The word on vocabulary instruction: Understanding the kindergarten teacher's perspective

This dissertation investigates the importance of vocabulary development in kindergarten. The purpose of this qualitative case study design was to explore and describe how kindergarten teachers in 1 Midwestern U.S. suburban school district perceive and value the task of teaching vocabulary. The results were based on data collected from 2 focus group interviews and 8 follow-up 1-on-1 interviews from kindergarten teachers in the district. The teachers specified that vocabulary instruction does definitely exist in their classrooms. One significant finding was the acknowledgment by the coresearchers that socioeconomic status is not a consideration for children's abilities to increase vocabulary capacity. There is no distinction in children's learning curve related to vocabulary between children who are poor or children who are wealthy. These findings provide new information regarding learning and socioeconomic status. A child's ability for vocabulary knowledge and learning may not be based on the socioeconomic status of the family. This study also identified the teachers as their own resource for sources and programs to provide vocabulary instruction for their students instead of searching for teachers or curriculum specialists to assist them with strategies. The classroom kindergarten teacher has an innate sense and ability to create authentic vocabulary-rich environments that are indicative to the children they serve to promote vocabulary enhancement.