25th Annual Student Research Conference
The Effect of Kinesthetic Activities on Vocabulary Acquisition
Emily J. Adkinson♦
Dr. Robert Martin, Faculty Mentor
Too often, vocabulary instruction involves passive learning -- students are seated at their desks, recording definitions given to them by teachers (or perhaps copied verbatim from dictionaries). While other areas of learning have adopted a more engaged and active approach, it seems that vocabulary is doomed to a paper-pencil method of instruction. After hearing my junior-level American Literature students complain about boring vocabulary lessons, I considered integrating more active learning; after observing their low levels of vocabulary acquisition, I insisted on it. In my research study, I am examining the effect of kinesthetic activities on vocabulary acquisition. What happens when students are asked to get out of their seats and take an active role in their vocabulary learning? This presentation will focus on the various kinesthetic activities I attempted and the results I discovered along the way.
Keywords: Vocabulary Instruction, Kinesthetic Learning, Active Learning, Vocabulary Acquisition
Topic(s):Education
English
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 302-3
Location: VH 1000
Time: 1:40