Journal of Computer Assisted Learning (2003) 19, 557-566  2003 Blackwell Publishing Ltd 557 Effects of vocabulary training by computer in kindergarten E. Segers & L. Verhoeven Department of Special Education, University of Nijmegen Abstract In the present study, intensive vocabulary training by computer was undertaken in a two-year kindergarten programme in the Netherlands. In the intervention, 67 native and immigrant children in the first and second years of kindergarten played vocabulary games on the computer twice a week for a period of 15 minutes over 15 weeks. A control group of 97 kindergartners followed the regular curriculum. In a pre-test-training-post-test-retention test design, positive effects of the computer training were found on a curriculum-dependent vocabulary test. A trend was found towards positive effects of the computer training on a curriculum-independent test for children in their second year of kindergarten. The results present an alternative and relatively teacher- independent method to enlarge children’s vocabularies. Keywords: CD-ROM; Control group; Experiential; Multimedia; Pre- school; Quantitative; Second language learning; Vocabulary Introduction Vocabulary development and storybook reading Vocabulary knowledge is an important factor for school success; early differences in vocabulary knowledge appear to have a strong impact on such success (Baker et al., 1998). Especially immigrant children often enter school with limited knowledge of the second language, and research by Verhoeven & Vermeer (1992) and Stoep & Verhoeven (2001), for example, has shown the Dutch vocabularies of immigrant children to be much smaller than those of native children. Moreover, this difference tends to increase during the elementary school years, referred to as the Matthew effect (Stanovich, 1986), creating a huge educational problem. Vocabulary can be acquired through independent reading. Children often learn the meaning of new words via the context (Sternberg, 1987). However, when children cannot yet read, they are dependent on others to read to them. Storybook reading in kindergarten plays a significant role in children’s vocabulary development. There is evidence that reading stories aloud has an impact on children’s learning, helps them to gain insight into the meanings of words, and thereby promotes vocabulary growth (Bus et al., 1995). This effect has been observed both in homes and in the school environment (Elley, 1989; Robbins & Ehri, 1994; Brett et al., 1996). Accepted 10 April 2003 Correspondence: Eliane Segers, Department of Special Education, University of Nijmegen, Spinoza Building, P.O.Box 9104, 6500 HE Nijmegen, The Netherlands Email: e.segers@ped.kun.nl