Running head: EFFECTS OF VISUAL ART ON VOCABULARY FLUENCY 1

The Effect of Implementing Visual Art Strategies during Weekly Spelling and Vocabulary

Practice on Vocabulary Fluency

Katherine R. Wells

Grand Valley State University

Diane Elve

EDI 685
EFFECTS OF VISUAL ART ON VOCABULARY FLUENCY 2

Abstract

Vocabulary fluency plays an integral role in reading comprehension, writing, speaking, and

listening. This study explored the effects of implementing visual art strategies during weekly

spelling and vocabulary practice. Sixteen fifth grade students were the participants of this study.

Student-created drawings were used to supplement vocabulary instruction.

EFFECTS OF VISUAL ART ON VOCABULARY FLUENCY 3

The Effect of Implementing Visual Art Strategies during Weekly Spelling

and Vocabulary Practice on Vocabulary Fluency

Vocabulary fluency is one indicator for a student’s success in reading, writing, speaking,

and listening. For one fifth grade classroom at Crossroads Charter Academy, the need for

effective vocabulary instruction is evident by the number of students reading below grade level

(44%). Crossroads Charter Academy is located in Big Rapids, MI - a small, rural town. This

particular classroom has 18 students, 16 of whom stay for vocabulary, spelling, and reading.

According to MI School Data, 70.5% of students at this school participate in the reduced or free

lunch program, and 53.4% of students are economically disadvantaged (2018).

The curriculum used in this classroom for spelling and vocabulary instruction was

Wordly Wise 3000. The co-operating teacher in this classroom generally took two weeks to

complete one unit. Students would be introduced to the words, and bookwork would be

completed as a class on four to five separate days, for approximately 20 minutes each session.

Activities in the book included multiple choice questions determining the correct use of a word

and using the correct form of a vocabulary word to fill in the blank space in a sentence. At the

completion of a unit, the teacher would assess students by giving them a spelling test using the

definition of the words.

Looking at the curriculum, not all learning styles and strengths were being addressed, and

students had become disinterested during lessons. In an effort to appeal to more learning styles

and create an effective learning experience, this question was posed: what would happen if visual

arts was part of vocabulary instruction?

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Literature Review

Research has shown positive results when implementing visual arts in core academic

subject areas. Applying “visual art activities such as drawing develop spatial reasoning skills and

may increase students’ ability to create abstractions and visualize the images that words

represent (Willis, 2008). Using models is often utilized during math or science instruction,

however, the benefits can also be seen in reading, writing, and vocabulary instruction. Visual

imaging used as a vocabulary strategy has been recommended for a comprehensive literacy

classroom: “A student creates an image that represents the definition of the word and calls up

this image whenever encountering the word” (Ellery, 2009). Levie and Lentz reviewed the

outcomes of 55 experiments, 42 of which compared learning with illustrations versus text only

(1982). In four experiments, students who were instructed to draw illustrations related to a text

“learned significantly more than students who only read the passage…on the average, students

who drew pictures learned 30% more” (1982).

Method

Preliminary data was collected for four weeks (two spelling/vocabulary units). After the

completion of the unit, students would be assessed using a spelling test. Each student would get a

piece of lined paper, a pencil, and a red pen. The teacher would first read the definition of the

word, and a sentence the word could fit into. Students would attempt to recall what the

spelling/vocabulary word was and write it down using pencil. After the teacher read all fifteen

definitions and sentences, students would put their pencils under their desk, and pick up their red

pens. The teacher would then read the actual spelling/vocabulary word aloud to students. If

students were unable to identify the word during the definition portion of the assessment, they

would write it in red pen at this time. The accuracy of spelling was calculated by adding the total
EFFECTS OF VISUAL ART ON VOCABULARY FLUENCY 5

number of correct words for all students, dividing by the number of students who were assessed

to get an average score, and dividing again by 15 to see the average accuracy. Vocabulary

accuracy was calculated in a similar method. The total number of correctly identified vocabulary

words were added, divided by the number of students assessed, and then divided by 15 to get the

average accuracy.

Action Plan

For four weeks after the preliminary data collection, spelling and vocabulary instruction

in the classroom continued as usual. With already limited instruction time, and not wanting to

increase the homework load, a new bellwork routine was implemented to use art in vocabulary

study. At the beginning of a spelling unit, students were given 15 minutes every morning to work

on a packet. Students were instructed to write their words three times, draw a picture of the word,

and the day before an assessment they would have to write a sentence that uses the word.

Bellwork packets were turned in and assessed by the teacher prior to a unit assessment.

Results

Data collected before making any instructional changes showed vocabulary accuracy for

Unit 8 was 80.67%. Unit 9 accuracy was 85.13%. After implementing bellwork to utilize visual

art, vocabulary accuracy for Unit 10 was 82.38% while Unit 11 was 77.78%. Initial analysis of

the data reveals a decrease in accuracy after visual arts was added. After reviewing data further,

there are multiple factors that may have skewed the study.

Missing Instructional Time

It is possible that a lack of instructional time had an influence on assessment results.

During the time of this study, Crossroads Charter Academy had five snow days. Also during this

time, many students were frequently ill. One student in particular was absent for two weeks in
EFFECTS OF VISUAL ART ON VOCABULARY FLUENCY 6

the middle of this study. With Student X’s scores taken out of the equation, Unit 10 vocabulary

accuracy increased to 86.67% and Unit 11 increased to 80.95%.

Inaccurate Assessment Method

It is also possible that the method used to determine vocabulary accuracy is in fact,

inaccurate. Reading a definition and having a student recall what the word is from their spelling

list is requiring students to memorize, and not necessarily comprehend or apply the knowledge.

Discussion

Students were more engaged during weekly vocabulary practice, and enjoyed sharing

their drawings with peers and the teacher. The use of vocabulary words was 96% accurate in

weekly assignments; however, there was no pre-assessment to compare learner growth.

The results of this study are inconclusive due to the small number of participants,

uncontrolled variables, and lack of an appropriate benchmark. For further research, a pre-test of

vocabulary comprehension for each unit should be conducted. An ideal post-unit assessment

would include dictating the vocabulary words, and instructing students to create a sentence using

the word accurately.

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References

Ellery, V. (2004). Creating strategic readers: Techniques for developing competency in

phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Retrieved from

http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.gvsu.edu/docview/62117244?accountid=39473

Levie, H. W., & Lentz, R. (1982). Effects of text illustrations: A review of research.Educational

Communication and Technology: A Journal of Theory, Research, and

Development, 30(4), 195-232. Retrieved from

http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.gvsu.edu/docview/63493098?accountid=39473

Our Schools - At A Glance. (2018). Mischooldata.org. Retrieved 25 March 2018, from

https://www.mischooldata.org/Legislative2/LegislativeDashboard3.aspx

Willis, J. (2008). Teaching the brain to read: strategies for improving fluency, vocabulary, and

comprehension. Retrieved from https://ebookcentral.proquest.com

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Tables

Table 1

Results of Post Unit Spelling/Vocabulary Assessment

Unit 8 Unit 9 Unit 10 Unit 11

Average Spelling Score 83.33 87.18 87.14 83.11
Average Vocabulary Accuracy 80.67 85.13 82.38 77.78
Average Spelling Score Excluding 88.2 84.76
Student X
Average Vocabulary Accuracy 86.67 80.95
Excluding Student X

Unit 8 and Unit 9 were assessed before making any instructional changes. Unit 10 and Unit 11

were assessed after implementing visual arts into weekly spelling and vocabulary practice. The

average vocabulary accuracy was calculated a second time for Unit 10 and Unit 11 to see what

the difference would be without Student X – a student who missed a considerable amount of

school during those four weeks. The average spelling score was also tracked out of curiosity.