Combining morphological and contextual strategy instruction to enhance word learning

Effects of a 28-lesson teacher-delivered vocabulary program aimed at enhancing word learning in Danish 4th graders are reported. The program had a combined focus on morphological and contextual strategies that may support word learning during independent reading of school texts. Students in experimental classes progressed more than controls on trained skills, and they scored significantly higher on most posttest measures of word learning. Unexpectedly, effects on word learning were largest for morphologically opaque words. For transparent words, experimental students tended to ignore context clues and rely solely on morphological information. We conclude that the combination of morphological and contextual strategies has the potential to enhance word learning if the challenge of integrating the two strategies is overcome.