Types of Vocabulary Instruction used by Content Teachers to Improve English Language Learners' Reading Comprehension

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate what types of vocabulary instruction content teachers implement to support their ELLs' reading comprehension and how often they implement vocabulary instruction for their ELL students. This study is a descriptive study that used an ESOL Vocabulary Instruction Questionnaire developed by the researcher to collect data on student demographic in classrooms, participants' Professional Development experiences, types of vocabulary instruction used, and how often instructions were implemented. Word Banks and Defining Words based on Context are commonly used vocabulary instruction that focus on building reading comprehension. Additionally, most of the participants state that they often accommodate and implement vocabulary instruction for their students regardless of their students being ELLs or non-ELLs. More research should continue to study how an educators' knowledge of vocabulary instruction and development affect their ELLs' academic performance in terms of vocabulary and reading comprehension.