Assessment of Children’s Skill in Noticing Unfamiliar Words within Informational Context

Reading and language standards, such as the Common State Standards for English Language Arts, indicate that primary-grade students should be able to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words from grade-level context. However, to be able to attempt determining the meaning of an unfamiliar word, the word must first be noticed. There is a lack of research on young children developing skill in noticing unfamiliar words, which may be an important skill for their vocabulary development and comprehension. In the present study, theories of word learning, earlier experimenter-created assessments with older learners, and research with multilingual learners guided the development of such an assessment, the Noticing Unfamiliar Words Assessment (NUWA). Instrument development methods, including expert review and piloting, were performed prior to administering the NUWA to a sample of 55 second graders. Results of the exploratory factor analysis supported the hypothesized unidimensional factor structure and indicated that the assessment had an adequate fit and internal consistency reliability. Findings suggest that the NUWA may be helpful in better understanding the developmental nature of skill in noticing unfamiliar words from context while listening and how it contributes to children’s vocabulary knowledge and other literacy skills.