A Framework for Analysis of Case Studies of Reading Lessons

This paper focuses on the development and study of a framework to provide direction and guidance for practicing teachers in using a web-based case studies program for professional development in early reading; the program is called Case Studies Reading Lessons (CSRL). The framework directs and guides teachers’ analysis of reading instruction by focusing their attention to three critical dimensions of the process of teaching; in theory, analysis of a wide variety of reading lessons, using this framework, should contribute to teachers’ expertise. We report on a study of the Thinking Questions, which scaffold teachers’ analysis of the reading lessons, to determine the extent to which their responses meet theoretical expectations. Results suggest that teachers’ ratings of lessons tap their overall expertise in analysis of reading instruction, such that the three dimensions and features that represent these do not constitute separate factors. However, performance on the Thinking Questions differentiated more and less experienced teachers. As expected, less experienced teachers wrote longer and more specific comments about the instruction than more experienced teachers, who tended to highlight effective principles. The results suggest that an analytic framework of the kind used in CSRL holds promise as an effective component of a case-based professional development program. However, they also point to the need for further study of the framework and its influence on teachers’ own teaching practices

Predictors of Reading Comprehension Outcomes in School-Aged Children with Cochlear Implants.

By bypassing damaged portions of the inner ear and stimulating the auditory nerve directly, cochlear implants (CIs) provide children with significant hearing loss with greater access to the sound representations of words essential for speech and language development and later literacy learning. To date, research on the educational benefits of CIs has primarily focused on children’s speech and language development and less on the potential improvements in literacy achievement stemming from this medical advance. The purpose of this study was to examine whether the initial speech and language benefits for young children with CIs are associated with improved reading comprehension in the early elementary years, and if so, what factors appear to be significant predictors of improved reading outcomes. Thirty-one children with CIs (ages 7 - 11 years), with an average age at implant activation of 1.9 years, participated in this study. Over two-thirds (68%) of the children scored within or above the average range for their age (i.e., standard score ≥ 85) on the Passage Comprehension subtest of the Woodcock-Johnson III-NU Tests of Achievement. However, the group mean remained more than half a standard deviation (SD) below the norm population, despite an above-average group mean on measures of Performance IQ. Path analyses revealed that proficiency in children’s reading comprehension outcomes was associated with a younger age at implant activation, higher parental education, greater word recognition proficiency, and a broader vocabulary base. These findings highlight the importance of early identification and treatment of hearing loss. Additionally, they indicate the need for continued research and interventions targeted at supporting children’s vocabulary learning in the home and school context to foster reading development in children with CIs.PHDEducational StudiesUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/93915/1/avereb_1.pd