The Effect of Orthographic Mapping, Context, and Word Class on Sight Word Learning for Native and Nonnative English-Speakers

This study investigated three questions: 1.) Does training in orthographic mapping better support flashcard reading over a control group, 2.) Does providing meaning clarifications during flashcard reading better support learning over not providing meanings, 3.) Does grammatical word class affect word learning, and 4.) Do these manipulations affect word learning differently in native and nonnative speakers? Additionally, this study investigated whether literacy and language skills predict the reading of words presented in isolation. Native (n = 40) and nonnative (n = 41) English-speaking kindergarten students\u27 were randomly assigned to either the orthographic mapping or control condition prior to flashcard word reading. Students in the orthographic mapping condition were trained in small groups on mapping grapheme-phoneme relations in words for three consecutive days. Students in the control group participated in an interactive read aloud for the equivalent amount of time. After the third day of training, individual students practiced learning to read content and function words on flashcards. In one condition words were taught in meaningful sentences. In the other condition words were taught in isolation. Results of ANOVAs demonstrated that both native and nonnative speakers were better able to read words when they were taught in isolation than in sentences, and native speakers were better able to spell words when taught in isolation than in sentences. However, both groups were better able to embed words in sentences when words were taught with meaning clarifying sentences than in isolation. Both native and nonnative speakers performed better with content words than with function words. Full alphabetic readers performed better than partial alphabetic readers on orthographic mapping, reading, and spelling words regardless of language proficiency status. Also, results of hierarchical linear regressions demonstrated that language proficiency accounted for a significant amount of unique variance in reading function words in isolation, but this was not the case for reading content words in isolation

Investigating Writing Performance and Institutional Supports Among Teacher Candidates Who Transferred from Community Colleges

To provide a snapshot of the skills of community college students as compared to senior college students, this study investigated writing performance and college experience of initial two-year enrolled (community college transfer students, n = 17) versus initial four-year enrolled students (n = 12) in a teacher preparation program. Results of independent samples t-tests on in-class writing, research paper, and final score were non-significant (p =.28, p = .54, p = .15, respectively) indicating that two-year and four-year start teacher candidates did not differ in their performance on these assignments nor overall in the course. Qualitative data indicated that while both two- and four-year start teacher candidates had a positive writing identity during their first two years of college, the personal support that two-year starts had may be what enabled them to succeed and have a positive writing identity once they transferred to a four-year college. Implications regarding how to coordinate supports for transfer student teacher candidates will be discussed, as this is the very population of diverse students needed as PreK-12 teachers

To See or Not to See:How Does Seeing Spellings Support Vocabulary Learning?

Purpose The aim of this study was to determine when, why, and how the presence of a word's written form during instruction aids vocabulary learning (a process known as orthographic facilitation). Method A systematic review of the research on orthographic facilitation was carried out. PsycInfo, Web of Science, ProQuest, and OpenGrey databases were searched. The search returned 3,529 results, and 23 of these met inclusion criteria. Studies were included in the review if they were written in English, published in a peer-reviewed journal, and compared vocabulary learning outcomes when words were taught with and without their written forms. Conclusions There is strong evidence that the presence of a word's written form leads to improved learning of its spelling and spoken form. There is also some evidence that it may lead to better learning of a word's meaning. A small number of studies have also shown that the presence of a word's written form benefits vocabulary learning in children with developmental language disorder, autism, Down syndrome, and reading difficulties. However, further research into the effects of orthographic facilitation in special populations is needed. In particular, ecologically valid experiments in clinical and educational settings are required in order to better understand how exposure to a word's written form can aid naturalistic vocabulary learning

Investigating Writing Performance and Institutional Supports Among Teacher Candidates Who Transferred from Community Colleges

To provide a snapshot of the skills of community college students as compared to senior college students, this study investigated writing performance and college experience of initial two-year enrolled (community college transfer students, n = 17) versus initial four-year enrolled students (n = 12) in a teacher preparation program. Results of independent samples t-tests on in-class writing, research paper, and final score were non-significant (p =.28, p = .54, p = .15, respectively) indicating that two-year and four-year start teacher candidates did not differ in their performance on these assignments nor overall in the course. Qualitative data indicated that while both two- and four-year start teacher candidates had a positive writing identity during their first two years of college, the personal support that two-year starts had may be what enabled them to succeed and have a positive writing identity once they transferred to a four-year college. Implications regarding how to coordinate supports for transfer student teacher candidates will be discussed, as this is the very population of diverse students needed as PreK-12 teachers.SIN FINANCIACIÓNNo data 201

Maximising access to reading intervention : Comparing small group and one-to-one protocols of Reading Rescue

Reading Rescue (Reading Rescue), a research and evidence-based programme for struggling readers (Ehri et al., 2007; Miles et al., 2018), was developed by an academic in response to the cost and lack of explicit letter, phonemic awareness and phonics instruction in Reading Recovery. Reading Rescue represents a pathway from research to practice. An academic advisor works closely with the nonacademic partner that trains school staff to deliver the programme in order to maintain alignment of the curriculum with research from the reading science field. In this study, the academic and nonacademic partner evaluated the effectiveness of small-group delivery of Reading Rescue, which has previously only been evaluated in a one-to-one delivery mode. This study therefore provides an illustration of how academics and practitioners can work together to achieve practical outcomes. This study compared the performance of two cohorts (N = 146; 104) of randomly assigned first-graders who received 50 sessions of Reading Rescue in a one-to-one or a small group setting compared with a control group. Results showed that intervention groups outperformed the control group (for most associations, p .05), suggesting the small group protocol is as effective as one-to-one, enabling the programme to serve substantially more students. Discussion focuses on the importance of collaboration between academics and practitioners in expanding the reach of evidence-based programmes. The collaboration in this study serves as a model for how academics, and practitioners can join forces and leverage their expertise to reach more students