L’Importanza del lessico scientifico per la Lettura: uno studio pilota nella scuola dell’infanzia

Autori

  • Jessica Pipitone Teacher | Sant’Anna Comprehensive School
  • Silvia Della Rocca PhD Student | Department of Education, Languages, Intercultures, Literatures and Psychology, University of Florence https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8571-9166
  • Anna Paola Fallaci PhD Student | Learning Sciences and Digital Technologies, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia
  • Christian Tarchi Associate Professor | Department of Education, Languages, Intercultures, Literatures and Psychology, University of Florence https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4013-4794

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7347/EdL-02-2025-01

Parole chiave:

scuola dell’infanzia, vocabolario tecnico e scientifico, lettura ad alta voce, alfabetizzazione disciplinare, alfabetizzazione emergente

Abstract

Lo sviluppo del vocabolario scientifico in età prescolare può essere molto importante per lo sviluppo linguistico ed è predittivo per la competenza di comprensione del testo. Il presente studio esplora l’impatto dell’inserimento di termini scientifici in una narrazione rivolta a bambini dell’ultimo anno della scuola dell’infanzia, confrontando due modalità: una versione con definizioni integrate dei termini e una priva di spiegazioni interne (date precedentemente alla lettura). Venti bambini (età M = 5.6 anni, DS = 0.33, 35% F), sono stati suddivisi in due gruppi, omogenei per età e livello linguistico, corrispondenti alle due condizioni di intervento. La conoscenza del vocabolario è stata valutata pre e post intervento tramite prove individuali di riconoscimento e comprensione lessicale. I risultati suggeriscono che entrambi i gruppi hanno migliorato significativamente la conoscenza dei vocaboli scientifici presentati, ma il gruppo esposto alla narrazione con definizioni ha ottenuto prestazioni superiori nel riconoscimento visivo, nell’associazione parola-immagine e nella comprensione dei termini all’interno dei testi. Questi dati suggeriscono che l’integrazione di definizioni nel racconto potenzia l’apprendimento del lessico tecnico. Lo studio, pur esplorativo, fornisce indicazioni utili per la progettazione di interventi linguistici nella scuola dell’infanzia, evidenziando che narrazione e lettura possono rappresentare risorse importanti per introdurre concetti scientifici e promuovere l’alfabetizzazione disciplinare precoce.

Downloads

I dati di download non sono ancora disponibili.

Riferimenti bibliografici

Beck, I. L., McKeown, M. G., & Kucan, L. (2002). Bringing words to life: Robust vocabulary instruction. Guilford Press.

Biemiller, A. (2005). Vocabulary development and instruction: A prerequisite for school learning. In E. H. Hiebert & M. L. Kamil (Eds.), Teaching and learning vocabulary: Bringing research to practice (pp. 28–55). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Biemiller, A., & Boote, C. (2006). An effective method for building meaning vocabulary in primary grades. Journal of Educational Psychology, 98(1), 44–62. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.98.1.44

Bruner, J. (1986). Actual minds, possible worlds. Harvard University Press.

Cervetti, G. N., & Wright, T. S. (2022). A systematic review of the research on vocabulary instruction that impacts text comprehension. Review of Educational Research, 92(1), 92–125.

Cervetti, G. N., Fitzgerald, M. S., Hiebert, E. H., & Hebert, M. (2023). Meta-analysis examining the impact of vocabulary instruction on vocabulary knowledge and skill. Reading Psychology, 44(6), 672–709. https://doi.org/10.1080/02702711.2023.2179146

Cervetti, G. N., Wright, T. S., Hwang, H., Wang, Y., & Ball, D. L. (2022). Prioritizing disciplinary knowledge and vocabulary in early childhood science education. Journal of Literacy Research, 54(1), 5–29. https://doi.org/10.1177/1086296X211062173

Dunn, L. M., & Dunn, D. M. (2007). Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (4th ed.). Pearson Assessments.

Fitzgerald, J., Relyea, J. E., & Elmore, J. (2021). Academic vocabulary volume in elementary grades disciplinary textbooks. Reading Research Quarterly, 56(4), 665–688. https://doi.org/10.1002/rrq.406

Gini G., Benelli B., & Belacchi C. (2004). Children’s definitional skills and their relations with metalinguistic awareness and school achievement. European Journal of School Psychology, 2, 239–267.

Hart, B., & Risley, T. R. (1995). Meaningful differences in the everyday experience of young American children. Paul H. Brookes Publishing.

Henschel, S., Heppt, B., & Hardy, I. (2023). Structure and associations of science vocabulary, general academic vocabulary, and science knowledge. The Journal of Educational Research, 116(6), 356–370. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220671.2023.2269545

Heppt, B., Olczyk, M., & Volodina, A. (2022). Number of books at home as an indicator of socioeconomic status: Examining its extensions and their incremental validity for academic achievement. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 37, 943–964. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10212-022-00616-4

Hjetland, H. N., Brinchmann, E. I., Scherer, R., Hulme, C., & Melby-Lervåg, M. (2020). Preschool pathways to reading comprehension: A systematic meta-analytic review. Educational Research Review, 28, 100287. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2020.100323

Isbell, R., Sobol, J., Lindauer, L., & Lowrance, A. (2004). The effects of storytelling and story reading on the oral language complexity and story comprehension of young children. Early Childhood Education Journal, 32(3), 157–163. https://doi.org/10.1023/B:ECEJ.0000048967.94189.a3

Jago, L. S., Monaghan, P., Alcock, K., & Cain, K. (2025). The effect of preschool vocabulary and grammar on early reading comprehension and word reading: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Educational Research Review, 100680. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2025.100680

Kuhn, D. (2010). Teaching and learning science as argument. Science Education, 94(5), 810–824.

Lane, H. B., & Allen, S. A. (2010). The vocabulary‐rich classroom: Modeling sophisticated word use to promote word consciousness and vocabulary growth. The Reading Teacher, 63(5), 362–370. https://doi.org/10.1598/RT.63.5.2

Lemke, J. L. (1990). Talking science: Language, learning, and values. Ablex Publishing.

Mayer, R. E. (2009). Multimedia learning (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press.

MIUR. Ministero dell’Istruzione, dell’Università e della Ricerca. (2012). Indicazioni nazionali per il curricolo della scuola dell’infanzia e del primo ciclo di istruzione. http://www.indicazioninazionali.it

Nagy, W. E., & Townsend, D. (2012). Words as tools: Learning academic vocabulary as language acquisition. Reading Research Quarterly, 47(1), 91–108. https://doi.org/10.1002/RRQ.011

Neumann, M. M. (2018). Using tablets and apps to enhance emergent literacy skills in young children. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 42, 239–246. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2017.10.006

Neuman, S. B., & Wright, T. S. (2014). The magic of words: Teaching academic vocabulary in the early childhood classroom. American Educator, 38(2), 4–13. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1043701.pdf

Osborne, J. (2014). Teaching scientific practices: Meeting the challenge of change. Journal of Science Teacher Education, 25(2), 177–196.

Schuth, E., Köhne, J., & Weinert, S. (2017). The influence of academic vocabulary knowledge on school performance. Learning and Individual Differences, 55, 53–63. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2017.03.005

Silverman, R. D., & Hines, S. J. (2009). The effects of multimedia-enhanced instruction on the vocabulary of English-language learners and non-English-language learners in pre-kindergarten through second grade. Journal of Educational Psychology, 101(2), 305–314. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0014217

Snow, C. E., & Uccelli, P. (2009). The challenge of academic language. In D. R. Olson & N. Torrance (Eds.), The Cambridge handbook of literacy (pp. 112–133). Cambridge University Press.

Toub, T. S., Hassinger-Das, B., Nesbitt, K. T., Ilgaz, H., Weisberg, D. S., Hirsh-Pasek, K., ... & Dickinson, D. K. (2018). The language of play: Developing preschool vocabulary through play following shared book-reading. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 45, 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2018.01.010

Volodina, A., Weinert, S., & Mursin, K. (2020). Development of academic vocabulary across primary school age: Differential growth and influential factors for German monolinguals and language minority learners. Journal for Educational Research Online, 12(1), 115–137.

Vygotskij, L. S. (1990). Pensiero e linguaggio. Laterza. (Ed. or. 1934)

Wright, T. S., & Cervetti, G. N. (2017). A systematic review of the research on vocabulary instruction that impacts text comprehension. Review of Educational Research, 87(3), 418–448. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654317699496

##submission.downloads##

Pubblicato

30-12-2025

Come citare

Pipitone, J., Della Rocca, S., Fallaci, A. P., & Tarchi, C. (2025). L’Importanza del lessico scientifico per la Lettura: uno studio pilota nella scuola dell’infanzia. Effetti Di Lettura / Effects of Reading, 4(2), 005–024. https://doi.org/10.7347/EdL-02-2025-01

Fascicolo

Sezione

Articoli