MODULE OUTLINE

AHElect Module 1 Overview: Enrichment of Academic Vocabulary

This module introduces practical reading techniques that students can use in understanding or
unlocking meanings of various vocabulary words used in academic contexts.

Module Learning Outcome/s:

- Derive correct meanings of unknown academic vocabulary words in academic texts using
morphemic or contextual analysis.

Pre-Discussion Activity
- Reflecting on Your Own Reading Ability
Instructions: Read each statement below then tell whether it applies to you or not. Do so
by keeping in mind or writing in a separate sheet of paper the answers “agree” or “disagree”
for each statement. Answers DO NOT need to be submitted. They can be interpreted later
on using the explanations that follow all of the statements. Use these explanations for self-
reflection purposes.

Statements:
(1) I am capable of understanding ALL vocabulary words I encounter when I read.
(2) I experience NO form of difficulty in understanding all the words I encounter when I
read.
(3) I have NEVER experienced any form of difficulty in understanding the words I read in
the past.
(4) I am aware of AT LEAST THREE strategies that can help me in unlocking or deriving
correct meanings from words that might not be familiar to me.
(5) I can quickly use AT LEAST THREE strategies that can help me in unlocking or
deriving correct meanings from words that might not be familiar to me.

Interpretations for your responses:

(A) If you answered ALL OF THE STATEMENTS WITH AGREE, then that is a great
sign that this module will be easy and quick for you because you are familiar already
with the skill of understanding meanings of unknown words in the texts that you read.
(B) If you answered AT LEAST ONE DISAGREE, then this module will be useful to you
in further enhancing your already-existing skill related to understanding meanings of
unknown words in texts that you read.
(C) If you answered MORE THAN ONE DISAGREES, then this module will be of great
help to you as this will enable you to learn how you can derive correct meanings from
unknown words found in the texts that you read.
Discussion/ Lecture:
Defining Reading
According to Kenneth Goodman, reading is a psycholinguistic guessing game. Based on this, it
means that reading is both a psychological or mental (psycho-) process that happens inside the
head and a process that is tied with language (-linguistic). It is so because:
1.) Reading involves interpreting or giving meaning to printed symbols such as letters and/ or
pictures;
2.) Reading begins with perceiving or recognizing symbols and ends with comprehending or
understanding the meanings of the said symbols; and
3.) Reading involves using pieces of information called inputs in various ways such as dividing
them into smaller parts (i.e., analyzing), putting them together (i.e., synthesizing), or even relating
them to other sources of information.

In a nutshell, reading means understanding the meanings behind various inputs that may come in
various printed forms, e.g., letters, words, sentences, and/ or graphics/ pictures. With almost
everything in the world having printed inputs that must be understood, it is a must for a person to
possess competence in deriving correct meanings from what is presented. This is especially true
for people in the academe since a huge part of their lives is dedicated to studying/ learning from
printed materials such as lectures, books, journals, or researches.

Academic Vocabulary
The first step to better ensuring that comprehension will be at hand is to enrich one’s vocabulary.
Vocabulary refers to the collection of words that a person is capable of defining, explaining, and/
or using.
While people’s vocabulary varies from person to person, it can be generally divided into two
categories: (1) general and (2) academic/ technical. The first one refers to words that are used in
daily or ordinary interactions between and among people; on the other hand, the second one talks
about the collection of words used in academic situations, being known only to selected people
engaged in specific fields of study or work. In addition, in some other cases, the second one is
further subdivided into (a) general academic, (b) discipline-specific, and (c) nominalization.
With academic/ technical vocabulary being known only to a handful of people, it may serve as a
hindrance to comprehension, especially to those whose exposure to it is limited; however, there
are ways by which such a problem may be countered so that reading in general and understanding
in particular are still possible. Once overcome, unknown vocabularies can subsequently be
personally used.
Reading Techniques in Unlocking Unknown Academic Vocabulary
Aside from the very obvious way of using references such as dictionaries and thesauruses
whenever unfamiliar academic vocabularies come up, readers can use any of the following ways
in the absence of or when there is restriction to the access of the aforementioned usual references:
(1) Morphemic Analysis. This is done when a given vocabulary can be divided into smaller parts
called morphemes. Examples of morphemes are affixes (e.g., prefixes, infixes, and suffixes)
that give hints about what a given word may mean.
Consider the following research abstracts containing possibly unknown academic vocabularies
boxed in red whose meanings can be correctly derived through morphemic analysis:

Without the help of any reference material, what might the vocabulary word “interview” mean?
Can the vocabulary word be broken down into smaller parts? If yes, what words will emerge
from the process of breaking it down?
Morphemic Analysis in Action: Given the prefix of the said vocabulary which is “inter-,“
meaning between two individuals, objects, or groups and its root word “view,” meaning
opinion or outlook, then it, the vocabulary “interview,” may mean getting to know about
people’s opinions on a given issue through a conversation between the researcher and the
participants.
 Without the help of any reference material, what might the vocabulary words “telehealth” and
“posttraumatic” mean? Can the vocabulary words be broken down into smaller parts? If yes,
what words will emerge from the process of breaking them down?
Morphemic Analyses in Action: Given the prefix of the first vocabulary which is “tele-,“
meaning far such as in television, telegraph, and telephone and its root word “health,” meaning
the physical and/ or mental condition/s of a person, then it, the vocabulary “telehealth,” may
mean checking on then providing assistance to the physical and/ or mental conditions of a
person, from afar. For the vocabulary “posttraumatic,” it has the prefix “post,” meaning after;
and the suffix “-tic” added to the root word “trauma,” meaning a deeply painful mental or
physical experience. It may then mean actions that people do after they have experienced a
deeply painful mental or physical experience.

(2) Contextual Analysis (AKA Context Clues). This is done when the meaning of a given
vocabulary can be derived from the clues found in the situation, i.e., sentence or paragraph,
where it is used. These clues can come in the forms of examples, synonyms, antonyms,
definitions, or explanations also provided somewhere in the text.
Consider the following research abstracts containing possibly unknown academic vocabularies
boxed in red, whose meanings can be derived through contextual analysis:

Without the help of any reference material, what might the vocabulary word “interview” mean?
Are there parts of the text that provide additional clues regarding its meaning? If yes, which
parts are they?
Contextual Analysis in Action: The correct meaning of the unknown vocabulary “interview”
in the abstract may be gained from the part that says, “was also done to ask their experiences
in using the EC (electronic cigarette).” The said part provides an explanation or an example of
how an interview can be done and that is through raising questions between the researcher and
the participants.
Abstract
Article History Quality of the instructional process is at stake when taught by out-of-field teachers. The
current study identified the problems met by such teachers who teach across their specialization in the
teaching of social studies. These Out-of-field social studies teachers encounter several issues in the
preparation and administration of their lessons. This study first identified this specialization-workload
mismatch and investigated what coping mechanisms can be introduced for the survival of these teachers
in and out-of-field-teaching environment. The study employed a qualitative phenomenological research
methodology and conducted an in-depth interview using open-ended questions, in order to generate the
eidetic insights of the issues. Ethical considerations were administered to protect the confidentiality of
the research participants. The data collected were translated and analyzed, resulting in the unveiling of
themes and concepts from the narratives of the research participants. In the light of these findings, a
Heideggerian interpretive analysis catapulted the creation of a Culture-based BAYLE Teaching Model
(BTM) for that could be a solution to the out-of-field teaching individuals. The study recommends the
introduction of BTM in all schools facing out-of-field issues. Contribution/Originality: This study
contributes a pioneering mechanism in responding to the problem of out-of-field social studies teaching
in the workplace using Heideggerian interpretivism. This study recommends crafting of a culture-based
model of innovative instructional delivery known as the Bayle Teaching Model-a legacy of the
Philippines to cultural global education.

Without the help of any reference material, what might the vocabulary “out-of-field teacher”
mean? Are there parts of the text that provide additional clues regarding its meaning? If yes,
which parts are they?
Contextual Analysis in Action: The correct meaning of the unknown vocabulary “out-of-
field teacher” in the abstract may be gained from looking at the parts where the words or
phrases “teachers who teach across their specialization” and “specialization-workload
mismatch” are found. The said parts provide an explanation about and/ or synonymous details
with what kind of teachers are those who are “out-of-field,” and they are those who teach a
subject that they do not specialize in or were not trained for.

Discussion Activity 1: More Details About/ Selecting Correct Academic Vocabulary

Instructions for students: To further expand your knowledge about academic vocabulary,
view the video titled “Academic Vocabulary” by the Griffith University in Australia (link:
https://www.griffith.edu.au/international/englishhelp/academic-vocabulary). After
viewing the video, scroll down the webpage until you see the practice exercises labeled as
Online English HELP. Answer each practice exercise, then click the button “Answer” or
“Next” to reveal correct answers or move on to the next part, respectively. No submission
on Canvas is required for this activity.

Discussion Activity 2: Deriving Correct Meanings of Given Academic Vocabularies

Instructions for students: Found in each item is/ are a statement/s with a highlighted
unknown academic vocabulary. Determine the meaning of each academic vocabulary
found in each item by selecting its correct meaning or basic/ general English equivalent
based on its context. This is a practice activity that must be accomplished on Canvas under
Module 1.
1. The purpose of this study is to determine if mindfulness and meditation have an effect
on stress levels and self-efficacy. The researcher-participants were two female teachers
in public schools. Five days a week for four weeks, the participants practiced
mindfulness activities from a curated list including Body Scan, Meditation, Breathing,
Yoga, and Journaling.
a. activities that enable relaxation and reflection
b. activities that enable resting and freeing oneself from thoughts
c. activities that enable a person to plan ahead of time

2. The following research assesses how reading and discussing stories that counter gender
stereotypes can increase cooperation and decrease conflict between primary- and
elementary-aged students of different genders, as well as to expand students’
conceptions of self and others beyond traditional gender expectations. The six-week
study involved 50 participants total, 21 between the ages of 3 and 6 and 29 between the
ages of 6 and 9 at two separate Montessori public charter schools in Minnesota. Each
participant completed an activity pre- and post-intervention concerning the feminine and
masculine traits that they would choose to describe themselves and those that could
describe someone they’d want to be friends with.
a. thoughts about oneself
b. thoughts about oneself and/ or others
c. thoughts about others

3. Findings: The findings showed that the complainants' level of satisfaction with service
recovery was significantly affected by perceived justice. The behavioral outcomes of
the complainants in terms of trust, word‐of‐mouth (WOM) and loyalty were also found
to be affected by their satisfaction with the service recovery. T‐tests confirmed that the
levels of trust, WOM and loyalty were significantly higher for those respondents who
were satisfied with the service recovery compared with those who were dissatisfied.
Further t‐tests also indicated that respondents who were initially satisfied with the
service expressed greater trust and positive WOM compared with the satisfied
complainants. Finally, the study showed that dissatisfied complainants would exhibit a
lower level of trust and were more likely to engage in negative word‐of‐mouth behavior
compared with those who were dissatisfied initially but chose not to complain.
a. difficult customer
b. disrespectful customer
c. unhappy customer

4. Findings: The findings showed that the complainants' level of satisfaction with service
recovery was significantly affected by perceived justice. The behavioral outcomes of
 the complainants in terms of trust, word‐of‐mouth (WOM) and loyalty were also found
to be affected by their satisfaction with the service recovery. T‐tests confirmed that the
levels of trust, WOM and loyalty were significantly higher for those respondents who
were satisfied with the service recovery compared with those who were dissatisfied.
Further t‐tests also indicated that respondents who were initially satisfied with the
service expressed greater trust and positive WOM compared with the satisfied
complainants. Finally, the study showed that dissatisfied complainants would exhibit a
lower level of trust and were more likely to engage in negative word‐of‐mouth behavior
compared with those who were dissatisfied initially but chose not to complain.
a. service provided to make up for a shortcoming
b. service provided as a form of bonus/ compliment
c. service provided to convince customers to be loyal

5. Introduction: As human biological samples (biosamples), including tissues such as

blood or saliva, are used for an increasingly wide variety of diagnostic, treatment and
research purposes, the ethical and legal issues surrounding them are becoming more
complex, and are subject to increased public interest. Tissues collected in healthcare and
research settings are increasingly archived by biobanks for potential use in future
studies. Biobanks can be valuable for establishing risk factors and developing
treatments, but the storage and use of biological material from donors raises practical
and ethical issues around ownership, confidentiality, consent, and feedback.
a. samples extracted from former living beings
b. samples produced then sold by living beings
c. samples produced then freely given by living beings

Summary and Conclusion

Reading is a complex process that begins with first recognizing printed symbols followed by being
able to give correct meanings to the said symbols in order to ultimately comprehend their message.
In academic setups where texts range from simple lectures to complex researches, it is inevitable
to encounter words that may not immediately be defined, let alone understood, so it is a must to
employ reading strategies such as morphemic and contextual analyses that can prove helpful so
that comprehension may be achieved and expansion of one’s vocabulary may be possible.

Graded Quiz 1: Unlocking Correct Meanings of Given Academic Vocabularies

Instructions for students: Go to Canvas and take the 20-point quiz found under Module 1. In
there, select the choices that best define underlined academic vocabularies used in given sentences
or texts, or replace basic ones with their academic counterparts.