Rae Ross
Supporting Young Children’s Oral Language and Vocabulary Development Through High-Quality Language Rich Environments Language is more than the currency of communication, it is also critical to comprehension and the expression of thoughts and ideas (Silverman & Hartranft, 2015). Vocabulary development includes both receptive and expressive skills and is linked to oral language which encompasses processes related to comprehension. Both oral language and vocabulary influence the stages of reading and general academic success (Silverman & Hartranft, 2015). Research continues to document the importance of developing young children’s oral language and vocabulary skills from an early age through high-quality language rich environments (Kim & Kwon, 2015; Query, Ceglowski, Clark, & Li, 2011; Whorrall & Cabell, 2016). Explicit vocabulary instruction is necessary, but alone it is insufficient for supporting children’s vocabulary development (Silverman & Hartranft, 2015). In the classroom environment, educators have the opportunity to foster children’s word and language development. Rich conversations as well as high quality linguistic environments support children’s vocabulary development (Query et al., 2011). Okyay & Kandir (2017) explored the impact of interactive story reading on children’s oral language and vocabulary development. The study also focused on creating an environment supportive of children’s language development through rich conversation. They found that meaningful conversations coupled with high-quality linguistic environments had a significant and positive impact on children’s expressive and receptive language. Studies from Olaussen (2016), Pollard-Durodola et al. (2011), and Wilson, Fang, Rollins, and Valdez (2016) also found a positive relationship between the environment and student’s language development. Overall, the research supports the importance of creating an environment supportive of oral language and vocabulary development. Depending on the goal for instruction, approaches may vary. Instruction can be intensive and explicit, multimodal, interactive, or independent. Using Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory as the theoretical perspective, the following aims to provide implications for educators in creating high-quality environments supportive of children’s oral language and vocabulary development. Theoretical Perspective Constructivism is a broad term used to define a method of teaching and learning. In a cognitive constructivist classroom, knowledge is constructed individually, rather than socially. Individuals are separate from their social and physical environment. This belief was challenged
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