Measuring word learning: dynamic versus static assessment of kindergarten vocabulary

This preliminary study investigated the potential of using a dynamic approach to assessing expressive word mapping. Because measuring word mapping with productive language responses is much more difficult than measuring receptive word mapping, incorporating a dynamic measure allowed us to tap partial mapping and provided useful information on word learning. Participants were 24 typically developing African American children, from high-risk backgrounds and low-risk backgrounds, as determined by school and family demographics. Performance was compared on the PPVT-III and on the dynamic assessment of word mapping. The dynamic assessment of word mapping provided information about complete and partial mapping of words. Additionally, there was an interaction between risk and performance on the vocabulary and word learning measures. These data suggest that the use of the dynamic measure in conjunction with traditional vocabulary measures may have the potential to provide an estimate of word-learning ability.

Readers will (1) be able to identify the need for word-learning measures and (2) become familiar with the combined technique of using dynamic assessment and fast mapping.