[NRP: National Reading Panel]It is fair to say that the field of vocabulary assessment is less well developed than some of the other dimensions of reading. A great deal of the research employed experimenter-designed tests, and hence there has not arisen a clear consensus about which type of vocabulary assessment is most helpful in relation to reading development. According to the NRP, standardized tests should only be used to provide a baseline, as they offer only a more general measure of vocabulary. For evaluating instruction, more than a single measure of vocabulary should be utilised, preferably measures associated with the teaching curriculum.
Kerry also provided the following summaries from research:
“One quandary in vocabulary research is the best method of measurement. In this review, only two studies used standardized measures as both pretest and posttest measures. The measurement of vocabulary is a hurdle in vocabulary research. The depth of understanding may be just as important as the sheer number of words known. As evidenced in the varied effect sizes, measures that are sensitive to small increments in learning and that capture the multidimensional aspects of vocabulary knowledge are needed. A component of vocabulary that is often ignored is the retention of word knowledge. Few studies utilized delayed posttesting—thus, knowledge of which strategies support long-term learning of words is mostly unknown. Therefore, measures must be sensitive to the breadth and depth of word knowledge, while also determining the difference in short-term learning and long-term maintenance.” (p.266)
Hairrell, A., Rupley, W., & Simmons, D. (2011): The state of vocabulary research. Literacy Research and Instruction, 50(4), 253-271.
“A first priority should be to devote explicit research attention to the distinctions among various aspects of vocabulary that we have discussed in this essay, rather than simply using a global definition of vocabulary or some general concept of word meaning. One of the major issues is the type of vocabulary that is being taught and tested. For example, often reading vocabulary is intended to be assessed, although the instrument used might measure expressive vocabulary, or vice versa. Similarly, the term vocabulary is used almost interchangeably as we move between writing, listening, speaking and reading without making either conceptual or operational distinctions. … research is needed to determine whether any single assessments can represent the various aspects of vocabulary we have identified (and, perhaps, some we have not) or whether we need individual and targeted assessments for each of the types of vocabulary. Without that information, progress in vocabulary research will be limited.” (p.294)
Pearson, P. D., Hiebert, E. H., & Kamil, M. L. (2007). Vocabulary assessment: What we know and what we need to learn. Reading Research Quarterly, 42(2), 282–296.
In standardized tests, one way of assessing vocabulary is to have the student select a definition for a word from a list of alternatives. Another is to ask what various words mean (WISC-IV; Wechsler, 2003). A third is to select the word that doesn’t belong in a list either spoken or written (brown, big, red, green, yellow; Brigance, 2000). In the Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests-Revised/Normative Update (1998), three subtests comprise the Word Comprehension test: Antonyms, Synonyms, and Analogies.
.The most commonly employed vocabulary test is one of receptive language, using the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT-3; Dunn & Dunn, 1997). There is no reading involved; the task is to identify the one picture of four that matches the word spoken by the test administrator. A similar protocol is provided in the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test-II (WIAT-II; Wechsler, 2001): Receptive Vocabulary subtest. Another option is in the Vocabulary subtest of the various Wechsler scales (WISC-IV, WPPSI-III, WAIS-III: Wechsler, 2004; 2002; 1997). The Wechsler task is to provide definitions for various, progressively more complex words
.“The most widely used experimenter administered tests for measuring children’s vocabulary size in English are the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT-4; Dunn & Dunn, 2007), the Receptive and Expressive One-Word Picture Vocabulary Tests (EOWPVT-4; Martin & Brownell, 2011a, 2011b), the Expressive Vocabulary Test (EVT-2; Williams, 2007), and the Comprehensive Receptive and Expressive Vocabulary Test (Wallace & Hammill, 2002)