Dr. Lawrence will summarize the dimensionality of lexical features in general, academic, and disciplinary vocabulary (Knoph et al., 2024), and explain how these findings enhance our understanding of vocabulary needs across various content areas and their evolution from kindergarten through higher education (Lawrence et al., n.d.). This knowledge is critical for literacy coaches and educators, who face the challenge of providing explicit literacy instruction tailored to diverse content areas.To address these challenges, Dr. Lawrence will showcase the application of Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) models, integrated into the Reading Ways platform (www.readingways.org), which leverage these insights to support teacher collaboration and improve literacy coaching. By aligning instructional strategies with the specific literacy demands identified in the research, these models help coaches deliver more targeted and effective support.Additionally, Dr. Lawrence will present research findings on the relationship between assessment performance and lexical characteristics, which vary according to students’ reading abilities (Lawrence et al., 2021). These insights have led to a novel approach to vocabulary assessment, focusing on capturing within-person differences in word learning. The presentation will detail the stratified sampling approach used in item development, the AI-driven item development process, and preliminary human coding results. The resulting items will be integrated into the ROAR assessment platform (https://roar.stanford.edu/), providing free access to a comprehensive resource for students nationwide.
References:
Knoph, R. E., Lawrence, J. F., & Francis, D. J. (2024). The dimensionality of lexical features in general, academic, and disciplinary vocabulary. Scientific Studies of Reading: The Official Journal of the Society for the Scientific Study of Reading, 28(2), 142–166. https://doi.org/10.1080/10888438.2023.2241939
Lawrence, J. F., Knoph, R., McIlraith, A., Kulesz, P. A., & Francis, D. J. (2021). Reading comprehension and academic vocabulary: Exploring relations of item features and reading proficiency. Reading Research Quarterly, 56(4), 963–982. https://doi.org/10.1002/rrq.434
Lawrence, J., Knoph, R., & Hagen, Å. (n.d.). The language of learning: Academic vocabulary development and reading comprehension. In M. Kuhn & S. Neuman (Eds.), Handbook on the Science of Literacy in Grades 3-8. Guilford Publications
