Morphologic knowledge, vocabulary and acquisition of written language at school.

• Grant number: 11/16905-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Effective date (Start): March 01, 2012
• Effective date (End): July 31, 2013
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Psychology
• Principal Investigator: Fraulein Vidigal de Paula
• Grantee: Júlia Maria Migot
• Host Institution: Instituto de Psicologia (IP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The objective of this research is to verify the morphological skills in the use of oral language in children from kindergarten and second grade of elementary school, its relationship with vocabulary, writing and reading words and reading comprehension. We also supports the hypothesis that the development of deductive and inductive reasoning mediates the reciprocal relationship between learning of the morphology and vocabulary of the language. In recent years, morphological dimension of language began to be investigated and considered as an important element in the structuring of meanings of words and learning the written language. This dimension focuses on morphemes, the smallest units of meaning of the language an the rules to form words. Studies in several languages suggest that the access to morphological structure of words and knowledge of the effects of structure in spelling could help children in the processing of reading, writing and production, besides being linked with vocabulary increasing. A few studies in Brazil confirm that the child in early literacy process has some implicit morphological knowledge, even before becoming aware of its existence and that contributes independently of phonological awareness to reading and writing. We intend to investigate the possible relationship between morphological knowledge, vocabulary expansion and appropriation of written language in the school context in a transversal study, with at least 30 students from Jardim II and 30 students in the 2nd year of a public school in the city of São Paulo. These items will be assessed in expressive vocabulary, production of neologism, non-verbal intelligence, word dictation, and word reading test Cloze. For analysis and discussion of results we will use statistical tests for the descriptive analysis in terms of avarage and standard deviation. Then, we will select appropriate tests according to the characteristics of distribution of the collected data to check the effect of age / grade performance observed in the different variables evaluated. Finally, correlation analysis will be performed between measures of morphological knowledge, vocabulary, inductive and deductive reasoning, reading and writing, and regression testing to assess the contribution of morphological knowledge for the acquisition of vocabulary, reading and writing.

Academic Publications

(References retrieved automatically from State of São Paulo Research Institutions)

MIGOT, Júlia Maria. Morphological and vocabulary knowledge and skills in kindergarten and in first years of elementary school. 2013. Master's Dissertation - Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Instituto de Psicologia (IP/SBD) São Paulo.