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Why do morphemes matter? Since morphemes are the smallest units of meaning in words, and meaning (comprehension) is the goal of reading, morphemes are of prime importance. Most English words are polysyllabic and often contain prefixes and suffixes to extend and expand the meaning of the base element (often called the root in instructional settings). These morphemes provide students with numerous strategies for decoding (reading) and encoding (spelling) as well as enhancing vocabulary (Henry, 1988, 1993, 2010a). As children learn the common prefixes, suffixes, and Latin and Greek bases, they gain new understanding of these meaning-based building blocks in English words.
In the past 35 years, especially in the current decade, research in the area of morphology has continued to evolve. Although many studies still emphasize phonemic awareness and phonics, more and more attention has been paid to morphological awareness (i.e., an awareness of morphemic patterns in words and their meanings; Nunes, Bryant, & Evans, 2010) as a major research area. Those students who could use this morphological awareness were said to have morphological knowledge. The work of many researchers and educators illustrates the need to introduce morphology, which was once thought to be useful only in the upper elementary and secondary grades, in the early grades. Ebbers (2008) found that even second graders encounter inflections, compounds, and derivations in both narrative and informative text. Apel and Henbest (2016) gained support in their study of first through third graders "... for how students might use morphological problem solving to read unknown multimorphemic words successfully" (p. 148). Bowers and Kirby (2010) and Bowers and Cooke (2012) emphasized the importance of including morphology in literacy instruction, especially for less able and younger students. Devonshire, Morris, and Fluck (2013) concluded that using explicit instruction of morphology and etymology (i.e., the historical origins of words) should be taught in addition to traditional phonics beginning as early as kindergarten and first grade.
Similarly, recent professional practice guidelines have emphasized the importance of morphological awareness and etymology. The Knowledge and Practice Standards for Teachers of Reading, Section B, developed by the International Dyslexia Association's Professional Standards and Practices Committee in 2010, includes the Knowledge of the Structure of Language. Section B2 recognizes the importance of understanding the etymology of words, the...