Complementary Perspectives on theDevelopment of Vocabulary in Monolingual andL2 ChildrenEsther GevaUniversity of Torontoesther.geva@utoronto.caVocabulary skills are critical for readingcomprehension and academic acheivement. Bydefinition, second language (L2) learners canbe expected to lag behind their monolingual(L1) counterparts. This lag can be understoodby considering an array of developmental,contextual, intra-individual, and instructionalfactors. This symposium examines the development of L2 vocabulary and L1 vocabularyfrom a number of complementary perspectives.The first two presentations examine intraindividualand contextual factors that contributeto vocabulary development. Monsrud and Gevafocus on questions such vocabulary breadthin L2 learners and contextual and cognitivefactors that contribute or impede vocabularylearning in minority children in Norway. Farniaand Geva examine differential patterns ofdevelopmental of vocabulary over time in L1 andL2 learners and the predictors of these distinctpatterns. The third presentation by Brandes andMcMaster focuses on instructional practices. Itreports on a study that examined the utility of arepeated reading intervention with and withoutvocabulary instruction on the reading fluency,comprehension, and vocabulary learning of atriskEnglish Language Learners (ELLs). Victor VanDaal, the discussant, will provide a synthesis anddiscuss future directions.
