Words In Context: A Mixed Methods Description of an Early Elementary Comprehensive Vocabulary Building Program

This dialectical concurrent mixed methods case study sought to define and describe the early elementary vocabulary program of a 15-year-old public charter school recognized for the high academic achievement of its high school students. The program includes an intentional culture building program and rigorous, vertically aligned curriculum beginning in kindergarten. Regression analysis of fourth grade students’ performance on the TOLD-I:5 suggested that while both socioeconomic status and years enrolled in this program impacted students’ vocabulary, the effect of the program was greater. These results, combined with three distinct qualitative data sources including teacher focus groups, a founder interview, and classroom observations, were combined with quantitative survey data measuring the teachers’ knowledge of vocabulary development and effective instruction strategies to identify three themes which undergird the program. As a guide for developing future programs, these themes reveal replicable components which could be incorporated into other programs to positively impact students’ oral vocabulary.