3. Teaching morphology increases vocabulary and reading achievement.
Our review of 22 studies, with participants from preschool to Grade 8, found that
instruction that targeted morphology resulted in higher literacy and language
achievement (in word reading, spelling, reading comprehension, and vocabulary)
than instruction that did not.
7 Morphological instruction was more effective with
children in early grades (pre-K–2 compared with 3–8) and with children with
underveloped skills (compared to those who were more advanced). Morphological
instruction was more effective when it was combined with other aspects of
language arts instruction; this makes sense, because morphology helps to
integrate other aspects of reading (semantics, orthography and phonology).