Jessica Lawson‐Adams

Biographic Data

ID5972151
NAMEJessica Lawson‐Adams
GIVEN NAMESJessica
FAMILY NAMELawson‐Adams
SIGNATUREADAMS J L
AFFILIATIONSVanderbilt University
ORCID0000-0001-7622-7234
VERIFIEDYes
TOTAL WORKS7
TOTAL CITATIONS3
AUTHOR COUNT7
EDITOR COUNT0
FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR2019
LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR2025
H-INDEX1

  • For preschoolers, word knowledge falls on a continuum: A novel framework for capturing the incremental process of word learning

    Open AccessRebecca A Dore, Molly Scott et al.ARTICLEJournal of Child Language2025

    In gaining word knowledge, children’s semantic representations are initially imprecise before becoming gradually refined. We developed and tested a framework for a digital receptive vocabulary assessment that captured varied levels of representation as children learn words. At pre-test and post-test, children selected one of four images to match a word’s meaning: a correct target, a conceptually-related foil, a thematically-related foil, and a ph…

  • Beyond Book Reading: New Pathways to Vocabulary Development Through Playful Learning

    Molly E Scott, Ernest Jerome Hopkins et al.ARTICLEEarly Education and Development2025

    Early vocabulary is a critical foundation for literacy. Most vocabulary interventions use techniques embedded in shared book reading, but recent evidence suggests that shared book reading is but one avenue toward stronger language competencies. In the present study, we build on prior literature that supports the promise of playful learning approaches for supporting vocabulary in early childhood education settings, and we compare these approaches …

  • Nonverbal supports for word learning: Prekindergarten teachers’ gesturing practices during shared book reading

    Open AccessErica M Barnes, Elizabeth Burke Hadley et al.ARTICLEEarly Childhood Research Quarterly2023Cited by: 2References: 4

  • Sing it or speak it: The effects of sung and rhythmically spoken songs on preschool children's word learning

    Open AccessJessica Lawson‐Adams, David K Dickinson et al.ARTICLEEarly Childhood Research Quarterly2021Cited by: 1References: 4

  • Building Lexical Representations With Nonverbal Supports

    Open AccessJessica Lawson‐Adams, David K DickinsonARTICLEReading Research Quarterly2021References: 81

    High‐quality lexical representations are important for reading comprehension; however, prior research has focused primarily on the verbal aspects of these lexical representations. In this article, the authors argue for the importance of considering nonverbal representational elements of lexical knowledge and for more systematic attention to how nonverbal supports, such as gestures, pictures, and sounds, contribute to the acquisition of word knowl…

  • Sound Stories: Using Nonverbal Sound Effects to Support English Word Learning in First‐Grade Music Classrooms

    Open AccessJessica Lawson‐Adams, David K DickinsonARTICLEReading Research Quarterly2020References: 70

    Early vocabulary knowledge is vital for later reading comprehension and academic success. Studies have found that augmenting explicit teaching of word meanings with nonverbal visual aids, particularly pictures and gestures, assists young learners in building rich lexical representations. Research has focused on the effects of visual supports in fostering word knowledge but has not considered the effectiveness of using sound‐based supports. Workin…

  • Education in the app store: Using a mobile game to support U.S. preschoolers’ vocabulary learning

    Rebecca A Dore, Marcia Shirilla et al.ARTICLEJournal of Children and Media2019

    Despite the prevalence of educational apps for children, there is little evidence of their effectiveness for learning. Here, children were asked to learn ten new words in a narrative mobile game that requires children use knowledge of word meanings to advance the game. Study 1 used a lab-based between-subjects design with middle-SES 4-year-olds and used a receptive vocabulary test to examine whether children learned the game’s words. Children who…