Explicit Instruction in Morphological Awareness: Research-based Vocabulary Instruction

Explicit Instruction in Morphological Awareness: Research-based Vocabulary Instruction

  Focusing specifically on derivational prefixes, the primary purpose of this study is to examine how instruction in morphological awareness affects 2nd year EFL high school students’ ability to determine the meaning of morphologically analyzable words containing instructed and uninstructed prefixes. This study also examined how English language proficiency impacts the students’ ability to derive meanings of morphologically complex words including taught and untaught prefixes. One-hundred fifty-seven second year EFL high school students participated in the study. The results provided some substantial evidence that support the traditional practice of teaching students to use morphology. Major findings include (a) that treatment group students who received instruction in morphological awareness considerably outperformed control group students in two types of word inference posttests, (b) that proficient students consistently outperformed less proficient counterparts in same tests, and (c) that although morphological awareness instruction enhanced the ability to derive the meaning of words in all proficiency levels, it may widen the gap of vocabulary knowledge between proficient and less proficient readers, instead of bridging the gap. Practical implications were suggested for teachers and textbook designers for EFL high school students.