Vocabulary development is essential to early language acquisition, supporting cognitive, social, and academic growth. While much research focuses on general vocabulary, studies on multiple-meaning words – polysemous (related meanings) or homonymous (unrelated meanings) – are limited. This study focused on the expressive lexicon, examining (1) the progression of multiple-meaning word acquisition across ages 3, 4, and 5; (2) differences in acquisition between polysemous and homonymous words; and (3) the impact of a gamified intervention program on multiple-meaning word knowledge. Results showed age-related gains in multiple-meaning word knowledge, from ages 3 to 5. Polysemous words showed a trend of improvement from age 3, whereas homonymous word gains emerged only from age 4. The intervention program enhanced retrieval across all ages, with greater benefits for ages 4 and 5. These findings deepen understanding of expressive multiple-meaning vocabulary development in preschoolers and highlight age-related and semantic-category differences.

A small-scale evaluation of a psycho-educational program on cyberbullying with a group of Year 6 girls was implemented over six sessions, and was subsequently evaluated. Its content included knowledge of cyberbullying and its effects, and management and safety strategies for the participants and their peers. Increases in the girls’ detailed knowledge of cyberbullying and safety strategies followed the program's implementation. Students provided positive evaluations of the program and also suggested some good ideas for a schoolwide policy on cyberbullying. To date there has been minimal intervention research on cyberbullying, and few studies with primary-aged students. The present study redresses this imbalance.