Duff, D., Tomblin, J. B., & Catts, H. (2015). The Influence of Reading on Vocabulary Growth: A Case for a Matthew Effect. Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHR, 58(3), 853–864. https://doi.org/10.1044/2015_JSLHR-L-13-0310

University of California, Berkeley

To elaborate on a point made by the previously linked node, the idea of a student's reading skill affecting their later vocabulary growth is an example of the Matthew Effect in education. The paper discussed in the following nodes involves a research study that looks at the influence of reading skill as a variable for vocabulary growth by assessing 4th grade students in word-reading skills and oral vocabulary knowledge and then looking at their progress through continued assessments in the 8th and 10th grade. Although the paper surmises that early reading skills can be an influence that exemplifies the Matthew Effect, it also looks into what kind of Matthew Effect can emerge as a result of this difference in reading skills (whether high or low) for students.

The Influence of Reading on Vocabulary Growth- Summary

The Influence of Reading on Vocabulary Growth- Citation Reference

When discussing the paper "The Influence of Reading on Vocabulary Growth", the concept of one-sided or two-sided Matthew Effects comes into play. The research study looks at this concept to see how the difference in reading skills that students have can affect later vocabulary growth.

- a one-sided Matthew Effect is when the difference in achievement or variable between two or more groups of students only leads to a significant difference in one group (i.e. a student group of strong readers will show strong increases in vocabulary growth while average and less-skilled readers show similar rates of growth with no influence from the reading skill variable)
- this one-sided effect can also be reversed, in that less-skilled readers show lower rates of vocabulary growth than the average while stronger readers show no particular difference compared to the average

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