individuals background knowledge and prior experience
Research has shown that content knowledge comes from making sense of new
experiences by linking prior knowledge to it and also by integrating associations with concepts
or vocabulary (Winters, 2001). Vocabulary that is taught by connecting the word in a students
schema to previously learned words or experiences is an essential piece to vocabulary
instruction. Helping students connect words to prior learning can open doors to the learning of
26
new vocabulary. Making new meaning and forming connections in this way outweighs the
traditional finding and copying of a word and definition (Smith, 1990).
Other research regarding teaching content vocabulary to students is the opportunity to
learn words in a social context with a hands-on approach (Carrier, 2012). Social interactions with
other learners and social interactions within a group context can help the learner broaden their
own learning. While a learners own connections and prior experiences related to a vocabulary
word can be substantial, hearing and discussing another learners connections or hearing
anothers schema unfold can broaden the understanding of new words. Connecting members of a
group and linking their prior knowledge to others creates a springboard for ideas and acquisition
of vocabulary knowledge (Winters, 2001).
This action research project and intervention has been considered effective, useful, and
significant, and the researcher will continue to use this intervention as a means of vocabulary
instruction in content areas such as science and social studies. This intervention method will also
be shared by the researcher at grade level, grade span, school, and district level meetings and
learning opportunities. The researcher will share this action research project, data, and findings
with other educational professionals in order to promote and teach educators about the research
based intervention strategy of literature circle roles being applied to content area vocabulary.
Content area vocabulary is essential to the learning and understanding of content area
knowledge and concepts. Discovering ways to integrate content area vocabulary with
opportunities to build meaning and facilitate connections in already existing schema is important
when providing vocabulary instruction in those areas.
Limitations
There were limitations to this study which included subject characteristics, sample size,
scheduling, and length of the intervention. There two classes that took part in this study were that
27
of an unbalanced population. One class had a larger number of students who were academically
and intellectually gifted (AIG) and one class had more students with learning disabilities and
were served throughout the day by resource teachers. Two of these students were out of the
classroom several times during the time of this intervention and were receiving services from the
reading resource teacher. These students missed portions of the intervention which could have
affected their learning.
The sample in this study contained two fifth grade classes with equal numbers of
students. These students were mostly Caucasian students and were generally alike in their
schooling, background experiences, and there was not a high level of diversity between the
students. If the study was conducted with a more diverse population of students, the outcome
could be different than the results presented in this study. The sample size of 44 students in this
study could also be considered a limitation due to the small sample size. The data could also
differ with a larger sample size. To make a more generalizable study, a larger sample size would
be needed.
During the six week intervention time frame, students missed six days of schooling due
to inclement weather. During one week, students received the intervention only two days.
Scheduling of the intervention was different during the two weeks students missed school and
this could have affected the study results. Students who attended tutoring services and students
who participated in resource also completed some of their intervention work during different
times as other classmates and this could have also affected the results. Due to these scheduling
conflicts occurring, this has to be considered as a limitation.
Lastly, the length of this intervention being only six weeks could also have influenced the
results of this study. Had the intervention lasted a longer amount of time or a shorter amount of
28
time, the results may have varied. Further research would need to be done and evaluated to
determine if a shorter or longer time span would affect the results of this study.
Implications for Educators
The results of this study show that the use of modified literature circle roles, applied to
science vocabulary, increases the vocabulary knowledge of students. Compared with the
traditional method of writing words and their definitions, the intervention implemented by the
researcher showed more gains from pretest to posttest. This supports the notion that writing
definitions does not aid students in forming connections to new vocabulary or help students use
background knowledge to connect meaning to a new word. The results of this study can help
educators understand that vocabulary instruction should incorporate multiple experiences with
the words, connecting of the word to prior experiences and existing background knowledge, and
support learning through social learning groups.
This study and its results can assist educators in learning research based strategies for
vocabulary instruction in content areas. The researcher used research based strategies throughout
the intervention that resulted in the data findings. Strategies used included social learning groups
(Carrier, 2012) that aided in students using their own connections and background experiences to
connect with others background knowledge to build understanding (Putnam & Kingsley, 2009),
direct and explicit vocabulary instruction (Vitale & Romance, 2008), multiple experiences with
the vocabulary (Longo, 2008), and the use of a modified frayer model paired with modified
literature circle roles (Miller, Kucan, and Straits, 2007). A modified frayer model that contained
the word and definition, an illustration, synonyms and antonyms and facts about the word
(Miller, Straits, Kucan, Trathen, & Dass, 2007) was used in the intervention.
29
This study and the results that it produced can support educators in their vocabulary
instruction of content areas. The research based strategies provided in this intervention can
enable educators to provide more direct and meaningful vocabulary instruction to students.
Reflection
When I began the seemingly impossible task of choosing an area to study at the
beginning of this action research project, I felt completely overwhelmed. I remember finally
deciding to do my action research in the area of vocabulary instruction, and more specifically
science vocabulary, due to the needs of my fifth grade students this school year. I was
apprehensive and nervous about my choice and hoped I would find a meaningful intervention to
study and one that could truly benefit my students. When I reflect back on this process and see
the growth that my students have made in the short six weeks of the intervention, I am amazed
that I was able to do this. I have seen my students not only grow academically but socially and
independently as well. I can now say that my choice was not in vain, and in fact was very
beneficial not only to myself as an educator, but my students as well.
One of the hardest, but most important, reflections I had was about the change I made in
myself as an educator. For the past seven years, I have had my students write definition after
definition in their vocabulary journals and did not provide many opportunities outside of this, for
my students to interact with vocabulary. Teachers before me had done this and thus I continued.
Little did I know that simply adding some of the research based strategies I learned about
through this project, would make a huge difference in my students learning. While it was a hard
lesson to swallow, it was a needed one. In order to grow as an educator, I need to seek out
these strategies that are supported by research and use them when providing instruction to my
students.
30
Not only has this action research project helped me grow as an educator and improve my
instructional strategies for students, but it has empowered me as an educator. I have never been
an educator that volunteers to share at district level meetings. I am not a person that willingly
wants to show my work or brag to other educators about the things I am doing in my
classroom. While I do not want to brag so to speak about this research project, I do feel a
passion to share my findings with other educators. I feel a sense of urgency in providing other
teachers with the tools and strategies to improve their vocabulary instruction in the classroom. I
want to encourage and provide my fellow colleagues with the support they need to provide these
same kinds of research based strategies and interventions that I have found to be beneficial
during this process. As a whole, I feel that this action research assignment has created in me a
more independent and confident educator.
I have not only reflected on myself but also the intervention. I thought specifically about
what I would do with this intervention in the future. I know that I will definitely be using the
intervention with students and most likely, I will still be using it in Science. I realized what a
profound impact the intervention had on my students learning of the science concepts. Going
forward, I will start the process of teaching the intervention to students, early on in the year. By
mid-year I would like students to be confident and independent with the intervention. Having
students be familiar with it early on is important.
I also have reflected on how this intervention could be used in a grade span such as third
through fifth grades or sixth through eighth grades. Modified versions could even be used in
kindergarten through second grade. If we utilize this intervention as a strategy and teach the
intervention to all students, the ability of students to do this intervention and think of vocabulary
in terms of mental connections would be substantially innate by intermediate and middle school
31
years. I know that I will be discussing this intervention and its implementation at my school very
soon and I am so excited for others to know about the work I have done with this intervention as
well as the results and data that I got from the research.
As I reflect on this experience and the action research I conducted, I think about what a
positive research experience this has been. It has enabled me to conduct my own study of
research based strategies for teaching vocabulary, as well as, instructing and scaffolding
vocabulary instruction. Knowledge of content vocabulary strategies and instruction was evident
as I read through my research logs and reflections and it has truly enhanced my teaching style. I
have become more aware of evidence based vocabulary instruction and results and will apply the
learning to future teaching and instruction.
References
Armbruster, B. B., & Nagy, W. E. (1992). Vocabulary in content area lessons. The Reading
Teacher, 45(7), 550. Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com.jproxy.lib.ecu.edu/docview/203266505?accountid=10639
32
Carrier, S. (2012). Elementary preservice teachers science vocabulary: Knowledge and

application. Journal of Science Teacher Education, 24(2), 405-425. DOI 10.1007/s10972012-9270-7
Kucan, L., Trathen, W. R., & Straits, W. J. (2007). A professional development initiative for
developing approaches to vocabulary instruction with secondary mathematics, art,
science, and english teachers. Reading Research and Instruction,46(2), 175-195.
Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.jproxy.lib.ecu.edu/docview/205371287?
accountid=10639
Longo, A. M., & Curtis, M. E. (2008). Improving the vocabulary knowledge of struggling
readers. New England Reading Association Journal, 44(1), 23-28,72. Retrieved from
Miller, L., Straits, W., Kucan, L., Trathen, W., & Dass, M. (2007). Literature circle roles for
science vocabulary. The Science Teacher, 74(5), 52-54,56. Retrieved from
Nagy, W., Townsend, D. (2012), Words as tools: Learning academic vocabulary as language
acquisition. Reading Research Quarterly, 47(1): 91108. doi: 10.1002/RRQ.011
Nelson-Herber, J. (1986). Expanding and refining vocabulary in content areas. Journal of
Reading, 29(7), 626-633. Retrieved from
Putman, S., & Kingsley, T. (2009). The atoms family: Using podcasts to enhance the
development of science vocabulary. The Reading Teacher, 62(2), 100-108. Retrieved
from http://www.jstor.org/stable/40347660.
Smith, C. B. (1990). Vocabulary development in content area reading. The Reading
Teacher, 43(7), 508-509. Retrieved from
Spencer, B. H., & Guillaume, A. M. (2006). Integrating curriculum through the learning cycle:
Content-based reading and vocabulary instruction. The Reading Teacher, 60(3), 206211,213-219. Retrieved from
Vitale, M. R., & Romance, N. R. (2008). Broadening perspectives about vocabulary instruction:
Implications for classroom practice. New England Reading Association Journal, 44(1),
15-22,73. Retrieved from
Winters, R. (2001). Teaching ideas: Vocabulary anchors: Building conceptual connections with
young readers. The Reading Teacher, 54(7), 659-662. Retrieved from
APPENDIX A
Concept Clusters of Words to Be Given To Groups
33
Cluster 1
Cell
Tissue
Organ
34
Cluster 2
Skeleton
Femur
Structure
Cluster 3
Muscle
Tendon
Voluntary
Cluster 4
Digest
Nutrient
Esophagus
Cluster 5
Respiration
Lung
Oxygen
Cluster 6
Circulate
Artery
Vein
Interdependen
Cranium
Muscle
Involuntary
Intestine
Trachea
Blood
t Organ
Independent
Sternum
Muscle
Ligament
Stomach
Pharynx
Capillaries
Organ
APPENDIX B
Human Body Systems Unit: Pre/Post Vocabulary Assessment
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
___Circulate
___Artery
___Vein
___Blood
___Capillaries
___Femur
7. ___Structure
8. ___Sternum
9. ___Tendon
10. ___Ligament
11. ___Nutrient
12. ___Intestine
13. ___Stomach
14. ___Respiration
15. ___Digest
16. ___Skeleton
17. ___Muscle
18. ___Cranium
19. ___Esophagus
20. ___Lungs
21. ___Oxygen
22. ___Trachea
23. ___Pharynx
24. ___Voluntary Muscles
25. ___Involuntary Muscles
26. ___Interdependent
27. ___Independent
28. ___Tissue
29. ___Organ
30. ___Cell
35
LITERATURE CIRCLE ROLES APPLIED TO VOCABULARY

36
31.
32.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
j.
k.
l.
m.
n.
o.
p.
q.
r.
s.
t.
u.
v.
w.
x.
y.
z.
aa.
ab.
ac.
ad.
A band of tissue in the body that has the ability to move and contract
Smallest living unit of an organism
Carries air to the lungs; also called a windpipe
Breast bone
Red liquid that circulates through veins and arteries throughout the body
To flow continuously through an area
A muscle that contracts as an automatic reflex
Connects the throat to the stomach; part of digestive system
Thigh bone
Specialized tissues acting together to perform a certain task
Connects mouth and nose to the esophagus
A gas needed by the body in order to function
To breathe
Lower part of the digestive system; muscular tubing that carries food/waste
Muscular tube that carries blood to the heart
Muscles that are controlled by the effort of a person to move
The human body system that gives structure and support
The skull
Organ found in the rib cage where air is taken into the body
Not dependent on another system
Where the majority of food digestion takes place; connected to the esophagus
To break down food
Flexible cord of tissue attaching muscle to bone
A muscular tube that carries blood from the heart to all parts of the body
Thin branches of blood vessels
Two or more systems depending on each other
Short band of tissue that connects bones or cartilage or can hold together a joint
To give shape or organization to something such as the body
Something that provides nourishment needed for growth and life
Group of specialized cells
33.
34.
35.
36.
37.
38.

37
39.
40.
41.
42.
43.
44.
45.
46.
47.
48. APPENDIX C
49.
Using Vocabulary in Context Comprehension Assessment
1. Which is responsible for providing oxygen to cells?

A. skeletal system
B. digestive system
C. muscular system
D. circulatory system
50.
2. How does the skeletal system benefit the nervous system?
A. It protects the lungs.
B. It protects the heart.
C. It protects the brain and spinal cord.
D. It protects the esophagus and stomach.
51.
3. Why do humans require many different types of cells to survive?
A. Human cells are identical and work together to perform the same function.

38
B. Human cells are specialized and work together to perform the same function.
C. Human cells are identical and work independently to perform different functions.
D. Human cells are specialized and work independently to perform different functions.
52.
4. What is the main function of the skeletal system?
A. clean the body
B. support the body
C. deliver nutrients to the body
53.
5. How are singlecelled organisms and multicelled organisms similar?
A. Both need food for energy and growth.
B. Both have a skeletal system for support.
C. Both require the interaction of many cells to survive.
D. Both are able to carry out all life functions in only one cell.
54.
6. Why is the digestive system important?
A. It transports blood that cells need.
B. It provides oxygen that cells need.
C. It provides nutrients that cells need to produce energy.
D. It carries carbon dioxide and oxygen away from the body.
55.
7. Which are parts of the digestive system?
A. mouth, lungs
B. mouth, teeth
C. mouth, brain
56.
8. When someone is exercising, which is most likely a function of both the circulatory and
respiratory systems?

39
A. to help the body sweat

B. to make the muscles work
C. to provide oxygen to the body
D. to protect bones from breaking
57.
9. Which best describes a function of the circulatory system?
A. transport blood
B. provide oxygen
C. help the body move
58.
10.What role does the circulatory system provide to the digestive system?
A. It transports nutrients to cells.
B. It releases waste into the blood.
C. It moves food through the intestines.
D. It transports food particles to the muscles.
59.
11. Fish are multicelled organisms with specialized cells. What would most likely happen if their
specialized cells did not function properly?
A. The fish would decrease in size.
B. The fish would increase in size.
C. The fish would die.
60.
12.Look at the diagram to answer the question that follows.

40
61.
62. What body system is shown in the diagram?
A.
B.
C.
D.
digestive
reproductive
circulatory
respiratory
63.
13.Which best describes the circulatory system?
A. a system made up of the brain and nerves that delivers nutrients and removes waste from
the body
B. a system made up of lymph and blood that delivers nutrients and removes waste from the
body
C. a system made up of the brain and nerves that delivers messages throughout the body
D. a system made up of the heart and blood that delivers messages throughout the body
64.
14.Which best describes the main job of most cells in multicellular organisms?
A. Cells work to keep themselves alive.
B. Cells work to keep the organism alive.
C. Cells work to release needed materials.
D. Cells work to store unneeded materials.
65.
15.Which is the best way to classify grasshoppers?
A. Grasshoppers are multicelled organisms because they are made up of one cell that carries
out all of their life processes.

41
B. Grasshoppers are singlecelled organisms because they are made up of one cell that
carries out all of their life processes.
C. Grasshoppers are singlecelled organisms because they are made up of many cells that
carry out all of their life processes.
D. Grasshoppers are multicelled organisms because they are made up of many cells that
carry out all of their life processes.
66.
16.Which body systems main purpose is to help the body move?
A. digestive system
B. muscular system
C. respiratory system
67.
17.Why is the digestive system so important for the human body?
A. It circulates blood to all of the organs.
B. It moves oxygen through the lungs and into the blood.
C. It carries away waste products from the place they are created.
D. It breaks food into nutrients and moves the nutrients into the blood.
68.
18.Which best describes the purpose of the muscular system?
A. The muscular system carries messages from the brain to the bones to move the body.
B. The muscular system keeps the bones strong and protects them from being broken.
C. The muscular system produces energy the body needs to be able to move.
D. The muscular system allows movement of bones and helps maintain posture.
69.
19.Which system is controlled by involuntary muscle movement in the diaphragm?
A. digestive
B. respiratory
C. cardiovascular
70.

42
20.Which best describes the relationship between the cardiovascular system and the muscular
system?
A. The cardiovascular system captures carbon dioxide from the air for muscle energy.
B. The cardiovascular system produces red blood cells to bring oxygen to muscles.
C. The cardiovascular system provides a framework for muscle movement.
D. The cardiovascular system delivers oxygen for muscle energy.
71.
72.
73.
74.
75.
76.
77.
78.
79.
80. APPENDIX D

43
81.
82. APPENDIX E

44
83.
84. APPENDIX F
85. Parent Consent Letter Intervention Group
86. Dear Parent/Guardian,
87.
88. As part of my Masters of Reading Education degree requirements at East Carolina
University, I am planning an educational research project that will help me learn more
about effective instruction of science vocabulary and ways that students can be
understand science vocabulary more effectively.
89.
90. The fundamental goal of this project is to improve understanding of science
vocabulary. I have investigated an effective instructional practice, the use of modified
literature circle roles that will be applied to science vocabulary that I will be
implementing during reading instruction in January 2015. I am going to track student
improvement during science instruction for 6 weeks. Pre and post vocabulary
assessments will allow me to track student progress.
91.
92. This project has been approved by my instructor at ECU, Dr. Elizabeth Swaggerty,
and the ECU Institutional Review Board. I am asking permission to include your
childs progress in my project report. Your child will not be responsible for extra
work as a result of this project. The decision to participate or not will not affect your
childs grade. I plan to share the results of this project with other educators through
presentations and publications to help educators think about how they can improve
reading instruction in their own classrooms. I will use pseudonyms to protect your
childs identity. The name of our school, your child, or any other identifying
information will not be used in my final report. Please know that participation
(agreeing to allow me to include your childs data) is entirely voluntary and your
child may withdraw from the study at any point without penalty.
93.
94. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at school at 6514214 or email me at bauguessc@wilkes.k12.nc.us. You may also contact my
supervising professor at ECU, Dr. Elizabeth Swaggerty, at swaggertye@ecu.edu,
252.328.4970. If you have questions about your childs rights as someone taking part
in research, you may call the Office of Research Integrity & Compliance (ORIC) at
252-744-2914 (days, 8:00 am-5:00 pm). If you would like to report a complaint or
concern about this research study, you may call the Director of the OHRI, at 252-7441971.
95.

45
96. Please indicate your preference on the back of this paper and return the form by
November 20th.
97.
98. Your Partner in Education,
99. Courtney C. Bauguess
100.
101.
102.
103. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------104.
105. As the parent or guardian of ________________________________________,
I grant permission for _______________________ to use my childs data in the
educational research project described above regarding vocabulary instruction.
I voluntarily consent to___________________ using data gathered about my
child in her study. I fully understand that the data will not affect my childs
grade and will be kept completely confidential.
106.
107. Signature of Parent/Guardian:______________________________________
108.
109. Date____________________________
110.
111.
112. -OR113.
114.
115. As the parent or guardian of _______________________________, I do not
grant permission for my childs data to be included in the study.
116.
117. Parent/Guardian: _______________________________________
118.
119.
120.
121.
122.
123.
124.

46
125.
126.
127.
128.
131.
APPENDIX G
132.
133.
129.
130.
134. EAST CAROLINA UNIVERSITY

University & Medical Center Institutional Review Board
Office
4N-70 Brody Medical Sciences Building Mail Stop 682
600 Moye Boulevard Greenville, NC 27834
Office 252-744-2914 Fax 252-7442284 www.ecu.edu/irb
135.
136. Notification of Exempt Certification
137.
138.
F
139.
Social/Behavioral IRB
140.
T
141.
Courtney Bauguess
142.
C
143.
Elizabeth Swaggerty
144.
D
145.
146.
R
147.
UMCIRB 14-002253
BAUGUESS The Impact of Modified Literature Circle Roles on Science Vocabulary
Understanding
12/3/2014
148.
149.
I am pleased to inform you that your research submission has been certified as
exempt on 12/2/2014 . This study is eligible for Exempt Certification under category #1 .
150.
151.
It is your responsibility to ensure that this research is conducted in the manner reported in your
application and/or protocol, as well as being consistent with the ethical principles of the Belmont

47
Report and your profession.
152.
This research study does not require any additional interaction with the UMCIRB unless there are
proposed changes to this study. Any change, prior to implementing that change, must be submitted
to the UMCIRB for review and approval. The UMCIRB will determine if the change impacts the
eligibility of the research for exempt status. If more substantive review is required, you will be
notified within five business days.
153.
The UMCIRB office will hold your exemption application for a period of five years from the date of
this letter. If you wish to continue this protocol beyond this period, you will need to submit an
Exemption Certification request at least 30 days before the end of the five year period.
154.
The Chairperson (or designee) does not have a potential for conflict of interest on this study.
155.
156.
157.

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RUNNING HEAD: LITERATURE CIRCLE ROLES APPLIED TO SCIENCE VOCABULARY

LITERATURE CIRCLE ROLES APPLIED TO SCIENCE VOCABULARY

LITERATURE CIRCLE ROLES APPLIED TO SCIENCE VOCABULARY

LITERATURE CIRCLE ROLES APPLIED TO SCIENCE VOCABULARY

LITERATURE CIRCLE ROLES APPLIED TO SCIENCE VOCABULARY

LITERATURE CIRCLE ROLES APPLIED TO SCIENCE VOCABULARY

LITERATURE CIRCLE ROLES APPLIED TO SCIENCE VOCABULARY

LITERATURE CIRCLE ROLES APPLIED TO SCIENCE VOCABULARY

LITERATURE CIRCLE ROLES APPLIED TO SCIENCE VOCABULARY

LITERATURE CIRCLE ROLES APPLIED TO SCIENCE VOCABULARY

Comparison Students: Words and

Literature Circle Roles Applied

Definitions in Student Science

1.Researcher Log observations

1. Pre and Post Test Science

2. Pre and Post Test Science

2. Pre and Post Assessment on

LITERATURE CIRCLE ROLES APPLIED TO SCIENCE VOCABULARY

3. Pre and Post Assessment on

Science Concept being taught

Science Concept being taught

LITERATURE CIRCLE ROLES APPLIED TO SCIENCE VOCABULARY

LITERATURE CIRCLE ROLES APPLIED TO SCIENCE VOCABULARY

LITERATURE CIRCLE ROLES APPLIED TO SCIENCE VOCABULARY

LITERATURE CIRCLE ROLES APPLIED TO SCIENCE VOCABULARY

LITERATURE CIRCLE ROLES APPLIED TO SCIENCE VOCABULARY

LITERATURE CIRCLE ROLES APPLIED TO SCIENCE VOCABULARY

LITERATURE CIRCLE ROLES APPLIED TO SCIENCE VOCABULARY

LITERATURE CIRCLE ROLES APPLIED TO SCIENCE VOCABULARY

LITERATURE CIRCLE ROLES APPLIED TO SCIENCE VOCABULARY

Pre/Post Vocabulary Assessment

Pre/Post Vocabulary in Context Assessment

Note: p < 0.05 indicates significant change due to intervention

Pre/Post Vocabulary in Context/Concepts

LITERATURE CIRCLE ROLES APPLIED TO SCIENCE VOCABULARY

LITERATURE CIRCLE ROLES APPLIED TO SCIENCE VOCABULARY

LITERATURE CIRCLE ROLES APPLIED TO SCIENCE VOCABULARY

LITERATURE CIRCLE ROLES APPLIED TO SCIENCE VOCABULARY

LITERATURE CIRCLE ROLES APPLIED TO SCIENCE VOCABULARY

LITERATURE CIRCLE ROLES APPLIED TO SCIENCE VOCABULARY

LITERATURE CIRCLE ROLES APPLIED TO SCIENCE VOCABULARY

LITERATURE CIRCLE ROLES APPLIED TO SCIENCE VOCABULARY

LITERATURE CIRCLE ROLES APPLIED TO SCIENCE VOCABULARY

LITERATURE CIRCLE ROLES APPLIED TO SCIENCE VOCABULARY

LITERATURE CIRCLE ROLES APPLIED TO SCIENCE VOCABULARY

LITERATURE CIRCLE ROLES APPLIED TO SCIENCE VOCABULARY

Carrier, S. (2012). Elementary preservice teachers science vocabulary: Knowledge and

LITERATURE CIRCLE ROLES APPLIED TO SCIENCE VOCABULARY

LITERATURE CIRCLE ROLES APPLIED TO SCIENCE VOCABULARY

LITERATURE CIRCLE ROLES APPLIED TO SCIENCE VOCABULARY

LITERATURE CIRCLE ROLES APPLIED TO VOCABULARY

LITERATURE CIRCLE ROLES APPLIED TO VOCABULARY

Using Vocabulary in Context Comprehension Assessment

1. Which is responsible for providing oxygen to cells?

LITERATURE CIRCLE ROLES APPLIED TO VOCABULARY

LITERATURE CIRCLE ROLES APPLIED TO VOCABULARY

A. to help the body sweat

LITERATURE CIRCLE ROLES APPLIED TO VOCABULARY

LITERATURE CIRCLE ROLES APPLIED TO VOCABULARY

LITERATURE CIRCLE ROLES APPLIED TO VOCABULARY

LITERATURE CIRCLE ROLES APPLIED TO VOCABULARY

LITERATURE CIRCLE ROLES APPLIED TO VOCABULARY