Utilization of Contextual Information in Determining the Meaning of Unfamiliar Words

TWO STUDIES were conducted to evaluate students' ability to utilize contextual information in learning the meaning of unfamiliar words. A descriptive study involving fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-grade children was designed to examine the differential effects of form and proximity of contextual information on students'learning of unfamiliar words. An experimental study involving the same-aged students was conducted to examine the differential effects of three intervention strategies designed to facilitate the use of contextual information in learning the meanings of unfamiliar words. The results of the descriptive study suggest that students were better able to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words when (a) contextual clues were provided, (b) students were older, (c) the clues were in synonym rather than inference form, and (d) contextual clues were closer to the unfamiliar word. In the experimental study, rule-plus-systematic-practice and systematic-practice-only conditions produced higher transfer scores than a nointervention condition.