Research
1. Pacheco, M.B., & Goodwin, A.P. (2013). Putting two and two together: Middle school students' morphological problem-solving strategies for unknown words. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 56(7), 541–553. doi:10.1002/JAAL.181
Summary: Pacheo and Goodwin discuss strategies that assist students in determining word meanings. One such strategy includes figuring out words by breaking words down into their smallest parts, such as affixes and root words. The recommendation suggests this approach as a means to learning unknown words.
2. Crosson, A. C., & McKeown, M. G. (2016). How effectively do middle school learners use roots to infer the meaning of unfamiliar words? Cognition and Instruction, 34(2), 148–171. https://doi.org/10.1080/07370008.2016.1145121
Summary: This study examines ways in which middle school students can apply their knowledge of Latin roots to comprehend the meanings of unfamiliar words. The study includes an assessment of the analytical strategies used by students when attempting to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words. The study is a qualitative study of sixth and seventh grade students. The study reveals that using root words to analyze unfamiliar words can be applied using direct and indirect approaches. The study suggests that morphological problem solving, particularly applying the knowledge of Latin roots, is a promising instructional approach. Morphological problem solving is significantly correlated to establishing the meaning of a word as well as increasing the memory representation of the root word in various other contexts.
3. Crosson, A. C., McKeown, M. G., Moore, D. W., & Ye, F. (2018). Extending the bounds of morphology instruction: Teaching Latin roots facilitates academic word learning for English Learner adolescents. Reading and Writing, 32(3), 689–727. doi: 10.1007/s11145-018-9885-y
Summary: The authors discuss how academic vocabulary instruction can be based on morphological analysis of Latin roots to determine the meaning of new words and to clarify texts. The article includes an overview of the impact of abstract words that tend to be used in multiple disciplines. Additionally the article addresses the complexity of learning advanced vocabulary. Crosson and McKeown recommend that teachers support students in learning academic words and developing morphological analysis. The article provides a deep dive in the discussion and includes tables, figures, and charts.