Research Centre on Child Studies

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The Effects of Implementing the Strategy of Semantic Feature Analysis (SFA) in Promoting Vocabulary in School-Aged Portuguese Children in Inclusive Schools

Publication . Verde, Elisabete; Oliveira, Sílvia; Cruz-Santos, Anabela; Lima, Etelvina

Background: The purpose of this study was to apply and analyze the impact of the semantic feature analysis (SFA) strategy on vocabulary development and comprehension of texts and theoretical concepts in Portuguese school-age students with and without special educational needs (SEN) attending inclusive schools. Method: The research design was quasi-experimental. The SFA was administered in ten sessions of approximately 60 min each. The sample was a convenience sample and consisted of selecting three classes in each school: (i) in the first cycle of basic education, 65 students were divided into a control group, an experimental group and a structured teaching group; (ii) in the second cycle of basic education, 55 students were divided into an experimental group, an online virtual school and a control group. Results: (1) The SFA strategy is motivating, appealing, inexpensive, flexible and easy to implement; (2) learning the SFA strategy is easy and can be successfully taught in any classroom; (3) the performance of the students assigned to the experimental groups was significantly higher in both cycles compared to all the other groups; (4) the effect sizes were 0.87 in the first cycle and 0.88 in the second cycle. Conclusion: The SFA strategy effectively promotes the development of vocabulary, concept knowledge and text comprehension in school-age children, being more effective than regular teaching.

2024-04-14Journal article

Open access

Use and Acquisition of Communicative Functions and Communicative Forms by Portuguese European Toddlers with and without Hearing Impairment

Publication . Lima, Etelvina; Cruz-Santos, Anabela

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify and compare communicative functions and forms in toddlers without (age group 8 to 18 months) and with hearing impairment (age group 13 to 18 months).Methods: Participants were 37 toddlers with normal hearing, 4 toddlers with hearing impairment.Results: The results indicate an increase in the average of the communicative functions conveyed along the increase of the age groups. There is an association between the age group and the type of communicative functions taught. Although there is no relationship between the hearing impairment condition and the average use of communicative functions, the two groups make different use of the type of communicative functions as well as the communicative forms.Conclusion: Is of paramount importance to understand the relationships between communicative forms and communicative functions in the assessment and intervention of communication skills in toddlers. In the case of toddlers with hearing impairment is fundamental to be aware that is not the frequency but the type of communication skills that they establish with their interlocutors.

2025-04-30Journal article

Open access