Authors
Hanne Næss Hjetland, Hilde Hofslundsengen, Marianne Klem, Jannicke Karlsen, Åste Marie Hagen, Liv Inger Engevik, Esther Geva, Courtenay Norbury, May-Britt Monsrud, Kari-Anne Bottegård Næss
Abstract
Background
Second language (L2) learners are a heterogeneous group. Their L2 skills are highly varied due to internal factors (e.g. cognitive development) and external factors (e.g. cultural and linguistic contexts). As a group, their L2 vocabulary skills appear to be lower than their monolingual peers. This pattern tends to persist over time and may have negative consequences for social interaction and inclusion, learning, and academic achievement.
Objectives
To examine the immediate and long‐term effects of second language (L2) vocabulary interventions targeting L2 learners up to six years of age on vocabulary and social‐emotional well‐being. To examine the associations between L2 vocabulary interventions and the general characteristics of L2 learners (e.g. age, L2 exposure, and L1 skills).
Main results
We found 12 studies involving 1943 participants. Two studies were conducted in Norway, seven in the USA, and single studies conducted in Canada, China, and the Netherlands.
Ten studies were conducted in preschool settings, with a preschool teacher being the most common delivery agent for the intervention. The interventions were mainly organised as small‐group sessions, with three or four children per group. The mean dosage per week was 80 minutes and ranged from 24 to 120 minutes.
The studies commonly applied shared book reading (reading aloud with the children), with target words embedded in the books. Standard care differed based on the setting and local conditions in each country or (pre)school. In some studies, the comparison groups received vocabulary instruction in preschool groups.
We were unable to draw conclusions about socio‐emotional well‐being, or conduct the planned subgroup analyses to examine the second objective, due to lack of data.
Authors' conclusions
Findings from this review suggest that, compared to standard care, vocabulary interventions may benefit children's L2 vocabulary learning but have little to no effect on their listening comprehension, though the evidence is uncertain. Vocabulary interventions probably improve the children's storytelling skills slightly.
Due to the limited number of studies that met our inclusion criteria and the very low‐ to moderate‐certainty evidence as a result of inconsistency and imprecision, implications for practice should be considered with caution.
This review highlights the need for more high‐quality trials (e.g. RCTs) of vocabulary interventions for L2 learners, particularly studies of learners outside the USA.