A Phase 3 randomized controlled trial of a vocabulary program in elementary schools in England: Protocol

Vocabulary development is important for successful reading comprehension. Given the global challenges facing children's reading standards, there is an urgency to enable school children to improve their reading including their vocabulary. This protocol presents a randomized controlled trial to test a vocabulary program in English elementary schools. The trial will establish whether the positive findings from a smaller trial undertaken in England are generalizable at greater scale, and whether there are mediating effects of vocabulary for reading comprehension. The Vocabulary for Reading program is a workforce development program that supports school staff to deliver targeted vocabulary instruction to children aged 7–10. The protocol outlines a research design to assess whether the program improves vocabulary and reading outcomes in a sample of 400 children from 50 English schools. Outcome measures include two digital reading standardized tests from an independently designed provider. A process evaluation assesses fidelity and potential for scale-up.