Journal Staff

The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of an intervention that focuses on phonics, decoding, reading speed and phonological awareness for 8-9 year old children in reading difficulties. Participants were selected on the basis of screening test results in grade one (decoding and reading comprehension). The participants were divided into two groups, an intervention group (A1, n=10 children) and a control group (A2, n=10). A1 received 30 minutes of intense reading instruction every day for six weeks from special educational needs teachers on top of their usual classroom based reading instruction. The control group received only their usual classroom-based reading instruction. Both groups completed a pre-intervention test and a post-intervention test to determine the effect of the intervention. Both groups were tested for decoding, phonological awareness, letter/sound connection, RAN and reading speed. The results show that both groups increased their reading ability with A1 showing the bigger gain. The intervention had significant effect after six weeks training on decoding words and non-words, and a tendency to significance for reading speed. The findings highlight the importance of early structural phonological training to accomplish and strengthen children’s reading speed and decoding ability, especially for children in reading difficulties

Developing reading comprehension for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder through concrete representations : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Educational Psychology at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand

The ability to comprehend written text is an essential skill for all students, leading to their increased engagement at school, and the development of communication and cognitive skills. Recent research has found that a significant number of students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may have fluent word reading skills, but often experience difficulties with reading comprehension. Research is limited on this topic, and there are few studies that have identified strategies that enhance comprehension for learners with ASD. In the present study, the researcher investigated whether it was possible for students with ASD to improve their reading comprehension through a multimodal, researcher developed intervention, “Show Me’. Concrete figures and objects representing text features were manipulated by the students in accordance with the text they read, as a scaffold to assist their understanding. A single subject multiple baseline design was utilised to assess the effect of the intervention on the reading comprehension ability of three participants (aged 7-10 years old) with ASD. The results established a functional relationship between the independent variable, the ‘Show Me’ intervention, and participants’ ability to respond to comprehension questions during and after a reading session. A smaller relationship was established between the intervention and the verbal output of the students. Staff responses to the intervention were positive and indicated high social validity. The findings suggest that the manipulation of concrete representations may support students with ASD develop their reading comprehension abilities

An Analysis of Rx for Discovery Reading for Elementary Students Below Grade Level in Reading

Abstract Rx for Discovery Reading® is an intervention developed by the National Institute for Learning Development to impact the reading abilities of students below grade level in reading. For this study, the areas of phonological processing, decoding, and fluency were investigated using pre- and post-test scores from the KTEA-II, GORT, and DIBELS. The problem studied was whether Rx for Discovery Reading® would raise the mean standard scores in these three areas. Using a small-group format, twenty-nine students were involved in the intervention for fifty forty-five minute sessions over one school year. Eight NILD educational therapists in a variety of geographical areas implemented the intervention. At the conclusion of the field test, the data were examined, discovering that the students had significantly higher post-test standard scores compared to the pre-test standard scores. These results demonstrate that this intervention may contribute greatly in enabling students become more proficient readers, overcoming a reading deficit

A comparison study of Quick60 and reading recovery instruction : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Educational Psychology at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand

New Zealand has a national system of early reading intervention called Reading Recovery. This intervention is available to children after a year at school if they are seriously underachieving in reading. There has, however, been concern that the intervention has not achieved its aim of bringing underachieving readers up to class average. Results of international literacy surveys consistently indicate a wide gap between the best and poorest readers. Some critics have argued that a key reason for the gap is a lack of focus on the explicit teaching of phonologically-based skills in Reading Recovery and that other interventions could be more effective. One intervention that has been suggested is Quick60, a New Zealand developed literacy intervention for underachieving children that is taught in small groups and emphasises the teaching of phonologically-based skills. One aim of the present study was to assess the efficacy of Quick60 relative to Reading Recovery. A second aim was to consider whether Quick60 could be of equal efficacy but more cost-effective than Reading Recovery which is taught on an individual basis and is whole language in approach. The comparison study of Quick60 and Reading Recovery took place in two schools and involved 30 children. Children were assessed on a number of language and literacy measures before and after 13 weeks of instruction. The results of the study indicated that both the Quick60 and Reading Recovery children made gains but no more than did the control group

Reading Next: A Vision for Action and Research in Middle and High School Literacy

Outlines fifteen key elements that educators can use to develop an effective adolescent literacy intervention program. Focuses on elements of interventions that are most promising for students that struggle with reading and writing after third grade

The Effects Of Parental Reading Socialisation On The Reading Skill Performance Of Rural Primary School Students In Sarawak

Extant research on home literacy practices such as parental reading socialisation have demonstrated positive impacts on children in terms of academic performance. A particular aspect that sparks pedagogic importance is the scaffolding potential of reading at home to the learning of English language in non-native English Language contexts. This study aimed to examine the effects of mother’s involvement in home- reading sessions on students’ English reading skill performance in Bau, Sarawak. Prior to carrying out the intervention of reading at home with their children, 31 mothers of Bidayuh ethnicity voluntarily attended a one-day workshop to orient them to the intervention and the use of logbooks to record details of their shared readings. However, only 18 mothers conducted reading sessions with their children and submitted a total of 21 logbooks detailing the frequency and material selection for reading. Their children, consisting of primary 1 to 4 students were required to sit for a pre-test and a post-test that measure their English language reading proficiency. The test scores were analysed using the paired-sample T-test. There was a significant increase in the students’ post-test scores following the reading intervention. The results revealed that despite the low frequency of mother-child shared reading sessions, the sessions positively affected the students’ reading performance. This finding suggests that parental reading socialisation can facilitate students’ literacy development. However, the use of materials in Bidayuh as a native language as opposed to Malay or English may increase the rural parents’ participation in home-literacy activities, and encourage early literacy in children

The Effect of Visual Aid and Games on Reading Performance of Down Syndrome Children

Children with Down syndrome might demonstrate slow progress in reading. In fad some of the children might be able to read but did not understand the concept o reading. They might not remember what they had read, especially when the reading method gave emphasis to alphabet memorization and spelling. However, Down Syndrome children might learn to read better using visual stimuli to compensate their fewer memory channels (Oelwein, 1995). They also learned best using a hands on approach with activities that are meaningful to them (Dunaway,2005). A specific reading program then was designed to help the children acquiring better reading performance. This program was intended to modify the previous reading program tho emphasized on spelling method. it employed the playful approach including the use visual aid, such as specially designed pictorial books and cards, and games such as matching cards, word play, role-play and sports. The subjects of the program were three Down Syndrome children within age range of 8- 10 years old, and IQ range between 50-65. The intervention process of this program, and its varied effects on children reading performance (including matching, selecting and naming) will be explained. The obstacles and suggestions will be further discussed

What does it mean to be a reader? Identity and positioning in two high school literacy intervention classes

Studies of high school literacy intervention classes have measured reading gains through standardized assessments, but few have considered the impact on students’ identities. In this embedded case study, I used theories of identity and positioning to answer two research questions: How did institutional and interpersonal acts of positioning in two literacy intervention classrooms build on, change, or challenge students’ personal histories and identities as readers? How did these acts shape students’ understandings of themselves as readers over time? I collected and analyzed interviews, field notes, and artifacts. Analyses revealed that ongoing positioning in one classroom thickened one student’s identity as a poor reader. Positioning in the second classroom reinforced the other student’s identity as a good student but had little impact on her identity as a reader. These findings highlight the need to better understand how instructional contexts privilege particular ways of reading and understandings of what it means to be a reader.Accepted manuscrip

Reading and Math Interventions at the Secondary Level: A Research Brief

Starting in the early 2000’s with the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) act, federal and state education authorities promoted the use of accountability policies that require schools to meet certain measures of academic progress overtime. Annual Yearly Progress (AYP) and Annual Measurable Objectives (AMOs) have become the new measure of school success. These policies rely heavily on students’ Math and Reading achievement at particular benchmark grades, leading local educational agencies (i.e. school divisions) to place increased emphasis on the reading and math results of state-mandated testing. In Virginia, pressures to meet AYP and AMOs by improving school performance on the Standards of Learning assessments – especially in academically underperforming schools – has to led to the adoption of various reading and math interventions designed to support student learning. While there is some broadening of school success criteria in the newly authorized Every Student Succeeds Education Act, it is likely that achievement in math and reading will still be a top priority in our education system. Therefore, even amidst changing policy, the importance of identifying and implementing effective interventions still exists. At the secondary level, reading and math interventions play a unique role in student achievement. While there may be students that struggle with math and reading at the secondary level, in most cases secondary course work has moved beyond these basic skills. For example, high school English classes are literature-based, and the teachers at this level are not trained to teach reading skills. For this reason, many local school divisions have had to develop interventions that restructure the form and the content of the curriculum, and draw on new resources for addressing these needs. Strategies include increasing instructional time in math and reading, integrating math and reading skills across the curriculum, and purchasing off the shelf curriculums, many of which are computer based. However, while the implementation of interventions has been widely accepted, some ambiguity still exists around which programs are most effective for school divisions to implement with their students1 . With hundreds of reading and math interventions available to school divisions, it can be challenging to select the most appropriate intervention for local schools. As a result, divisions often adopt multiple interventions that can sometimes appear to be fragmented. In accordance with the Regulations Establishing Accrediting Standards for Public Schools in Virginia (SOA), the Virginia Board of Education has published a list of recommended instructional interventions. While this list is beneficial, it still provides school divisions with a potentially overwhelming number of intervention options and provides little evidence that demonstrate their efficacy.1 As a result, school divisions are left to do their own research to decide which option is most appropriate to implement with their students