The Home Literacy Environment and Latino Head Start Children's Emergent Literacy Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Farver, Jo Ann M.; Xu, Yiyuan; Lonigan, Christopher J.; Eppe, Stefanie

2013-01-01

This study examined children's early literacy skills in both English and Spanish at entry to preschool to investigate the pattern of association among these skills and their families' home language and literacy practices. The participants were 392 primarily Latino immigrant (85%) families and their children. Mothers completed questionnaires about…

Genetic and Environmental Influences on Early Literacy Skills across School Grade Contexts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haughbrook, Rasheda; Hart, Sara A.; Schatschneider, Christopher; Taylor, Jeanette

2017-01-01

Recent research suggests that the etiology of reading achievement can differ across environmental contexts. In the US, schools are commonly assigned grades (e.g. "A," "B") often interpreted to indicate school quality. This study explored differences in the etiology of early literacy skills for students based on these school…

Examining the Predictive Relations between Two Aspects of Self-Regulation and Growth in Preschool Children’s Early Literacy Skills

PubMed Central

Lonigan, Christopher J.; Allan, Darcey M.; Phillips, Beth M.

2016-01-01

There is strong evidence that self-regulatory processes are linked to early academic skills both concurrently and longitudinally. The majority of extant longitudinal studies, however, have been conducted using autoregressive techniques that may not accurately model change across time. The purpose of this study was to examine the unique associations between two components of self-regulation, attention and executive functioning (EF), and growth in early literacy skills over the preschool year using latent-growth-curve analysis. The sample included 1,082 preschool children (M-age = 55.0 months, SD = 3.73). Children completed measures of vocabulary, syntax, phonological awareness, print knowledge, cognitive ability, and self-regulation, and children’s classroom teachers completed a behavior rating measure. To examine the independent relations of the self-regulatory skills and cognitive ability with children’s initial early literacy skills and growth across the preschool year, growth models in which the intercept and slope were simultaneously regressed on each of the predictor variables were examined. Because of the significant relation between intercept and slope for most outcomes, slope was regressed on intercept in the models to allow a determination of direct and indirect effects of the predictors on growth in children’s language and literacy skills across the preschool year. In general, both teacher-rated inattention and directly measured EF were uniquely associated with initial skills level; however, only teacher-rated inattention uniquely predicted growth in early literacy skills. These findings suggest that teacher-ratings of inattention may measure an aspect of self-regulation that is particularly associated with the acquisition of academic skills in early childhood. PMID:27854463

Assessment of Preschool Early Literacy Skills: Linking Children's Educational Needs with Empirically Supported Instructional Activities.

PubMed

Lonigan, Christopher J; Allan, Nicholas P; Lerner, Matthew D

2011-05-01

The importance of the preschool period for becoming a skilled reader is highlighted by a significant body of evidence that preschool children's development in the areas of oral language, phonological awareness, and print knowledge is predictive of how well they will learn to read once they are exposed to formal reading instruction in elementary school. Although there are now a number of empirically supported instructional activities for helping children who are at -risk of later reading difficulties acquire these early literacy skills, limitations in instructional time and opportunities in most preschool settings requires the use of valid assessment procedures to ensure that instructional resources are utilized efficiently. In this paper, we discuss the degree to which informal, diagnostic, screening, and progress-monitoring assessments of preschool early literacy skills can inform instructional decisions by considering the strengths and weaknesses of each approach to assessment.

Using Educational Technology to Develop Early Literacy Skills in Sub-Saharan Africa

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abrami, Philip C.; Wade, C. Anne; Lysenko, Larysa; Marsh, Jonathon; Gioko, Anthony

2016-01-01

The research explores the impact of interactive, multimedia literacy software (ABRA) on the reading skills of early elementary students in Kenya. Twelve grade two English teachers and their students from six schools were randomly divided in half: an experimental group (N = 180) where ABRA was part of their English Language instruction and a…

Attendance, Performance and the Acquisition of Early Literacy Skills: A Comparison of Indigenous and Non-Indigenous School Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ehrich, John; Wolgemuth, Jennifer R.; Helmer, Janet; Oteng, Georges; Lea, Tess; Bartlett, Claire; Smith, Heather; Emmett, Sue

2010-01-01

As part of an evaluation of a web-based early literacy intervention, ABRACADABRA, a small exploratory study was conducted over one term in three primary schools in the Northern Territory. Of particular concern was the relationship between attendance and the acquisition of early literacy skills of Indigenous and non-Indigenous children. Using the…

Evaluating the Structure of Early English Literacy Skills in Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Children.

PubMed

Webb, Mi-Young; Lederberg, Amy R; Branum-Martin, Lee; McDonald Connor, Carol

2015-10-01

Better understanding the mechanisms underlying developing literacy has promoted the development of more effective reading interventions for typically developing children. Such knowledge may facilitate effective instruction of deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) children. Hence, the current study examined the multivariate associations among phonological awareness, alphabetic knowledge, word reading, and vocabulary skills in DHH children who have auditory access to speech. One hundred and sixty-seven DHH children (M age = 60.43 months) were assessed with a battery of early literacy measures. Forty-six percent used at least 1 cochlear implant; 54% were fitted with hearing aids. About a fourth of the sample was acquiring both spoken English and sign. Scores on standardized tests of phonological awareness and vocabulary averaged at least 1 standard deviation (SD) below the mean of the hearing norming sample. Confirmatory factor analyses showed that DHH children's early literacy skills were best characterized by a complex 3-factor model in which phonological awareness, alphabetic knowledge, and vocabulary formed 3 separate, but highly correlated constructs, with letter-sound knowledge and word reading skills relating to both phonological awareness and alphabetic knowledge. This supports the hypothesis that early reading of DHH children with functional hearing is qualitatively similar to that of hearing children. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

The Development of STAR Early Literacy. Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

School Renaissance Inst., Inc., Madison, WI.

This report describes the development and testing of a computerized early literacy diagnostic assessment for students in prekindergarten to grade 3 that can measure skills across a variety of preliteracy and reading domains. The STAR Early Literacy assessment was developed by a team of more than 50 people, including literacy experts,…

Oral narrative skills: Explaining the language-emergent literacy link by race/ethnicity and SES.

PubMed

Gardner-Neblett, Nicole; Iruka, Iheoma U

2015-07-01

Although children's early language skills have been found to predict literacy outcomes, little is known about the role of preschool oral narrative skills in the pathway between language and emergent literacy or how these associations differ by race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status. The current study uses the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study to explore how language at age 2 is associated with narrative skills at age 4 and emergent literacy outcomes at age 5 for a nationally representative sample of children. Findings demonstrate that early language is associated with narrative skills for most children. Oral narrative skills were found to mediate the pathway between early language and kindergarten emergent literacy for poor and nonpoor African American children. Implications for children's literacy development and future research are discussed. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Suitability of the Literacy and Numeracy Screening (LINUS) 2.0 Programme in Assessing Children's Early Literacy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Luyee, Eunice Ong; Roselan, Fauzan Izzati; Anwardeen, Nor Hafizah; Mustapa, Fatin Hazirah Mohd

2015-01-01

Early literacy skills are crucial in a child's learning process and awareness should be raised in order to ensure the quality of early literacy assessments. In this paper, the writers discuss the quality of early literacy assessment in Malaysia, LINUS 2.0 by looking at its validity and reliability. An established early literacy program is compared…

Empirically Based Profiles of the Early Literacy Skills of Children with Language Impairment in Early Childhood Special Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Justice, Laura; Logan, Jessica; Kaderavek, Joan; Schmitt, Mary Beth; Tompkins, Virginia; Bartlett, Christopher

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to empirically determine whether specific profiles characterize preschool-aged children with language impairment (LI) with respect to their early literacy skills (print awareness, name-writing ability, phonological awareness, alphabet knowledge); the primary interest was to determine if one or more profiles suggested…

Neighborhood Socioeconomic Well-Being, Home Literacy, and Early Literacy Skills of At-Risk Preschoolers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Froiland, John Mark; Powell, Douglas R.; Diamond, Karen E.; Son, Seung-Hee Claire

2013-01-01

In response to growing research and policy interest in the developmental contexts of early literacy, this study examined relations between neighborhood socioeconomic well-being, home literacy (parent-child shared reading and number of books at home), and directly assessed early literacy outcomes among 551 Head Start students in the fall of…

Factors that Impact West Virginia Head Start Parental Involvement in Early Literacy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clausell, Arlene Midget

2010-01-01

The research problem is: Many parents are not involved in their children's early literacy education. Some Head Start parents experience issues that keep them from teaching their children early literacy skills. The research questions were: What are the factors for parental involvement in the support of early literacy skill development for their…

The role of home literacy practices in preschool children's language and emergent literacy skills.

PubMed

Roberts, Joanne; Jurgens, Julia; Burchinal, Margaret

2005-04-01

This study examined how 4 specific measures of home literacy practices (i.e., shared book reading frequency, maternal book reading strategies, child's enjoyment of reading, and maternal sensitivity) and a global measure of the quality and responsiveness of the home environment during the preschool years predicted children's language and emergent literacy skills between the ages of 3 and 5 years. Study participants were 72 African American children and their mothers or primary guardians primarily from low-income families whose home literacy environment and development have been followed since infancy. Annually, between 18 months and 5 years of age, the children's mothers were interviewed about the frequency they read to their child and how much their child enjoyed being read to, and the overall quality and responsiveness of the home environment were observed. Mothers also were observed reading to their child once a year at 2, 3, and 4 years of age, and maternal sensitivity and types of maternal book reading strategies were coded. Children's receptive and expressive language and vocabulary were assessed annually between 3 years of age and kindergarten entry, and emergent literacy skills were assessed at 4 years and kindergarten entry. The specific home literacy practices showed moderate to large correlations with each other, and only a few significant associations with the language and literacy outcomes, after controlling for maternal education, maternal reading skills, and the child's gender. The global measure of overall responsiveness and support of the home environment was the strongest predictor of children's language and early literacy skills and contributed over and above the specific literacy practice measures in predicting children's early language and literacy development.

The Emergent Literacy Skills of Preschool Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

PubMed

Westerveld, M F; Paynter, J; Trembath, D; Webster, A A; Hodge, A M; Roberts, J

2017-02-01

A high percentage of school-age students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have reading comprehension difficulties leading to academic disadvantage. These difficulties may be related to differences in children's emergent literacy development in the preschool years. In this study, we examined the relationship between emergent literacy skills, broader cognitive and language ability, autism severity, and home literacy environment factors in 57 preschoolers with ASD. The children showed strengths in code-related emergent literacy skills such as alphabet knowledge, but significant difficulties with meaning-related emergent literacy skills. There was a significant relationship between meaning-related skills, autism severity, general oral language skills, and nonverbal cognition. Identification of these meaning-related precursors will guide the targets for early intervention to help ensure reading success for students with ASD.

Literacy Skills in Children With Cochlear Implants: The Importance of Early Oral Language and Joint Storybook Reading

PubMed Central

Ambrose, Sophie E.; Eisenberg, Laurie S.

2009-01-01

The goal of this study was to longitudinally examine relationships between early factors (child and mother) that may influence children's phonological awareness and reading skills 3 years later in a group of young children with cochlear implants (N = 16). Mothers and children were videotaped during two storybook interactions, and children's oral language skills were assessed using the “Reynell Developmental Language Scales, third edition.” Three years later, phonological awareness, reading skills, and language skills were assessed using the “Phonological Awareness Test,” the “Woodcock–Johnson-III Diagnostic Reading Battery,” and the “Oral Written Language Scales.” Variables included in the data analyses were child (age, age at implant, and language skills) and mother factors (facilitative language techniques) and children's phonological awareness and reading standard scores. Results indicate that children's early expressive oral language skills and mothers’ use of a higher level facilitative language technique (open-ended question) during storybook reading, although related, each contributed uniquely to children's literacy skills. Individual analyses revealed that the children with expressive standard scores below 70 at Time 1 also performed below average (<85) on phonological awareness and total reading tasks 3 years later. Guidelines for professionals are provided to support literacy skills in young children with cochlear implants. PMID:18417463

A Head Start to Learning: Exploration of a Parent-Directed Intervention to Promote Early Literacy Skill Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sundman-Wheat, Ashley N.

2012-01-01

This study examined the effects of a parent-led intervention focused on developing children's early literacy skills within the home setting. The lesson plans contain scripted steps for completing activities to teach letter names and phonological awareness skills. Archival data were analyzed from a study conducted with 26 families from three…

Maternal Involvement in the Home Literacy Environment: Supporting Literacy Skills in Children with Cochlear Implants

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DesJardin, Jean L.; Ambrose, Sophie E.; Eisenberg, Laurie S.

2011-01-01

This study examines the home literacy environment in a group of mothers and their early-school-age children with cochlear implants (N = 16). The goals of this investigation are to (a) describe the characteristics of the home literacy environment and (b) study the relationships between home literacy factors and children's reading skills. Mothers…

Enhancing Literacy Skills through Technology.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sistek-Chandler, Cynthia

2003-01-01

Discusses how to use technology to enhance literacy skills. Highlights include defining literacy, including information literacy; research to support reading and writing instruction; literacy software; thinking skills; organizational strategies for writing and reading; how technology can individualize literacy instruction; and a new genre of…

The cross-linguistic transfer of early literacy skills: the role of initial L1 and L2 skills and language of instruction.

PubMed

Cárdenas-Hagan, Elsa; Carlson, Coleen D; Pollard-Durodola, Sharolyn D

2007-07-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of initial first and second language proficiencies as well as the language of instruction that a student receives on the relationship between native language ability of students who are English language learners (ELLs) and their development of early literacy skills and the second language. This study investigated the development of early language and literacy skills among Spanish-speaking students in 2 large urban school districts, 1 middle-size urban district, and 1 border district. A total of 1,016 ELLs in kindergarten participated in the study. Students were administered a comprehensive battery of tests in English and Spanish, and classroom observations provided information regarding the Spanish or English language use of the teacher. Findings from this study suggest that Spanish-speaking students with high Spanish letter name and sound knowledge tend to show high levels of English letter name and sound knowledge. ELLs with low Spanish and English letter name and sound knowledge tend to show high levels of English letter name and sound knowledge when they are instructed in English. Letter name and sound identification skills are fairly highly positively correlated across languages in the beginning of the kindergarten year. In addition, phonological awareness skills appear to be the area with the most significant and direct transfer of knowledge, and language skills do not appear to be a factor in the development of phonological awareness. Finally, the relationship between oral language skills across languages was low, suggesting little relationship between oral language skills across languages at the beginning of the kindergarten year. Results from this study suggest that pedagogical decisions for ELLs should not only consider effective instructional literacy strategies but also acknowledge that the language of instruction for Spanish-speaking ELLs may produce varying results for different students.

Developing Early Literacy Skills: A Meta-Analysis of Alphabet Learning and Instruction.

PubMed

Piasta, Shayne B; Wagner, Richard K

2010-01-01

Alphabet knowledge is a hallmark of early literacy and facilitating its development has become a primary objective of pre-school instruction and intervention. However, little agreement exists about how to promote the development of alphabet knowledge effectively. A meta-analysis of the effects of instruction on alphabet outcomes demonstrated that instructional impacts differed by type of alphabet outcome examined and content of instruction provided. School-based instruction yielded larger effects than home-based instruction; small-group instruction yielded larger effects than individual tutoring programs. We found minimal evidence of transfer of alphabet instruction to early phonological, reading, or spelling skills. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Teaching Early Braille Literacy Skills within a Stimulus Equivalence Paradigm to Children with Degenerative Visual Impairments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Toussaint, Karen A.; Tiger, Jeffrey H.

2010-01-01

Despite the need for braille literacy, there has been little attempt to systematically evaluate braille-instruction programs. The current study evaluated an instructive procedure for teaching early braille-reading skills with 4 school-aged children with degenerative visual impairments. Following a series of pretests, braille instruction involved…

Unraveling Genetic and Environmental Components of Early Literacy: A Twin Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bus, A. G.; Out, D.

2009-01-01

Even though the acquisition of early literacy skills obviously depends on stimuli and incentives in children's environment we may expect that genes define the constraints for acquiring some or all early literacy skills. Therefore behavior genetic analyses were carried out on twin data including 27 identical and 39 same sex dizygotic twins, 4 years…

Why do early mathematics skills predict later reading? The role of mathematical language.

PubMed

Purpura, David J; Logan, Jessica A R; Hassinger-Das, Brenna; Napoli, Amy R

2017-09-01

A growing body of evidence indicates that the development of mathematics and literacy skills is highly related. The importance of literacy skills-specifically language-for mathematics development has been well rationalized. However, despite several prominent studies indicating that mathematics skills are highly predictive of literacy development, the reason for this relation is not well understood. The purpose of this study was to identify how and why early mathematics is predictive of early literacy development. Participants included 125 preschool children 3-5 years old (M = 4 years 3 months). Participants were assessed on mathematics, literacy, and cognitive measures in both the fall and spring of their preschool year. Mediation analyses indicated that the relation between early mathematics and literacy skills is mediated by children's mathematical language skills. These findings suggest that, in prior research identifying mathematical performance as a significant predictor of later literacy skills, mathematical performance may have acted only as a proxy measure for more complex language skills such as those assessed on a mathematical language measure. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Fostering and Eliciting Emergent Literacy Skills in Potentially English Proficient Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beers, Elizabeth A.

This report describes an early intervention program to elicit emergent literacy skills in Potentially English Proficient kindergarten students. The school is located in a suburb of a large city near a naval base. The problem, lack of literacy readiness skills, was documented with a battery of tests given prior to entrance in kindergarten and the…

Socioeconomic and Gender Group Differences in Early Literacy Skills: A Multiple-Group Confirmatory Factor Analysis Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Julia Ai Cheng; Al Otaiba, Stephanie

2015-01-01

Socioeconomic status and gender are important demographic variables that strongly relate to academic achievement. This study examined the early literacy skills differences between 4 sociodemographic groups, namely, boys ineligible for free or reduced-price lunch (FRL), girls ineligible for FRL, boys eligible for FRL, and girls eligible for FRL.…

Explaining Common Variance Shared by Early Numeracy and Literacy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davidse, N. J.; De Jong, M. T.; Bus, A. G.

2014-01-01

How can it be explained that early literacy and numeracy share variance? We specifically tested whether the correlation between four early literacy skills (rhyming, letter knowledge, emergent writing, and orthographic knowledge) and simple sums (non-symbolic and story condition) reduced after taking into account preschool attention control,…

Understanding the relationship between inattention and early literacy trajectories in kindergarten.

PubMed

Ogg, Julia; Volpe, Robert; Rogers, Maria

2016-12-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between inattention, academic enabling behaviors (i.e., motivation, engagement, and interpersonal skills), and early literacy outcomes. Kindergarten students (N = 181; 55.2% male; 62% white) from two research sites (Southeastern U.S. and Eastern Canada) were assessed using the Letter Naming and Letter Sound Fluency AIMSweb Tests of Early Literacy (Shinn & Shinn, 2012) at three points across the school year. Their teachers provided information on the level of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms (ADHD Symptom Checklist-4; Gadow & Sprafkin, 2008) and academic enabling behaviors (Academic Competence Evaluation Scales; DiPerna & Elliott, 2000). Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to determine predictors of initial level and growth in early literacy. Specifically, a series of models were tested to determine if a multidimensional model of academic enablers (AEs) mediated the relationship. Engagement predicted students' initial levels of early literacy, suggesting that this is an important mediator to consider between inattention and early literacy skills. Motivation related positively to engagement. Inattention also predicted both motivation and interpersonal skills in the negative direction. These findings suggest that AEs play an important role in the relationship between inattention and early literacy. AEs provide malleable targets for intervention and should be considered when developing intervention for youth at risk for academic failure. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Statistical Learning is Related to Early Literacy-Related Skills

PubMed Central

Spencer, Mercedes; Kaschak, Michael P.; Jones, John L.; Lonigan, Christopher J.

2015-01-01

It has been demonstrated that statistical learning, or the ability to use statistical information to learn the structure of one’s environment, plays a role in young children’s acquisition of linguistic knowledge. Although most research on statistical learning has focused on language acquisition processes, such as the segmentation of words from fluent speech and the learning of syntactic structure, some recent studies have explored the extent to which individual differences in statistical learning are related to literacy-relevant knowledge and skills. The present study extends on this literature by investigating the relations between two measures of statistical learning and multiple measures of skills that are critical to the development of literacy—oral language, vocabulary knowledge, and phonological processing—within a single model. Our sample included a total of 553 typically developing children from prekindergarten through second grade. Structural equation modeling revealed that statistical learning accounted for a unique portion of the variance in these literacy-related skills. Practical implications for instruction and assessment are discussed. PMID:26478658

The Utility of the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) in Predicting Reading Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Echols, Julie M. Young

2010-01-01

Reading proficiency is the goal of many local and national reading initiatives. A key component of these initiatives is accurate and reliable reading assessment. In this high-stakes testing arena, the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) has emerged as a preferred measure for identification of students at risk for reading…

Young Learners: An Examination of the Psychometric Properties of the Early Literacy Knowledge and Skills Instrument

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chan, Man Ching Esther

2015-01-01

The Early Literacy Knowledge and Skills (ELKS) instrument was informed by the work of Ferreiro and Teberosky based on the notion that young children could be differentiated according to levels of sophistication in their understanding of the rules of written language. As an initial step to evaluate the instrument for teaching purposes, the present…

Developmental Trajectories of Preschool Early Literacy Skills: A Comparison of Language-Minority and Monolingual-English Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lonigan, Christopher J.; Farver, JoAnn M.; Nakamoto, Jonathan; Eppe, Stefanie

2013-01-01

This study utilized latent growth-curve analyses to determine if the early literacy skills of children who were Spanish-speaking language-minority (LM) followed a similar quantitative growth profile over a preschool year as that of a group of children from a comparable socioeconomic (SES) background but who were not LM. Participants, who ranged in…

Children of the Cloth: Flannelboards Are a Great Tool to Help Kids Learn Early Literacy Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arnold, Renea; Colburn, Nell

2004-01-01

Flannelboards have been a storytime staple for years in school and public libraries. The flannelboard, or feltboard as it often is called, is a great tool to help children build early literacy skills. Reading research tells us that reading aloud is most effective when it is an interactive experience between the reader and the child. Flannelboard…

Does the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills Next Assessment Take a "Simple View" of Reading?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Munger, Kristen A.; LoFaro, Stephen A.; Kawryga, Erin A.; Sovocool, Elizabeth A.; Medina, Siani Y.

2014-01-01

This study involved examination of the validity evidence of the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills-Next Edition (DIBELS Next) for a sample of 85 third-and fifth-grade students, in reference to the "simple view" of reading. Tests administered included DIBELS Next, Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-IV (PPVT-IV), Group Reading…

Why Should I Read to My Baby? The Importance of Early Literacy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

High, Pamela C.

2013-01-01

"Early Brain and Child Development" as a strategic priority of the American Academy of Pediatrics recognizes that early literacy and language skills build a strong foundation for healthy development and academic success. Promoting early literacy in the context of pediatric primary care supports early brain development and positive,…

Pilot Study Evaluating the Impact of Dialogic Reading and Shared Reading at Transition to Primary School: Early Literacy Skills and Parental Attitudes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pillinger, Claire; Wood, Clare

2014-01-01

Previous studies have demonstrated the positive impact of shared reading (SR) and dialogic reading (DR) on young children's language and literacy development. This exploratory study compared the relative impact of parental DR and shared reading interventions on 4-year-old children's early literacy skills and parental attitudes to reading…

Language-Independent and Language-Specific Aspects of Early Literacy: An Evaluation of the Common Underlying Proficiency Model.

PubMed

Goodrich, J Marc; Lonigan, Christopher J

2017-08-01

According to the common underlying proficiency model (Cummins, 1981), as children acquire academic knowledge and skills in their first language, they also acquire language-independent information about those skills that can be applied when learning a second language. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relevance of the common underlying proficiency model for the early literacy skills of Spanish-speaking language-minority children using confirmatory factor analysis. Eight hundred fifty-eight Spanish-speaking language-minority preschoolers (mean age = 60.83 months, 50.2% female) participated in this study. Results indicated that bifactor models that consisted of language-independent as well as language-specific early literacy factors provided the best fits to the data for children's phonological awareness and print knowledge skills. Correlated factors models that only included skills specific to Spanish and English provided the best fits to the data for children's oral language skills. Children's language-independent early literacy skills were significantly related across constructs and to language-specific aspects of early literacy. Language-specific aspects of early literacy skills were significantly related within but not across languages. These findings suggest that language-minority preschoolers have a common underlying proficiency for code-related skills but not language-related skills that may allow them to transfer knowledge across languages.

The Relationship between Parents' Literacy Skills and Their Preschool Children's Emergent Literacy Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taylor, Nicole A.; Greenberg, Daphne; Terry, Nicole Patton

2016-01-01

The aim of the present study was to investigate the correlational and predictive relationships between parents with low literacy skills (n = 96) and their 3-5 year old children's emergent literacy skills (n = 96). In the study parents were assessed on measures of reading comprehension, decoding, fluency, oral vocabulary, and word identification,…

The Relative Importance of English versus Spanish Language Skills for Low-Income Latino English Language Learners' Early Language and Literacy Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sonnenschein, Susan; Metzger, Shari R.; Dowling, Rebecca; Baker, Linda

2017-01-01

The association between monolingual children's early language abilities and their later reading performance is well established. However, for English language learners, the pattern of associations between early language skills and later literacy is much less well understood for English language learners. This study examined language predictors of…

School readiness of children with language impairment: predicting literacy skills from pre-literacy and social-behavioural dimensions.

PubMed

Pentimonti, Jill M; Murphy, Kimberly A; Justice, Laura M; Logan, Jessica A R; Kaderavek, Joan N

2016-03-01

School readiness generally captures the notion that children do best when they arrive at formal schooling with a certain threshold of skill that will help them thrive in the classroom's academic and social milieu. To examine the dimensionality of the construct of school readiness among children with language impairment (LI), as well as the extent to which these dimensions relate to children's end-of-kindergarten literacy skills. Participants were 136 preschool-aged children with LI. Children were assessed on measures of pre-literacy, social, and behavioural skills in preschool and reading and spelling in kindergarten. Confirmatory factor analyses indicated that school readiness for this sample of children with LI is best characterized as two dimensions: pre-literacy and socio-emotional. Of the two dimensions, pre-literacy readiness was predictive of children's future performance in reading and spelling. The results further our theoretical understanding of the dimensions of school readiness, as well as our knowledge of how these skills are related among children with LI. Identifying domain-specific readiness skills that are predictive of kindergarten success can help to identify means of early assessment and targets for speech-language intervention. © 2015 Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists.

Lift-Off for Early Literacy: Directed Reading Opportunities for Struggling Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Iannone-Campbell, Charlene; Lattimore, Susan Lloyd

2011-01-01

As early as preschool, children who struggle with emergent literacy skills can benefit from effective response to intervention. Don't wait until later grades when they've already fallen behind--improve their literacy skills now with this evidence-based Tier 2 RTI curriculum, ready for any pre-K educator to pick up and use right away. Created by…

Inattention, Hyperactivity, and Emergent Literacy: Different Facets of Inattention Relate Uniquely to Preschoolers’ Reading-Related Skills

PubMed Central

Sims, Darcey M.; Lonigan, Christopher J.

2012-01-01

Objective Although extant studies indicate that there is a strong association between Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and reading ability in elementary school children, knowledge regarding the relation between inattentive and hyperactive/impulsive behaviors and emergent literacy in preschool children is less established. This study examined the unique and overlapping relations between measures that assess inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity and emergent literacy skills in preschool children. Method Participants included 204 preschool children (Mean age = 56 months; 50.9% female; 79.8% European American). Behavioral rating scales were completed by teachers and the Continuous Performance Test (CPT) and the Test of Preschool Early Literacy were completed by the preschoolers. Results Across measures, inattention was a unique correlate of emergent literacy skills whereas hyperactivity/impulsivity was not. Both rating scales and the CPT indices of inattention were uniquely associated with emergent literacy skills. Conclusions These results suggest that these measures are assessing different manifestations of inattention that are both unique correlates of early reading skills. PMID:23186142

TEACHING EARLY BRAILLE LITERACY SKILLS WITHIN A STIMULUS EQUIVALENCE PARADIGM TO CHILDREN WITH DEGENERATIVE VISUAL IMPAIRMENTS

PubMed Central

Toussaint, Karen A; Tiger, Jeffrey H

2010-01-01

Despite the need for braille literacy, there has been little attempt to systematically evaluate braille-instruction programs. The current study evaluated an instructive procedure for teaching early braille-reading skills with 4 school-aged children with degenerative visual impairments. Following a series of pretests, braille instruction involved providing a sample braille letter and teaching the selection of the corresponding printed letter from a comparison array. Concomitant with increases in the accuracy of this skill, we assessed and captured the formation of equivalence classes through tests of symmetry and transitivity among the printed letters, the corresponding braille letters, and their spoken names. PMID:21119894

Teaching early braille literacy skills within a stimulus equivalence paradigm to children with degenerative visual impairments.

PubMed

Toussaint, Karen A; Tiger, Jeffrey H

2010-01-01

Despite the need for braille literacy, there has been little attempt to systematically evaluate braille-instruction programs. The current study evaluated an instructive procedure for teaching early braille-reading skills with 4 school-aged children with degenerative visual impairments. Following a series of pretests, braille instruction involved providing a sample braille letter and teaching the selection of the corresponding printed letter from a comparison array. Concomitant with increases in the accuracy of this skill, we assessed and captured the formation of equivalence classes through tests of symmetry and transitivity among the printed letters, the corresponding braille letters, and their spoken names.

Home Literacy Exposure and Early Language and Literacy Skills in Children Who Struggle with Behavior and Attention Problems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haak, Jill; Downer, Jason; Reeve, Ronald

2012-01-01

Research Findings: This study investigated the relationships between behavior and attention problems and early language and literacy outcomes for 4-year-olds who experienced varied early home literacy environments. Participants were 1,364 children enrolled in the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care…

Early Literacy Intervention for Preschoolers Who Need Tier 3 Support

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kaminski, Ruth A.; Powell-Smith, Kelly A.

2017-01-01

Phonemic awareness has been consistently identified as an essential skill for as well as an important predictor of later reading achievement. Children who lack these early literacy skills at kindergarten entry are more likely to demonstrate both short- and long-term reading difficulties. Despite the importance of providing intervention early,…

Get Wild about Reading: Using "Between the Lions" To Support Early Literacy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rath, Linda K.

2002-01-01

Describes the curriculum of the public television program "Between the Lions" (BTL), a series modeling behaviors and skills that foster early literacy. Shows how BTL incorporates developmentally appropriate early literacy practices. Highlights teachers' comments illustrating how BTL is being used in different classrooms and how it…

Literacy Curricula and Assessment: A Survey of Early Childhood Educators in Two States

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gischlar, Karen L.; Vesay, Joanne P.

2014-01-01

Research has consistently demonstrated the importance of early literacy instruction, as these skills are the developmental precursors to conventional reading. In this study, 215 early childhood educators in two states responded to a survey regarding early literacy curricula and assessment. Results indicated that most teachers used either a…

Training Early Literacy Related Skills: To Which Degree Does a Musical Training Contribute to Phonological Awareness Development?

PubMed Central

Kempert, Sebastian; Götz, Regina; Blatter, Kristine; Tibken, Catharina; Artelt, Cordula; Schneider, Wolfgang; Stanat, Petra

2016-01-01

Well-developed phonological awareness skills are a core prerequisite for early literacy development. Although effective phonological awareness training programs exist, children at risk often do not reach similar levels of phonological awareness after the intervention as children with normally developed skills. Based on theoretical considerations and first promising results the present study explores effects of an early musical training in combination with a conventional phonological training in children with weak phonological awareness skills. Using a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest control group design and measurements across a period of 2 years, we tested the effects of two interventions: a consecutive combination of a musical and a phonological training and a phonological training alone. The design made it possible to disentangle effects of the musical training alone as well the effects of its combination with the phonological training. The outcome measures of these groups were compared with the control group with multivariate analyses, controlling for a number of background variables. The sample included N = 424 German-speaking children aged 4–5 years at the beginning of the study. We found a positive relationship between musical abilities and phonological awareness. Yet, whereas the well-established phonological training produced the expected effects, adding a musical training did not contribute significantly to phonological awareness development. Training effects were partly dependent on the initial level of phonological awareness. Possible reasons for the lack of training effects in the musical part of the combination condition as well as practical implications for early literacy education are discussed. PMID:27899906

Reading skills of students with speech sound disorders at three stages of literacy development.

PubMed

Skebo, Crysten M; Lewis, Barbara A; Freebairn, Lisa A; Tag, Jessica; Avrich Ciesla, Allison; Stein, Catherine M

2013-10-01

The relationship between phonological awareness, overall language, vocabulary, and nonlinguistic cognitive skills to decoding and reading comprehension was examined for students at 3 stages of literacy development (i.e., early elementary school, middle school, and high school). Students with histories of speech sound disorders (SSD) with and without language impairment (LI) were compared to students without histories of SSD or LI (typical language; TL). In a cross-sectional design, students ages 7;0 (years;months) to 17;9 completed tests that measured reading, language, and nonlinguistic cognitive skills. For the TL group, phonological awareness predicted decoding at early elementary school, and overall language predicted reading comprehension at early elementary school and both decoding and reading comprehension at middle school and high school. For the SSD-only group, vocabulary predicted both decoding and reading comprehension at early elementary school, and overall language predicted both decoding and reading comprehension at middle school and decoding at high school. For the SSD and LI group, overall language predicted decoding at all 3 literacy stages and reading comprehension at early elementary school and middle school, and vocabulary predicted reading comprehension at high school. Although similar skills contribute to reading across the age span, the relative importance of these skills changes with children's literacy stages.

Early Executive Function at Age Two Predicts Emergent Mathematics and Literacy at Age Five

PubMed Central

Mulder, Hanna; Verhagen, Josje; Van der Ven, Sanne H. G.; Slot, Pauline L.; Leseman, Paul P. M.

2017-01-01

Previous work has shown that individual differences in executive function (EF) are predictive of academic skills in preschoolers, kindergartners, and older children. Across studies, EF is a stronger predictor of emergent mathematics than literacy. However, research on EF in children below age three is scarce, and it is currently unknown whether EF, as assessed in toddlerhood, predicts emergent academic skills a few years later. This longitudinal study investigates whether early EF, assessed at two years, predicts (emergent) academic skills, at five years. It examines, furthermore, whether early EF is a significantly stronger predictor of emergent mathematics than of emergent literacy, as has been found in previous work on older children. A sample of 552 children was assessed on various EF and EF-precursor tasks at two years. At age five, these children performed several emergent mathematics and literacy tasks. Structural Equation Modeling was used to investigate the relationships between early EF and academic skills, modeled as latent factors. Results showed that early EF at age two was a significant and relatively strong predictor of both emergent mathematics and literacy at age five, after controlling for receptive vocabulary, parental education, and home language. Predictive relations were significantly stronger for mathematics than literacy, but only when a verbal short-term memory measure was left out as an indicator to the latent early EF construct. These findings show that individual differences in emergent academic skills just prior to entry into the formal education system can be traced back to individual differences in early EF in toddlerhood. In addition, these results highlight the importance of task selection when assessing early EF as a predictor of later outcomes, and call for further studies to elucidate the mechanisms through which individual differences in early EF and precursors to EF come about. PMID:29075209

Early Executive Function at Age Two Predicts Emergent Mathematics and Literacy at Age Five.

PubMed

Mulder, Hanna; Verhagen, Josje; Van der Ven, Sanne H G; Slot, Pauline L; Leseman, Paul P M

2017-01-01

Previous work has shown that individual differences in executive function (EF) are predictive of academic skills in preschoolers, kindergartners, and older children. Across studies, EF is a stronger predictor of emergent mathematics than literacy. However, research on EF in children below age three is scarce, and it is currently unknown whether EF, as assessed in toddlerhood, predicts emergent academic skills a few years later. This longitudinal study investigates whether early EF, assessed at two years, predicts (emergent) academic skills, at five years. It examines, furthermore, whether early EF is a significantly stronger predictor of emergent mathematics than of emergent literacy, as has been found in previous work on older children. A sample of 552 children was assessed on various EF and EF-precursor tasks at two years. At age five, these children performed several emergent mathematics and literacy tasks. Structural Equation Modeling was used to investigate the relationships between early EF and academic skills, modeled as latent factors. Results showed that early EF at age two was a significant and relatively strong predictor of both emergent mathematics and literacy at age five, after controlling for receptive vocabulary, parental education, and home language. Predictive relations were significantly stronger for mathematics than literacy, but only when a verbal short-term memory measure was left out as an indicator to the latent early EF construct. These findings show that individual differences in emergent academic skills just prior to entry into the formal education system can be traced back to individual differences in early EF in toddlerhood. In addition, these results highlight the importance of task selection when assessing early EF as a predictor of later outcomes, and call for further studies to elucidate the mechanisms through which individual differences in early EF and precursors to EF come about.

Pro-Poor PRIMR: Improving Early Literacy Skills for Children from Low-Income Families in Kenya

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Piper, Benjamin; Jepkemei, Evelyn; Kibukho, Kennedy

2015-01-01

Children from low-income families are at risk of learning outcome difficulties, particularly in literacy. Various studies link poor literacy results with performance later in primary and secondary school, and suggest that poverty, literacy skills and weak instructional methods combine to drastically limit the educational opportunities for many…

Emergent Literacy and the Development of the Early Literacy Program Evaluation Guide

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grace, Donna J.; Brandt, Mary E.

2005-01-01

Early childhood educators believe that schooling for young children should focus on developing the "whole child," socially, emotionally, physically, and academically. Teaching pre-reading skills and encouraging children to read are essential steps on the path of literacy development. A narrow and persistent attention to academics is…

Effect of age at cochlear implantation and at exposure to Cued Speech on literacy skills in deaf children.

PubMed

Colin, S; Ecalle, J; Truy, E; Lina-Granade, G; Magnan, A

2017-12-01

The aim of this study was to investigate how age at cochlear implantation (CI) and age at exposure to Cued Speech (CS, Manual system that resolves the ambiguity inherent lipreading) could impact literacy skills in deaf children. Ninety deaf children fitted with CI (early vs late) and exposed to CS (early vs late) from primary schools (from Grade 2 to Grade 5) took part in this study. Five literacy skills were assessed: phonological skills through phoneme deletion, reading (decoding and sentence comprehension), word spelling and vocabulary. The results showed that both age at CI and age at first exposure to CS had some influence on literacy skills but there was no interaction between these factors. This implies that the positive effects of age at CI, especially on all literacy skills in the younger children, were not strengthened by age at exposure to CS. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sharing Books with Babies: Promoting Early Literacy in Early Care and Education. [Videotape].

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boston Medical Center, MA. Doc4Kids Project.

Suggesting that very young children spend every waking minute getting ready for kindergarten, this videotape for caregivers and early childhood teachers shows how to support early literacy skill development by sharing stories, relationships, and books with infants, toddlers, and preschoolers in care and education settings. The 25-minute videotape…

Development of Emergent Literacy and Early Reading Skills in Preschool Children: Evidence from a Latent-Variable Longitudinal Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lonigan, Christopher J.; Burgess, Stephen R.; Anthony, Jason L.

2000-01-01

Examined the joint and unique predictive significance of emergent literacy skills for later emergent literacy skills and reading in two samples of preschoolers. Structural equation modeling revealed significant developmental continuity of these skills, particularly for letter knowledge and phonological sensitivity from late preschool to early…

An initial reliability and validity study of the Interaction, Communication, and Literacy Skills Audit.

PubMed

El-Choueifati, Nisrine; Purcell, Alison; McCabe, Patricia; Heard, Robert; Munro, Natalie

2014-06-01

Early childhood educators (ECEs) have an important role in promoting positive outcomes for children's language and literacy development. This paper reports the development of a new tool, The Interaction Communication and Literacy (ICL) Skills Audit, and pilots its reliability and validity. Intra- and inter-rater reliability was examined by three speech-language pathologists (SLPs). Five skill areas relating to ECE language and literacy practice were rated. The face and content validity of the ICL Skills Audit was examined by expert SLPs (n = 8) and expert ECEs (n = 4) via questionnaire. The overall intra-rater reliability for the ICL Skills Audit was excellent with percentage close agreement (PCA) of 91-94. Inter-rater agreement was PCA 68-80. Expert SLPs and ECEs agreed that the content was comprehensive and practical. Based on this preliminary study, the ICL Skills Audit appears to be a promising tool that can be used by SLPs and ECEs in collaboration to measure the skills of ECEs in the areas of language and literacy support. Future psychometric and outcome research on the revised ICL Skills Audit is warranted.

Reading Skills of Students With Speech Sound Disorders at Three Stages of Literacy Development

PubMed Central

Skebo, Crysten M.; Lewis, Barbara A.; Freebairn, Lisa A.; Tag, Jessica; Ciesla, Allison Avrich; Stein, Catherine M.

2015-01-01

Purpose The relationship between phonological awareness, overall language, vocabulary, and nonlinguistic cognitive skills to decoding and reading comprehension was examined for students at 3 stages of literacy development (i.e., early elementary school, middle school, and high school). Students with histories of speech sound disorders (SSD) with and without language impairment (LI) were compared to students without histories of SSD or LI (typical language; TL). Method In a cross-sectional design, students ages 7;0 (years; months) to 17;9 completed tests that measured reading, language, and nonlinguistic cognitive skills. Results For the TL group, phonological awareness predicted decoding at early elementary school, and overall language predicted reading comprehension at early elementary school and both decoding and reading comprehension at middle school and high school. For the SSD-only group, vocabulary predicted both decoding and reading comprehension at early elementary school, and overall language predicted both decoding and reading comprehension at middle school and decoding at high school. For the SSD and LI group, overall language predicted decoding at all 3 literacy stages and reading comprehension at early elementary school and middle school, and vocabulary predicted reading comprehension at high school. Conclusion Although similar skills contribute to reading across the age span, the relative importance of these skills changes with children’s literacy stages. PMID:23833280

Foundations for Literacy: An Early Literacy Intervention for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Children

PubMed Central

Lederberg, Amy R.; Miller, Elizabeth M.; Easterbrooks, Susan R.; Connor, Carol McDonald

2014-01-01

The present study evaluated the efficacy of a new preschool early literacy intervention created specifically for deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) children with functional hearing. Teachers implemented Foundations for Literacy with 25 DHH children in 2 schools (intervention group). One school used only spoken language, and the other used sign with and without spoken language. A “business as usual” comparison group included 33 DHH children who were matched on key characteristics with the intervention children but attended schools that did not implement Foundations for Literacy. Children’s hearing losses ranged from moderate to profound. Approximately half of the children had cochlear implants. All children had sufficient speech perception skills to identify referents of spoken words from closed sets of items. Teachers taught small groups of intervention children an hour a day, 4 days a week for the school year. From fall to spring, intervention children made significantly greater gains on tests of phonological awareness, letter–sound knowledge, and expressive vocabulary than did comparison children. In addition, intervention children showed significant increases in standard scores (based on hearing norms) on phonological awareness and vocabulary tests. This quasi-experimental study suggests that the intervention shows promise for improving early literacy skills of DHH children with functional hearing. PMID:25125456

Examining the Association between the "Imagination Library" Early Childhood Literacy Program and Kindergarten Readiness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Samiei, Shahin; Bush, Andrew J.; Sell, Marie; Imig, Doug

2016-01-01

This study evaluated participation in the "Imagination Library" early childhood literacy enrichment program and children's pre-literacy and pre-numeracy skills at kindergarten entry in an urban school district. Previous studies have demonstrated that program participation is associated with greater early childhood reading practices.…

Building Language Throughout the Year: The Preschool Early Literacy Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lybolt, John; Armstrong, Jennifer; Techmanski, Kristin Evans; Gottfred, Catherine

2007-01-01

For children from low-resource backgrounds, a literacy-rich preschool experience with a skilled and engaged teacher can offset risk factors and lay the groundwork for lifelong academic success. Now schools can ensure effective early literacy instruction with this field-tested, research-based curriculum for children 3 to 5 years of age. These 41…

Context Matters: The Interrelatedness of Early Literacy Skills, Developmental Health, and Community Demographics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lesaux, Nonie K.; Vukovic, Rose K.; Hertzman, Clyde; Siegel, Linda S.

2007-01-01

Whereas the great majority of literacy research has been focused at the child level, this study examined the relationship between early literacy rates, developmental health of the population, and demographics in 23 school communities. The results showed that school-level literacy scores were related to the physical, social, and emotional maturity…

Story Based Activities Enhance Literacy Skills in Preschool Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yazici, Elçin; Bolay, Hayrunnisa

2017-01-01

We investigated the impact of story-based activities on literacy skills in pre-school children. The efficacy of story-based activities program were tested by literacy skills survey test. Results showed that, the scores of overall literacy skills and all subsets skills in the study group (n = 45) were statistically significantly higher than the…

Do Early Literacy Skills in Children's First Language Promote Development of Skills in Their Second Language? An Experimental Evaluation of Transfer

PubMed Central

Goodrich, J. Marc; Lonigan, Christopher J.; Farver, JoAnn M.

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the cross-language transfer of the emergent literacy skills of preschoolers who were Spanish-speaking language minority children in the context of an experimental intervention study. Ninety-four children were randomly assigned to either a control condition (High/Scope preschool curriculum) or to receive small-group pull-out instruction (Literacy Express Preschool Curriculum) in English or initially in Spanish and transitioning to English. We examined whether children's initial skills in one language moderated the impact of the intervention on those same skills in the other language at posttest. Results demonstrated that, for children in the English-only intervention condition, initial Spanish receptive vocabulary and elision skills moderated the impact of the intervention on English receptive vocabulary and elision skills at posttest, respectively. For children in the transitional intervention condition, initial English definitional vocabulary and elision skills moderated the impact of the intervention on Spanish definitional vocabulary and elision skills at posttest, respectively. Results for the vocabulary interactions, as well as the elision interaction for the English-only intervention group comparisons, supported the notion of transfer of specific linguistic information across languages. Results for elision interaction for the transitional intervention group comparisons supported language-independent transfer. Implications for the theory of cross-language transfer of emergent literacy skills are discussed. PMID:24019555

Contemporary Literacy: Essential Skills for the 21st Century.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murray, Janet

2003-01-01

Defines contemporary literacy and examines what skills educators and library media specialists need to learn and impart to their students. Discusses using the Big6 skills to achieve contemporary literacy; developing information literacy curricula; and addressing the challenge of contemporary literacy. (AEF)

Do Fine Motor Skills Contribute to Early Reading Development?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Suggate, Sebastian; Pufke, Eva; Stoeger, Heidrun

2018-01-01

Background: Little is known about how fine motor skills (FMS) relate to early literacy skills, especially over and above cognitive variables. Moreover, a lack of distinction between FMS, grapho-motor and writing skills may have hampered previous work. Method: In Germany, kindergartners (n = 144, aged 6;1) were recruited before beginning formal…

Promoting Workplace Literacy and Basic Skills Development.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peterson, Elizabeth A.; Ott, Joyce; Wilson, Kathleen

This document is intended to help literacy practitioners and others in South Carolina promote workplace literacy and basic skills development programs. The introduction examines the following topics: South Carolina's current workforce and its outlook; the definitions of literacy and workplace literacy; the need for workplace literacy and basic…

Laying a Firm Foundation: Embedding Evidence-Based Emergent Literacy Practices Into Early Intervention and Preschool Environments.

PubMed

Terrell, Pamela; Watson, Maggie

2018-04-05

As part of this clinical forum on curriculum-based intervention, the goal of this tutorial is to share research about the importance of language and literacy foundations in natural environments during emergent literacy skill development, from infancy through preschool. Following an overview of intervention models in schools by Powell (2018), best practices at home, in child care, and in preschool settings are discussed. Speech-language pathologists in these settings will be provided a toolbox of best emergent literacy practices. A review of published literature in speech-language pathology, early intervention, early childhood education, and literacy was completed. Subsequently, an overview of the impact of early home and preschool literacy experiences are described. Research-based implementation of best practice is supported with examples of shared book reading and child-led literacy embedded in play within the coaching model of early intervention. Finally, various aspects of emergent literacy skill development in the preschool years are discussed. These include phonemic awareness, print/alphabet awareness, oral language skills, and embedded/explicit literacy. Research indicates that rich home literacy environments and exposure to rich oral language provide an important foundation for the more structured literacy environments of school. Furthermore, there is a wealth of evidence to support a variety of direct and indirect intervention practices in the home, child care, and preschool contexts to support and enhance all aspects of oral and written literacy. Application of this "toolbox" of strategies should enable speech-language pathologists to address the prevention and intervention of literacy deficits within multiple environments during book and play activities. Additionally, clinicians will have techniques to share with parents, child care providers, and preschool teachers for evidence-based literacy instruction within all settings during typical daily

Concurrent Validity and Diagnostic Accuracy of the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills and the Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hintze, John M.; Ryan, Amanda L.; Stoner, Gary

2003-01-01

The purpose of this study was to (a) examine the concurrent validity of the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) with the Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing (CTOPP), and (b) explore the diagnostic accuracy of the DIBELS in predicting CTOPP performance using suggested and alternative cut-scores. Eighty-six students…

Literacy for Life: Further Results from the Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

OECD Publishing (NJ3), 2011

2011-01-01

Literacy for Life is the second report from the Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey. It presents additional results on the nature and magnitude of the literacy gaps faced by OECD countries and how these gaps have evolved over the medium term. It offers new insights into the factors that influence the formation of adult skills in various…

The Importance of the Home Literacy Environment for Developing Literacy Skills in Young Children Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DesJardin, Jean L.; Ambrose, Sophie E.

2010-01-01

Young children who are born deaf or hard of hearing are at risk for language and emergent literacy challenges. Emergent literacy skills play a significant role in early reading abilities for typically developing children with hearing. The purpose of this article is to (a) provide an overview of the research relating to oral language and emerging…

Effects of Progress Monitoring Feedback on Early Literacy Student Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lopuch, Jeremy Jon

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of diagnostic formative assessment feedback on early literacy skills. The participants were 12 first-grade general education teachers and 51 of their students who were assigned to the following treatments, diagnostic feedback and skills feedback (control) which lasted for 10 weeks. During the…

Comparing Emergent-Literacy Skills and Home-Literacy Environment of Children with Autism and Their Peers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dynia, Jaclyn M.; Lawton, Kathy; Logan, Jessica A. R.; Justice, Laura M.

2014-01-01

The purpose of the current study was to characterize and compare the emergent-literacy skills, print interest, and home-literacy environment of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to their peers, as well as to examine the association between children's emergent-literacy skills and their home-literacy environment. Results indicated that…

State of the Literacy and Essential Skills Field

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harwood, Chris

2012-01-01

The purpose of the "State of the Literacy and Essential Skills Field" report is to provide an environmental scan showing the state of Literacy and Essential Skills (L/ES) across the country, from the perspective of the Canadian Literacy and Learning Network (CLLN) and its national network of partners, both within and outside the Literacy…

Predictive Validity of Early Literacy Measures for Korean English Language Learners in the United States

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Han, Jeanie Nam; Vanderwood, Michael L.; Lee, Catherine Y.

2015-01-01

This study examined the predictive validity of early literacy measures with first-grade Korean English language learners (ELLs) in the United States at varying levels of English proficiency. Participants were screened using Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) Phoneme Segmentation Fluency (PSF), DIBELS Nonsense Word Fluency…

The Big 5: Teacher Knowledge and Skill Acquisition in Early Literacy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vesay, Joanne P.; Gischlar, Karen L.

2013-01-01

In this study, the investigators surveyed 215 early childhood educators throughout New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania to determine teacher knowledge and training in early literacy instruction, with a focus on The 5 Big Ideas in Reading as identified by the National Reading Panel: phonological awareness, accuracy and fluency, alphabetic principle,…

Linguistically Diverse Children and Educators (Re)Forming Early Literacy Policy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Spencer, Tamara Glupczynski; Falchi, Lorraine; Ghiso, Maria Paula

2011-01-01

The current context of increased accountability and the proliferation of skills-based literacy mandates at the early childhood level pose particular tensions for multilingual children and educators. In this article, we draw on data from two ethnographic studies to examine how educators and children negotiate the constraints of early childhood…

Predictive model for early math skills based on structural equations.

PubMed

Aragón, Estíbaliz; Navarro, José I; Aguilar, Manuel; Cerda, Gamal; García-Sedeño, Manuel

2016-12-01

Early math skills are determined by higher cognitive processes that are particularly important for acquiring and developing skills during a child's early education. Such processes could be a critical target for identifying students at risk for math learning difficulties. Few studies have considered the use of a structural equation method to rationalize these relations. Participating in this study were 207 preschool students ages 59 to 72 months, 108 boys and 99 girls. Performance with respect to early math skills, early literacy, general intelligence, working memory, and short-term memory was assessed. A structural equation model explaining 64.3% of the variance in early math skills was applied. Early literacy exhibited the highest statistical significance (β = 0.443, p < 0.05), followed by intelligence (β = 0.286, p < 0.05), working memory (β = 0.220, p < 0.05), and short-term memory (β = 0.213, p < 0.05). Correlations between the independent variables were also significant (p < 0.05). According to the results, cognitive variables should be included in remedial intervention programs. © 2016 Scandinavian Psychological Associations and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Impact of a Reading Program on Rural Elementary School Students' Oral Reading Fluency and Early Literacy Skill Acquisition and Rate of Improvement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Christina

2013-01-01

This program evaluation is a study of the effectiveness of a core reading program, Journeys, by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH), on the early literacy skills and oral reading fluency (ORF) of kindergarten through second grade students in a rural elementary school. The scores of the students in the experimental group were compared to scores of…

The Effects of Summer School on Early Literacy Skills of Children from Low-Income Families

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Xu, Yaoying; De Arment, Serra

2017-01-01

The early childhood literature has documented the impact of early literacy experience on children's later language and literacy development. The research also showed the achievement gap between children from lower socio-economic status and their peers from more economically advantaged backgrounds. To address this gap, the existing literature has…

Examining the Impacts of Systematic and Engaging Early Literacy (SEEL): Attention to Teacher Practices and Classroom Effects across the Kindergarten Year

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bingham, Gary E.; Culatta, Barbara; Hall-Kenyon, Kendra M.

2016-01-01

This study examined teachers' implementation of an early literacy intervention, Systematic and Engaging Early Literacy (SEEL), on kindergarten children's development of early literacy skills. One hundred forty-nine kindergarten children (102 treatment) across six classrooms participated in this study. Results reveal that children who received SEEL…

Daughters of the Earth: Skills-Based Literacy Programme for Women, China. Education for All: Making It Work. Innovation Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aksornkool, Namtip

Begun in the early 1990s, The Skills-Based Literacy Programme for Women aims to improve the lives of rural Chinese women by linking literacy education with skills training in agriculture and other forms of income generation. Xuan Wei County, Yunnan Province, was chosen as the seat of the project because of high female illiteracy rates and the need…

Improvement of Working Memory in Preschoolers and Its Impact on Early Literacy Skills: A Study in Deprived Communities of Rural and Urban Areas

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rojas-Barahona, Cristian A.; Förster, Carla E.; Moreno-Ríos, Sergio; McClelland, Megan M.

2015-01-01

Research Findings: The present study evaluated the impact of a working memory (WM) stimulation program on the development of WM and early literacy skills (ELS) in preschoolers from socioeconomically deprived rural and urban schools in Chile. The sample consisted of 268 children, 144 in the intervention group and 124 in the comparison group. The…

Six-Year-Olds' Perception of Home Literacy Environment and Its Influence on Children's Literacy Enjoyment, Frequency, and Early Literacy Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wiescholek, Sabrina; Hilkenmeier, Johanna; Greiner, Christian; Buhl, Heike M.

2018-01-01

Home literacy environment (HLE) makes an important contribution to children's reading acquisition in early years. Even though some research on children's perception exists, children's reports about HLE have been neglected. The present study focuses on N = 281 six-year-old's reports about HLE and its influences on literacy enjoyment, frequency, and…

Parental Writing Support and Preschoolers' Early Literacy, Language, and Fine Motor Skills

PubMed Central

Bindman, Samantha W.; Skibbe, Lori E.; Hindman, Annemarie H.; Aram, Dorit; Morrison, Frederick J.

2014-01-01

The current study examines the nature and variability of parents' aid to preschoolers in the context of a shared writing task, as well as the relations between this support and children's literacy, vocabulary, and fine motor skills. In total, 135 preschool children (72 girls) and their parents (primarily mothers) in an ethnically diverse, middle-income community were observed while writing a semi-structured invitation for a pretend birthday party together. Children's phonological awareness, alphabet knowledge, word decoding, vocabulary, and fine motor skills were also assessed. Results revealed that parents provided variable, but generally low–level, support for children's approximation of sound-symbol correspondence in their writing (i.e., graphophonemic support), as well as for their production of letter forms (i.e., print support). Parents frequently accepted errors rather than asking for corrections (i.e., demand for precision). Further analysis of the parent-child dyads (n = 103) who wrote the child's name on the invitation showed that parents provided higher graphophonemic, but not print, support when writing the child's name than other words. Overall parental graphophonemic support was positively linked to children's decoding and fine motor skills, whereas print support and demand for precision were not related to any of the child outcomes. In sum, this study indicates that while parental support for preschoolers' writing may be minimal, it is uniquely linked to key literacy-related outcomes in preschool. PMID:25284957

Parental Writing Support and Preschoolers' Early Literacy, Language, and Fine Motor Skills.

PubMed

Bindman, Samantha W; Skibbe, Lori E; Hindman, Annemarie H; Aram, Dorit; Morrison, Frederick J

2014-01-01

The current study examines the nature and variability of parents' aid to preschoolers in the context of a shared writing task, as well as the relations between this support and children's literacy, vocabulary, and fine motor skills. In total, 135 preschool children (72 girls) and their parents (primarily mothers) in an ethnically diverse, middle-income community were observed while writing a semi-structured invitation for a pretend birthday party together. Children's phonological awareness, alphabet knowledge, word decoding, vocabulary, and fine motor skills were also assessed. Results revealed that parents provided variable, but generally low-level, support for children's approximation of sound-symbol correspondence in their writing (i.e., graphophonemic support), as well as for their production of letter forms (i.e., print support). Parents frequently accepted errors rather than asking for corrections (i.e., demand for precision). Further analysis of the parent-child dyads ( n = 103) who wrote the child's name on the invitation showed that parents provided higher graphophonemic, but not print, support when writing the child's name than other words. Overall parental graphophonemic support was positively linked to children's decoding and fine motor skills, whereas print support and demand for precision were not related to any of the child outcomes. In sum, this study indicates that while parental support for preschoolers' writing may be minimal, it is uniquely linked to key literacy-related outcomes in preschool.

Relationship between literacy skills and self-reported health in the Nordic countries.

PubMed

Lundetræ, Kjersti; Gabrielsen, Egil

2016-12-01

This study investigated the association between literacy skills and self-reported health among Danish ( n = 7284), Finnish ( n = 5454), Norwegian ( n = 4942) and Swedish ( n = 4555) participants aged 16-65 years. Logistic regression models were used to assess the association between literacy skills and self-reported health after adjusting for sex, age and educational level. Nordic participants aged 16-65 years with literacy skills at the lowest level reported sub-optimal health more often (28-37%) than those with literacy skills at the highest level (7-9%). After adjusting for sex, age and educational level, the likelihood of reporting sub-optimal health was 1.99-3.24 times as high for those with literacy skills at the lowest level as for those with literacy skills at the highest level. These results suggest that poor literacy skills increase the likelihood of experiencing poor health in the Nordic countries, even after controlling for educational level.

Helping Families Connect Early Literacy with Social-Emotional Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Santos, Rosa Milagros; Fettig, Angel; Shaffer, LaShorage

2012-01-01

Early childhood educators know that home is a child's first learning environment. From birth, children are comforted by hearing and listening to their caregivers' voices. The language used by families supports young children's development of oral language skills. Exposure to print materials in the home also supports literacy development. Literacy…

Developing Health Literacy Knowledge and Skills Through Case-Based Learning

PubMed Central

Lopez, Tina

2014-01-01

Objective. To evaluate the efficacy of case-based learning to teach pharmacy students health literacy concepts and skills in managing patients with limited health literacy. Design. A health literacy patient case was developed and incorporated into a case-based learning laboratory. The case involved a patient with limited health literacy and required students to evaluate and formulate a care plan. Assessment. A comparison of pretest and posttest scores demonstrated that students gained health literacy knowledge and skills through completion of the patient case. Students believed that the case-based exercise was successful in meeting specific learning objectives for the course. Conclusions. Addition of a case-based learning was effective in teaching pharmacy students health literacy concepts and skills. PMID:24558285

More than Just Storybooks: Promoting Emergent Literacy Skills in the Home

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Neumann, Michelle M.; Neumann, David L.

2009-01-01

The home environment provides children with their first literacy experiences. Parents are thus well-placed to facilitate the development of emergent literacy skills in their children before formal reading and writing begins at school. These emergent literacy skills include print awareness, motivation to explore print, shaping and writing skills,…

Latina Mothers' School Preparation Activities and Their Relation to Children's Literacy Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Durand, Tina M.

2010-01-01

Few studies have examined the link between children's early school achievement and parents' at-home practices exclusively among Latino groups. This study examined the relation between Latina mothers' reported at-home practices regarding school preparation and their children's literacy skills. Participants included 56 kindergarten children and…

Mathematical literacy skills of students' in term of gender differences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lailiyah, Siti

2017-08-01

Good mathematical literacy skills will hopefully help maximize the tasks and role of the prospective teacher in activities. Mathematical literacy focus on students' ability to analyze, justify, and communicate ideas effectively, formulate, solve and interpret mathematical problems in a variety of forms and situations. The purpose of this study is to describe the mathematical literacy skills of the prospective teacher in term of gender differences. This research used a qualitative approach with a case study. Subjects of this study were taken from two male students and two female students of the mathematics education prospective teacher who have followed Community Service Program (CSP) in literacy. Data were collected through methods think a loud and interviews. Four prospective teachers were asked to fill mathematical literacy test and video taken during solving this test. Students are required to convey loud what he was thinking when solving problems. After students get the solution, researchers grouped the students' answers and results think aloud. Furthermore, the data are grouped and analyzed according to indicators of mathematical literacy skills. Male students have good of each indicator in mathematical literacy skills (the first indicator to the sixth indicator). Female students have good of mathematical literacy skills (the first indicator, the second indicator, the third indicator, the fourth indicator and the sixth indicator), except for the fifth indicators that are enough.

Young People's Views on Literacy Skills and Employment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clark, Christina; Formby, Susie

2013-01-01

Using secondary sources as well as National Literacy Trust survey data, this short report outlines how important young people think literacy skills are to their employment prospects and what skills they believe are particularly important. It also briefly outlines the important role that technology plays in the lives of young people and the degree…

The effects of context on processing words during sentence reading among adults varying in age and literacy skill.

PubMed

Steen-Baker, Allison A; Ng, Shukhan; Payne, Brennan R; Anderson, Carolyn J; Federmeier, Kara D; Stine-Morrow, Elizabeth A L

2017-08-01

The facilitation of word processing by sentence context reflects the interaction between the build-up of message-level semantics and lexical processing. Yet, little is known about how this effect varies through adulthood as a function of reading skill. In this study, Participants 18-64 years old with a range of literacy competence read simple sentences as their eye movements were monitored. We manipulated the predictability of a sentence-final target word, operationalized as cloze probability. First fixation durations showed an interaction between age and literacy skill, decreasing with age among more skilled readers but increasing among less skilled readers. This pattern suggests that age-related slowing may impact reading when not buffered by skill, but with continued practice, automatization of reading can continue to develop in adulthood. In absolute terms, readers were sensitive to predictability, regardless of age or literacy, in both early and later measures. Older readers showed differential contextual sensitivity in regression patterns, effects not moderated by literacy skill. Finally, comprehension performance increased with age and literacy skill, but performance among less skilled readers was especially reduced when predictability was low, suggesting that low-literacy adults (regardless of age) struggle when creating mental representations under weaker semantic constraints. Collectively, these findings suggest that aging readers (regardless of reading skill) are more sensitive to context for meaning-integration processes; that less skilled adult readers (regardless of age) depend more on a constrained semantic representation for comprehension; and that the capacity for literacy engagement enables continued development of efficient lexical processing in adult reading development. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Bringing It All Together: The Multiple Origins, Skills, and Environmental Supports of Early Literacy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dickinson, David K.; McCabe, Allyssa

2001-01-01

Data from three studies investigating factors supporting literacy development of children from low-income families indicate: early levels of achievement are strongly linked to later success; kindergarten vocabulary is strongly reflective of the use of varied vocabulary during meal times; and teacher training in literacy is beneficial to classroom…

Adult Language, Literacy, Numeracy and Problem-Solving Skills in the Workplace

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Athanasou, James A.

2012-01-01

This paper examines the performance of the eight major occupational categories across the four skill areas of the Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey. The results indicated that some 38-64% of employed Australians were below minimal competence (at Level 1 or Level 2) in one of the four skill areas of prose literacy, document literacy, numeracy…

Promoting School Success: Developing Social Skills and Early Literacy in Head Start Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gunn, Barbara; Feil, Ed; Seeley, John; Severson, Herb; Walker, Hill M.

2006-01-01

This article reports the results of a pilot intervention to improve the social skills and literacy preparation of behaviorally at-risk Head Start children. Teachers in eight Head Start classrooms in two Oregon communities participated during the 2002-03 school year. Children in eight classrooms were screened and identified for participation using…

A Shared Reading Intervention with Parents to Enhance Young Children's Early Literacy Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sim, Susan S. H.; Berthelsen, Donna; Walker, Susan; Nicholson, Jan M.; Fielding-Barnsley, Ruth

2014-01-01

A pragmatic randomised controlled trial was used to investigate the effects of two forms of shared reading on children's language and literacy skills. Parents of 80 children in the preparatory year of school participated in an eight-week home reading intervention. Families were assigned to one of three groups: dialogic reading (DR), dialogic…

Assessing Change in High School Student Information Literacy Using the Tool for Real-Time Assessment of Information Literacy Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kovalik, Cindy L.; Yutzey, Susan D.; Piazza, Laura M.

2012-01-01

Change in high school student information literacy (IL) knowledge and skills, from freshman year to senior year in high school was the focus of this quasi-experimental research project. Researchers used a free information literacy skills assessment tool entitled TRAILS (Tool for Real-time Assessment of Information Literacy Skills) to measure…

Effects of Web-Mediated Teacher Professional Development on the Language and Literacy Skills of Children Enrolled in Pre-Kindergarten Programs

PubMed Central

Downer, Jason; Pianta, Robert; Fan, Xitao; Hamre, Bridget; Mashburn, Andrew; Justice, Laura

2012-01-01

As early education grows in the United States, in-service professional development in key instructional and interaction skills is a core component of capacity-building in early childhood education. In this paper, we describe results from an evaluation of the effects of MyTeachingPartner, a web-based system of professional development, on language and literacy development during pre-kindergarten for 1338 children in 161 teachers’ classrooms. High levels of support for teachers’ implementation of language/literacy activities showed modest but significant effects for improving early language and literacy for children in classrooms in which English was the dominant language spoken by the students and teachers. The combination of web-based supports, including video-based consultation and web-based video teaching exemplars, was more effective at improving children’s literacy and language skills than was only making available to teachers a set of instructional materials and detailed lesson guides. These results suggest the importance of targeted, practice-focused supports for teachers in designing professional development systems for effective teaching in early childhood programs. PMID:23144591

A Multivariate Twin Study of Early Literacy in Japanese "Kana"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fujisawa, Keiko K.; Wadsworth, Sally J.; Kakihana, Shinichiro; Olson, Richard K.; DeFries, John C.; Byrne, Brian; Ando, Juko

2013-01-01

This first Japanese twin study of early literacy development investigated the extent to which genetic and environmental factors influence individual differences in prereading skills in 238 pairs of twins at 42 months of age. Twin pairs were individually tested on measures of phonological awareness, "kana" letter name/sound knowledge,…

Early Literacy Instruction and Intervention

PubMed Central

Al Otaiba, Stephanie; Foorman, Barbara

2014-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to describe the efficacy of early literacy interventions and to discuss possible roles for volunteer tutors in helping prevent reading difficulties within the Response to Intervention process. First, we describe a landmark study that evaluated the impact of primary classroom instruction on reducing the proportion of students at risk for reading failure, and a more recent series of studies exploring the effects of individualizing classroom reading instruction based on students’ initial skills. Second, we review studies of more intensive early intervention to demonstrate how these interventions substantially reduce the proportion of students at risk. Third, we examine effective tutoring models that utilize volunteers. Finally, we discuss the potential role of community tutors in supporting primary classroom instruction and secondary interventions. PMID:25221452

Integrating evidence-based practice and information literacy skills in teaching physical and occupational therapy students.

PubMed

Boruff, Jill T; Thomas, Aliki

2011-12-01

To ensure that physical and occupational therapy graduates develop evidence-based practice (EBP) competencies, their academic training must promote EBP skills, such as posing a clinical question and retrieving relevant literature, and the information literacy skills needed to practice these EBP skills. This article describes the collaborative process and outcome of integrating EBP and information literacy early in a professional physical therapy and occupational therapy programme. The liaison librarian and a faculty member designed an instructional activity that included a lecture, workshop and assignment that integrated EBP skills and information literacy skills in the first year of the programme. The assignment was designed to assess students' ability to conduct a search independently. The lecture and workshop were successful in their objectives, as 101 of the 104 students received at least 8 out of 10 points on the search assignment. The teaching activities developed for the students in this course appear to have achieved the goal of teaching students the EBP research cycle so that they might begin to emulate it. The collaboration between the faculty member and the librarian was integral to the success of this endeavour. Future work will include the evaluation of students' long-term retention of information literacy objectives. © 2011 The authors. Health Information and Libraries Journal © 2011 Health Libraries Group.

Generalization of Literacy Skills through Portable Technology for Students with Severe Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Spooner, Fred; Kemp-Inman, Amy; Ahlgrim-Delzell, Lynn; Wood, Leah; Ley Davis, Luann

2015-01-01

Literacy is an important skill for accessing all academic content areas, and there has been an increased focus on using a variety of assistive technology (AT) to support the acquisition of literacy skills for students with severe disabilities. Literacy also provides these students with skills to increase community participation, with independence,…

Teaching information literacy skills to sophomore-level biology majors.

PubMed

Thompson, Leigh; Blankinship, Lisa Ann

2015-05-01

Many undergraduate students lack a sound understanding of information literacy. The skills that comprise information literacy are particularly important when combined with scientific writing for biology majors as they are the foundation skills necessary to complete upper-division biology course assignments, better train students for research projects, and prepare students for graduate and professional education. To help undergraduate biology students develop and practice information literacy and scientific writing skills, a series of three one-hour hands-on library sessions, discussions, and homework assignments were developed for Biological Literature, a one-credit, one-hour-per-week, required sophomore-level course. The embedded course librarian developed a learning exercise that reviewed how to conduct database and web searches, the difference between primary and secondary sources, source credibility, and how to access articles through the university's databases. Students used the skills gained in the library training sessions for later writing assignments including a formal lab report and annotated bibliography. By focusing on improving information literacy skills as well as providing practice in scientific writing, Biological Literature students are better able to meet the rigors of upper-division biology courses and communicate research findings in a more professional manner.

Teaching Information Literacy Skills to Sophomore-Level Biology Majors

PubMed Central

Thompson, Leigh; Blankinship, Lisa Ann

2015-01-01

Many undergraduate students lack a sound understanding of information literacy. The skills that comprise information literacy are particularly important when combined with scientific writing for biology majors as they are the foundation skills necessary to complete upper-division biology course assignments, better train students for research projects, and prepare students for graduate and professional education. To help undergraduate biology students develop and practice information literacy and scientific writing skills, a series of three one-hour hands-on library sessions, discussions, and homework assignments were developed for Biological Literature, a one-credit, one-hour-per-week, required sophomore-level course. The embedded course librarian developed a learning exercise that reviewed how to conduct database and web searches, the difference between primary and secondary sources, source credibility, and how to access articles through the university’s databases. Students used the skills gained in the library training sessions for later writing assignments including a formal lab report and annotated bibliography. By focusing on improving information literacy skills as well as providing practice in scientific writing, Biological Literature students are better able to meet the rigors of upper-division biology courses and communicate research findings in a more professional manner. PMID:25949754

Literacy Skills among Academically Underprepared Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perin, Dolores

2013-01-01

A review of studies published from 2000 to 2012 was conducted to describe the literacy skills of underprepared postsecondary students, identify teaching approaches designed to bring their skills to the college level, and determine methods of embedding developmental instruction in college-level course work. The studies pinpointed numerous weak…

Expert Views on TPACK for Early Literacy: Priorities for Teacher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McKenney, Susan; Voogt, Joke

2017-01-01

Technology applications can make important contributions to improving learning outcomes in the domain of early literacy. However, to fully exploit the potential of educational technologies, teachers must have specific knowledge and skills. This study aimed to articulate the technological pedagogical content knowledge teachers need to make…

Creating Trails: Tool for Real-Time Assessment of Information Literacy Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schloman, Barbara F.; Gedeon, Julie A.

2007-01-01

This article describes Tool for Real-time Assessment of Information Literacy Skills (TRAILS), a freely available, online tool designed to measure the information literacy skills of high school students. It is based on information literacy competencies for ninth-graders found in the "Ohio Academic Content Standards" (Ohio Department of Education…

Contributions of the emergent literacy environment to literacy outcomes for young children who are deaf.

PubMed

Easterbrooks, Susan R; Lederberg, Amy R; Connor, Carol M

2010-01-01

Specific characteristics of early literacy environments support hearing children's emergent literacy. The researchers investigated these characteristics' role in emergent literacy in young deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) children, using the Early Language and Literacy Classroom Observation (ELLCO; M. W. Smith, Dickinson, Sangeorge, & Anastasopoulos, 2002). Eighteen self-contained classrooms of preschool, kindergarten, and first-grade DHH children (N = 40) were studied. Hierarchical linear analysis was used to examine study participants' classroom environment and growth in emergent literacy skills. Correlations suggested that classroom environment was more closely related to vocabulary and phonological awareness in DHH children than in typically hearing children. Major differences among classrooms were also indicated. However, growth in children's skills did not correlate strongly with attributes captured by the ELLCO. This suggests that classrooms promoting emergent literacy skills acquisition in DHH children may differ from classrooms of typically developing hearing children.

Unlocking the Future: Early Literacy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blair, Leslie Asher, Ed.

1999-01-01

This newsletter of the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory (SEDL)contains a collection of articles which discuss various aspects of early literacy. Articles in the newsletter are: "Introduction: Reading Instruction, a Key to the Future"; "Ensuring Early Literacy through Coherent Instruction" (Leslie Blair);…

Job Literacy Analysis: A Practical Methodology for Use in Identifying Job-Related Literacy Skills.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Norback, Judith Shaul; And Others

The Job Literacy Analysis (JLA) was developed in response to the need for analyzing the literacy requirements of various occupations in an effort to match the instruction to the job and to enhance the job relatedness of curricula. It is a systematic, comprehensive process for identifying the important literacy skills needed by workers to function…

An Evaluation of Early Reading First (ERF) Preschool Enrichment on Language and Literacy Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gonzalez, Jorge E.; Goetz, Ernest T.; Hall, Robert J.; Payne, Tara; Taylor, Aaron B.; Kim, Minjung; McCormick, Anita S.

2011-01-01

Early Reading First (ERF) was created to address problems related to language and development among economically disadvantaged and language-minority preschool children through quality classroom processes, professional development, and instruction. More than any previous initiative, ERF specifies what early literacy instruction should look like in…

Understanding the Relationship between Inattention and Early Literacy Trajectories in Kindergarten

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ogg, Julia; Volpe, Robert; Rogers, Maria

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between inattention, academic enabling behaviors (i.e., motivation, engagement, and interpersonal skills), and early literacy outcomes. Kindergarten students (N = 181; 55.2% male; 62% white) from two research sites (Southeastern U.S. and Eastern Canada) were assessed using the Letter Naming…

Effective Early Literacy Skill Development for Young Spanish-Speaking English Language Learners: An Experimental Study of Two Methods

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Farver, Jo Ann M.; Lonigan, Christopher J.; Eppe, Stefanie

2009-01-01

Ninety-four Spanish-speaking preschoolers (M age = 54.51 months, SD = 4.72; 43 girls) were randomly assigned to receive the High/Scope Curriculum (control n = 32) or the Literacy Express Preschool Curriculum in English-only (n = 31) or initially in Spanish transitioning to English (n = 31). Children's emergent literacy skills were assessed before…

Reading Skills of Students with Speech Sound Disorders at Three Stages of Literacy Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Skebo, Crysten M.; Lewis, Barbara A.; Freebairn, Lisa A.; Tag, Jessica; Ciesla, Allison Avrich; Stein, Catherine M.

2013-01-01

Purpose: The relationship between phonological awareness, overall language, vocabulary, and nonlinguistic cognitive skills to decoding and reading comprehension was examined for students at 3 stages of literacy development (i.e., early elementary school, middle school, and high school). Students with histories of speech sound disorders (SSD) with…

BRIEF REPORT: Screening Items to Identify Patients with Limited Health Literacy Skills

PubMed Central

Wallace, Lorraine S; Rogers, Edwin S; Roskos, Steven E; Holiday, David B; Weiss, Barry D

2006-01-01

BACKGROUND Patients with limited literacy skills are routinely encountered in clinical practice, but they are not always identified by clinicians. OBJECTIVE To evaluate 3 candidate questions to determine their accuracy in identifying patients with limited or marginal health literacy skills. METHODS We studied 305 English-speaking adults attending a university-based primary care clinic. Demographic items, health literacy screening questions, and the Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine (REALM) were administered to patients. To determine the accuracy of the candidate questions for identifying limited or marginal health literacy skills, we plotted area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) curves for each item, using REALM scores as a reference standard. RESULTS The mean age of subjects was 49.5; 67.5% were female, 85.2% Caucasian, and 81.3% insured by TennCare and/or Medicare. Fifty-four (17.7%) had limited and 52 (17.0%) had marginal health literacy skills. One screening question, “How confident are you filling out medical forms by yourself?” was accurate in detecting limited (AUROC of 0.82; 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.77 to 0.86) and limited/marginal (AUROC of 0.79; 95% CI=0.74 to 0.83) health literacy skills. This question had significantly greater AUROC than either of the other questions (P<.01) and also a greater AUROC than questions based on demographic characteristics. CONCLUSIONS One screening question may be sufficient for detecting limited and marginal health literacy skills in clinic populations. PMID:16881950

Facilitating Emergent Literacy Skills: A Literature-Based, Multiple Intelligence Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brand, Susan Trostle

2006-01-01

Educators have continually sought to achieve a balance between a phonics-based, code-emphasis program and a more holistic, meaning-based approach to emergent literacy instruction. This article describes an integrated phonics and literature-based approach to developing children's emergent literacy skills. These skills included alphabet knowledge,…

Using Physical Education to Improve Literacy Skills in Struggling Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wachob, David A.

2014-01-01

Literacy skills are an essential part of academic performance. When physical educators collaborate with classroom teachers to address these skills, student engagement in the learning process can greatly improve. This article begins by reviewing the growing issues surrounding student literacy and its impact on academic performance. The discussion…

Employer Perceptions of Critical Information Literacy Skills and Digital Badges

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Raish, Victoria; Rimland, Emily

2016-01-01

Digital badges are an educational innovation used to measure learning of specific skills, such as information literacy. However, few studies have quantitatively surveyed employers for their perceptions about information literacy skills or digital badges. An online survey was developed and sent to employers to gauge perceptions of information…

Using support vector machines to identify literacy skills: Evidence from eye movements.

PubMed

Lou, Ya; Liu, Yanping; Kaakinen, Johanna K; Li, Xingshan

2017-06-01

Is inferring readers' literacy skills possible by analyzing their eye movements during text reading? This study used Support Vector Machines (SVM) to analyze eye movement data from 61 undergraduate students who read a multiple-paragraph, multiple-topic expository text. Forward fixation time, first-pass rereading time, second-pass fixation time, and regression path reading time on different regions of the text were provided as features. The SVM classification algorithm assisted in distinguishing high-literacy-skilled readers from low-literacy-skilled readers with 80.3 % accuracy. Results demonstrate the effectiveness of combining eye tracking and machine learning techniques to detect readers with low literacy skills, and suggest that such approaches can be potentially used in predicting other cognitive abilities.

Improving Latino Children's Early Language and Literacy Development: Key Features of Early Childhood Education within Family Literacy Programmes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jung, Youngok; Zuniga, Stephen; Howes, Carollee; Jeon, Hyun-Joo; Parrish, Deborah; Quick, Heather; Manship, Karen; Hauser, Alison

2016-01-01

Noting the lack of research on how early childhood education (ECE) programmes within family literacy programmes influence Latino children's early language and literacy development, this study examined key features of ECE programmes, specifically teacher-child interactions and child engagement in language and literacy activities and how these…

Longitudinal Impacts of the Children's Literacy Initiative Professional Development, Coaching, and Model Classroom Intervention on Early Literacy Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parkinson, Julia; Meakin, John; Salinger, Terry

2015-01-01

Student achievement in literacy has been a focal concern in the United States for many years. Improving teachers' knowledge and skill that leads to improved student achievement, particularly in the early grades, can place children on an improved trajectory that can have long-term impacts on life outcomes. Over the past decade, a large body of…

A spotlight on preschool: the influence of family factors on children's early literacy skills.

PubMed

Heath, Steve M; Bishop, Dorothy V M; Bloor, Kimberley E; Boyle, Gemma L; Fletcher, Janet; Hogben, John H; Wigley, Charles A; Yeong, Stephanie H M

2014-01-01

Phonological awareness, letter knowledge, oral language (including sentence recall) and rapid automatised naming are acknowledged within-child predictors of literacy development. Separate research has identified family factors including socio-economic status, parents' level of education and family history. However, both approaches have left unexplained significant amounts of variance in literacy outcomes. This longitudinal study sought to improve prospective classification accuracy for young children at risk of literacy failure by adding two new family measures (parents' phonological awareness and parents' perceived self-efficacy), and then combining the within-child and family factors. Pre-literacy skills were measured in 102 four year olds (46 girls and 56 boys) at the beginning of Preschool, and then at the beginning and end of Kindergarten, when rapid automatised naming was also measured. Family factors data were collected at the beginning of Preschool, and children's literacy outcomes were measured at the end of Year 1 (age 6-7 years). Children from high-risk backgrounds showed poorer literacy outcomes than low-risk students, though three family factors (school socio-economic status, parents' phonological awareness, and family history) typically accounted for less Year 1 variance than the within-child factors. Combining these family factors with the end of Kindergarten within-child factors provided the most accurate classification (i.e., sensitivity = .85; specificity = .90; overall correct = .88). Our approach would identify at-risk children for intervention before they began to fail. Moreover, it would be cost-effective because although few at-risk children would be missed, allocation of unnecessary educational resources would be minimised.

Training Literacy Skills through Sign Language

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rudner, Mary; Andin, Josefine; Rönnberg, Jerker; Heimann, Mikael; Hermansson, Anders; Nelson, Keith; Tjus, Tomas

2015-01-01

The literacy skills of deaf children generally lag behind those of their hearing peers. The mechanisms of reading in deaf individuals are only just beginning to be unraveled but it seems that native language skills play an important role. In this study 12 deaf pupils (six in grades 1-2 and six in grades 4-6) at a Swedish state primary school for…

Literacy-Related School Readiness Skills of English Language Learners in Head Start: An Analysis of the School Readiness Survey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Park, Yujeong; Gurel, Sungur; Oh, Jihyun; Bettini, Elizabeth A; Leite, Walter

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of Head Start on early literacy skills relevant to school readiness of English language learners compared to their peers. The comparisons of literacy outcomes were conducted between English language learners and non-English language learners when both groups participated and were not in Head…

An Examination of the Quality of Literacy Skill Assessments across Levels of Second-Grade, Spanish-Speaking, English-Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gutierrez, Gabriel

2010-01-01

The current study examined the quality of the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) across a sample of second-grade English Language (EL) learners with varying degrees of English proficiency (e.g., students with beginning, early intermediate, intermediate, early advanced, and advanced levels). DIBELS Oral Reading Fluency…

Analysis mathematical literacy skills in terms of the students’ metacognition on PISA-CPS model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ovan; Waluya, S. B.; Nugroho, S. E.

2018-03-01

This research was aimed to know the effectiveness of PISA-CPS model and desceibe the mathematical literacy skills (KLM) in terms of the students’ metacognition. This study used Mixed Methods approaches with the concurrent embedded desaign. The technique of data analysis on quantitative research done analysis of lesson plan, prerequisite test, test hypotesis 1 and hypotesis test. While qualitative research done data reduction, data presentation, and drawing conclution and data verification. The subject of this study was the students of Grade Eight (VIII) of SMP Islam Sultan Agung 4 Semarang, Central Java. The writer analyzed the data with quantitative and qualitative approaches based on the metacognition of the students in low, medium and high groups. Subsequently, taken the mathematical literacy skills (KLM) from students’ metacognition in low, medium, and high . The results of the study showed that the PISA-CPS model was complete and the students’ mathematical literacy skills in terms of the students’ metacognition taught by the PISA-CPS model was higher than the expository learning. metacognitions’ students classified low hadmathematical literacy skills (KLM) less good, metacognitions’ students classified medium had mathematical literacy skills (KLM) good enough, metacognitions’ students classified high had mathematical literacy skills (KLM) very good. Based onresult analysis got conclusion that the PISA-CPS model was effective toward the students’ mathematical literacy skills (KLM). To increase the students’ mathematical literacy skills (KLM), the teachers need to provide reinforcements in the form of the exercises so that the student’s mathematical literacy was achieved at level 5 and level 6.

Do infant vocabulary skills predict school-age language and literacy outcomes?

PubMed

Duff, Fiona J; Reen, Gurpreet; Plunkett, Kim; Nation, Kate

2015-08-01

Strong associations between infant vocabulary and school-age language and literacy skills would have important practical and theoretical implications: Preschool assessment of vocabulary skills could be used to identify children at risk of reading and language difficulties, and vocabulary could be viewed as a cognitive foundation for reading. However, evidence to date suggests predictive ability from infant vocabulary to later language and literacy is low. This study provides an investigation into, and interpretation of, the magnitude of such infant to school-age relationships. Three hundred British infants whose vocabularies were assessed by parent report in the 2nd year of life (between 16 and 24 months) were followed up on average 5 years later (ages ranged from 4 to 9 years), when their vocabulary, phonological and reading skills were measured. Structural equation modelling of age-regressed scores was used to assess the strength of longitudinal relationships. Infant vocabulary (a latent factor of receptive and expressive vocabulary) was a statistically significant predictor of later vocabulary, phonological awareness, reading accuracy and reading comprehension (accounting for between 4% and 18% of variance). Family risk for language or literacy difficulties explained additional variance in reading (approximately 10%) but not language outcomes. Significant longitudinal relationships between preliteracy vocabulary knowledge and subsequent reading support the theory that vocabulary is a cognitive foundation of both reading accuracy and reading comprehension. Importantly however, the stability of vocabulary skills from infancy to later childhood is too low to be sufficiently predictive of language outcomes at an individual level - a finding that fits well with the observation that the majority of 'late talkers' resolve their early language difficulties. For reading outcomes, prediction of future difficulties is likely to be improved when considering family

Contributions of Emergent Literacy Skills to Name Writing, Letter Writing, and Spelling in Preschool Children

PubMed Central

Puranik, Cynthia S.; Lonigan, Christopher J.; Kim, Young-Suk

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine which emergent literacy skills contribute to preschool children’s emergent writing (name-writing, letter-writing, and spelling) skills. Emergent reading and writing tasks were administered to 296 preschool children aged 4–5 years. Print knowledge and letter-writing skills made positive contributions to name writing; whereas alphabet knowledge, print knowledge, and name writing made positive contributions to letter writing. Both name-writing and letter-writing skills made significant contributions to the prediction of spelling after controlling for age, parental education, print knowledge, phonological awareness, and letter-name and letter-sound knowledge; however, only letter-writing abilities made a significant unique contribution to the prediction of spelling when both letter-writing and name-writing skills were considered together. Name writing reflects knowledge of some letters rather than a broader knowledge of letters that may be needed to support early spelling. Children’s letter-writing skills may be a better indicator of children’s emergent literacy and developing spelling skills than are their name-writing skills at the end of the preschool year. Spelling is a developmentally complex skill beginning in preschool and includes letter writing and blending skills, print knowledge, and letter-name and letter-sound knowledge. PMID:21927537

The Relative Effectiveness of Two Approaches to Early Literacy Intervention in Grades K-2. REL 2017-251

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Foorman, Barbara; Herrera, Sarah; Dombek, Jennifer; Schatschneider, Chris; Petscher, Yaacov

2017-01-01

Understanding written language is crucial to academic success in all content areas. Ensuring a strong foundation in the components of written language--that is, the literacy skills of reading, writing, and oral language--is essential if students are to read with understanding and, thus, is a primary goal of early literacy instruction and of the…

The Relationship between Early Literacy Assessment and First-Grade Reading Achievement for Native American Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coats-Kitsopoulos, Gloria Jean

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS), the Reading Recovery Observation Survey (RROS) early reading sub-tests, and the reading achievement of Native American first-graders as measured by the Stanford 10. A causal-comparative correlation research design…

Early Precursor of Reading: Acquisition of Phonological Awareness Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Turan, Figen; Gul, Gozde

2008-01-01

Phonological awareness skills begin to develop at preschool ages and support reading skills during school ages. Studies on phonological awareness show great relationship with reading skills development. Since literacy talents such as phonological awareness and vocabulary represent future success in reading, assisting literacy skills during…

Can Earlier Literacy Skills Have a Negative Impact on Future Home Literacy Activities? Evidence from Japanese

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Inoue, Tomohiro; Georgiou, George K.; Muroya, Naoko; Maekawa, Hisao; Parrila, Rauno

2018-01-01

We examined the cross-lagged relations between the home literacy environment and literacy skills in Japanese, and whether child's gender, parents' education and child's level of literacy performance moderate the relations. One hundred forty-two Japanese children were followed from Grades 1 to 2 and assessed on character knowledge, reading fluency…

Information Literacy Skills: Comparing and Evaluating Databases

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grismore, Brian A.

2012-01-01

The purpose of this database comparison is to express the importance of teaching information literacy skills and to apply those skills to commonly used Internet-based research tools. This paper includes a comparison and evaluation of three databases (ProQuest, ERIC, and Google Scholar). It includes strengths and weaknesses of each database based…

Syracuse Labor/Management Consortium Workplace Literacy Skills Improvement Project. Evaluation Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mosenthal, Peter B.; Hinchman, Kathleen A.

An evaluation of this Syracuse, New York workplace literacy skills improvement project had three purposes: to characterize changes in the baseline performance of adults' workplace literacy skills as a function of instructional treatment; to characterize changes in workers' and supervisors' perceptions of worker effectiveness as a function of…

Skills for the literacy process.

PubMed

Côrrea, Kelli Cristina do Prado; Machado, Maria Aparecida Miranda de Paula; Hage, Simone Rocha de Vasconcellos

2018-03-01

Examine a set of competencies in children beginning the process of literacy and find whether there is positive correlation with their level of writing. Study conducted with 70 six-year-old students enrolled in the first year of Elementary School in municipal schools. The children were submitted to the Initial Reading and Writing Competence Assessment Battery (BACLE) and the Diagnostic Probing Protocol for classification of their level of writing. Descriptive statistical analysis and the Spearman coefficient were used for correlation between instruments. The students presented satisfactory performance in the tasks of the BACLE. Regarding the writing hypothesis, most children presented syllabic level with sound value. Significant positive correlation was observed between body scheme/time-space orientation and language skills. The group of schoolchildren performed satisfactorily on tests that measure pre-reading and writing skills. The areas of body scheme/time-space orientation and language presented significant correlation with the level of writing hypothesis, indicating that children with higher scores in these areas present better levels of writing. Identification of the necessary competencies for learning of reading and writing can provide teachers and educational audiology professionals with conditions for evaluation and early intervention in certain abilities for the development of reading and writing.

The use and application of assistive technology to promote literacy in early childhood: a systematic review.

PubMed

Burne, Brian; Knafelc, Valerie; Melonis, Maureen; Heyn, Patricia C

2011-01-01

The Individuals with Disabilities Act was implemented in 1975 to assure that all children aged 0-21 years old have access and the right to an equal education. However, young children with disabilities continue to need additional support to meet the reading readiness standards as outlined in The No Child Left Behind legislation (2004). Although all children benefit from readiness skills, it is essential for children with special needs. With the technology boom of the past decade, assistive technology (AT) has been used increasingly to enhance emerging literacy skills. In order to identify current trends in the use of AT as a means to enhance emergent literacy skills in young children with disabilities, a systematic review of the literature was undertaken. The findings from this review support the scarcity of empirical research demonstrating the benefit of AT to promote emergent literacy with young children with disabilities. We also found a need for evidence supporting education approaches for the proper use of AT in early childhood literacy as well as little family knowledge regarding the implementation and instructional use of AT.

Investigating morphological awareness and the processing of transparent and opaque words in adults with low literacy skills and in skilled readers

PubMed Central

To, Nancy L.; Tighe, Elizabeth L.; Binder, Katherine S.

2015-01-01

For adults with low literacy skills, the role of phonology in reading has been fairly well researched, but less is known about the role of morphology in reading. We investigated the contribution of morphological awareness to word reading and reading comprehension and found that for adults with low literacy skills and skilled readers, morphological awareness explained unique variance in word reading and reading comprehension. In addition, we investigated the effects of orthographic and phonological opacity in morphological processing. Results indicated that adults with low literacy skills were more impaired than skilled readers on items containing phonological changes but were spared on items involving orthographic changes. These results are consistent with previous findings of adults with low literacy skills reliance on orthographic codes. Educational implications are discussed. PMID:27158173

Literacy Training for Early Childhood Providers: Changes in Knowledge, Beliefs, and Instructional Practices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Armstrong, Kathleen; Cusumano, Dale Lynn; Todd, Melissa; Cohen, Rachel

2008-01-01

While it is clear that reading is critical to children's success throughout schooling and reading instruction research has dramatically increased over the past 2 decades, few early childhood providers have the necessary knowledge, skills and/or confidence to effectively implement evidence-based, emergent literacy strategies in their settings. This…

The Early Literacy at Preschool Education: The Book or The E-Book?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yalçintas Sezgin, Elif; Ulus, Leyla

2017-01-01

Educational technology is commonly used. The use of technology at preschool education has an important role with a lot of effective methods so that children can learn. Preschool teachers use the technology to support children's development. Early literacy skills have gained more importance especially in the recent years. As a result, the use of…

Let's Read Together: Tools for Early Literacy Development for All Young Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bruns, Deborah A.; Pierce, Corey D.

2007-01-01

Early literacy development is the gateway to reading and future academic success. Learning about sound-letter correspondence and basic decoding strategies are but two fundamental skills that have been found to support this later success. In addition, an emphasis on environmental print (e.g., McDonald's, Wal-Mart, Shell) and functional print (e.g.,…

Literacy Leader Fellowship Program Reports. Part I in a Series. Framework for Developing Skill Standards for Workplace Literacy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Askov, Eunice N.

This document describes two activities of the Literacy Leader Fellowship research project, which addressed the needs of adult educators for knowledge of job skills and of business and unions for information about adult literacy efforts. The first section describes the following efforts related to skill standards and other policy initiatives: (1)…

Assessing Teacher Beliefs about Early Literacy Curriculum Implementation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McKenney, Susan; Bradley, Barbara

2016-01-01

Against the backdrop of growing international concern for a narrowing view of early literacy, this study was initiated to determine how teachers of four-year-olds view their task of fostering early literacy. This paper reports on the first steps to design and validate an instrument which captures teachers' perceptions of early literacy content…

Literacy Skills, Occupational Assignment and the Returns to Over- and Under-Education. International Adult Literacy Survey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boothby, Daniel

2002-01-01

This study uses data from the Canadian panel of the International Adult Literacy Survey to examine the relations between schooling, literacy and occupational assignment and to determine the extent to which returns to over- and under-education are in fact returns to literacy skills. Two measures of required training time for the job are used, both…

Literacy skills gaps: A cross-level analysis on international and intergenerational variations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Suehye

2018-02-01

The global agenda for sustainable development has centred lifelong learning on UNESCO's Education 2030 Framework for Action. The study described in this article aimed to examine international and intergenerational variations in literacy skills gaps within the context of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). For this purpose, the author examined the trend of literacy gaps in different countries using multilevel and multisource data from the OECD's Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) and UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning survey data from the third edition of the Global Report on Adult Learning and Education (GRALE III). In this article, particular attention is paid to exploring the specific effects of education systems on literacy skills gaps among different age groups. Key findings of this study indicate substantial intergenerational literacy gaps within countries as well as different patterns of literacy gaps across countries. Young generations generally outscore older adults in literacy skills, but feature bigger gaps when examined by gender and social origin. In addition, this study finds an interesting tendency for young generations to benefit from a system of Recognition, Validation and Accreditation (RVA) in closing literacy gaps by formal schooling at country level. This implies the potential of an RVA system for tackling educational inequality in initial schooling. The article concludes with suggestions for integrating literacy skills as a foundation of lifelong learning into national RVA frameworks and mechanisms at system level.

Do Early Literacy Skills in Children's First Language Promote Development of Skills in Their Second Language? An Experimental Evaluation of Transfer

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goodrich, J. Marc; Lonigan, Christopher J.; Farver, JoAnn M.

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the cross-language transfer of the emergent literacy skills of preschoolers who were Spanish-speaking language-minority children in the context of an experimental intervention study. Ninety-four children were randomly assigned either to a control condition (HighScope Preschool Curriculum) or to receive…

Do Workplace Literacy Programs Promote High Skills or Low Wages? Suggestions for Future Evaluations of Workplace Literacy Programs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sarmiento, Tony

Workplace literacy programs can support the path toward either low wages or high skills. Instead of the "high skill" path, most U.S. companies follow the "low wage" path. Depending on who is involved, which program goals are selected, and what planning process is followed, a workplace literacy program can maintain outdated workplaces or foster…

Geography literacy can develop Geography skills for high school students: is it true?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Utami, W. S.; Zain, I. M.; Sumarmi

2018-01-01

The most important issue related to education in Indonesia is the low quality of student learning and competence. The basic thing that is important to be studied is the demands of 21st-century skills that are difficult to fulfil with the low competence of student learning. Low competence of student learning demonstrated by low capacity of scientific literacy includes geography literacy. Geography skills of Indonesian students are also low. It is shown from the students’ ability to use maps to describe and to analyze is low. The purpose of this study is to determine the correlation between the literacy skills of geography to develop geography skills of high school students in Surabaya. Written and performance tests were given to the sample of 29 high school students. The results of the tests we analyzed based on Geography literacy and its correlation to Geography skills in terms of the ability to use the media, map, and analyze the phenomenon of the geosphere. The results showed that the students who have low literacy geography have difficulty in using map.

REACH--Richmond Enhanced Academics for Change. Nabisco Richmond Model. Skills Effectiveness Training for Workplace Literacy: The Non-Intrusive Determination of Workplace Literacy Skills Requirements in a Union Environment. Final Reports.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nabisco, Richmond, VA.

A workplace literacy project was conducted at the Nabisco Richmond Facility for the following purposes: to determine what academic skills are necessary to perform 10 selected jobs, to develop a validated assessment to evaluate an employee's literacy skills, to develop a job-specific curriculum to improve skill deficits, and to provide an…

Re-counting 'illiteracy': literacy skills in the sociology of social inequality.

PubMed

Payne, Geoff

2006-06-01

Recent media reports have repeated claims that there are very large numbers of illiterate people in Britain, seven million adults being the most common figure. The moral panic this engendered has helped to justify educational initiatives and greater public spending on basic skills. However, a closer investigation of definitions and measurements of illiteracy in major national studies reveals the peculiarity of this social construction of illiteracy. Not least, it is argued that the numbers actually suffering significant literacy deficits are much lower than reported. Partly because British sociology has given literacy little attention (despite the advent of the 'New Literacy Studies'), official accounts of illiteracy remain unduly 'normative', seriously under-estimating cultural differences like gender, ethnicity and class. A new classification of low literacy skills is proposed, with the intention of demonstrating connections with structural accounts of social inequality and sociological theory. Low levels of literacy skill remain important because they are related to other forms of social inequality, even when the number of people disadvantaged in this way is much smaller than previously claimed.

Promoting Early Literacy via Practicing Invented Spelling: A Comparison of Different Mediation Routines

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Levin, Iris; Aram, Dorit

2013-01-01

The present study compared the effects of different mediation routines provided to kindergartners from families of low socioeconomic status on the students' invented spelling attempts and on their gains obtained on spelling and other early literacy skills (letter naming, sounds of letters, word segmentation, and word decoding). The effects of the…

A Growth Curve Analysis of Literacy Performance among Second-Grade, Spanish-Speaking, English-Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gutiierrez, Gabriel; Vanderwood, Mike L.

2013-01-01

The literacy growth of 260 second-grade English learners (ELs) with varying degrees of English language proficiency (e.g., Beginning, Early Intermediate, Intermediate, Early Advanced and Advanced English language proficiency) was assessed with English literacy skill assessments. Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills measures were…

The Development of Early Literacy in Steiner- and Standard-Educated Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cunningham, Anna J.; Carroll, Julia M.

2011-01-01

Background: There is evidence that children who are taught to read later in childhood (age 6-7) make faster progress in early literacy than those who are taught at a younger age (4-5 years), as is current practice in the UK. Aims: Steiner-educated children begin learning how to read at age 7, and have better reading-related skills at the onset of…

Analysis of student’s scientific literacy skills through socioscientific issue’s test on biodiversity topics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Purwani, L. D.; Sudargo, F.; Surakusumah, W.

2018-05-01

The aim of this study was to describe student’s scientific literacy skills on biodiversity topics at grade X of senior high school. Dimension of scientific literacy that was asses is science’s competence and attitude towards science. The science competency tests and attitude rating scale based on biodiversity’s socio-scientific issue is used to measure scientific literacy skills. The result of study showed that student’s scientific literacy skills for science competence dimension are low (15.84% for class A and 19.50% for class B) and also for attitude toward science dimension (31.15% for class A and 37.05%). We concluded that student’s scientific literacy skills are low (23.49% and 28.55%).

Developing information literacy skills in pre-registration nurses: an experimental study of teaching methods.

PubMed

Brettle, Alison; Raynor, Michael

2013-02-01

To compare the effectiveness of an online information literacy tutorial with a face-to-face session for teaching information literacy skills to nurses. Randomised control trial. Seventy-seven first year undergraduate pre-registration diploma nursing students. Online in-house information literacy tutorial One hour face-to-face session, covering the same material as the intervention, delivered by the nursing subject librarian. Search histories were scored using a validated checklist covering keyword selection, boolean operators, truncation and synonyms. Skills retention was measured at 1 month using the same checklist. Inferential statistics were used to compare search skills within and between groups pre and post-session. The searching skills of first year pre-registration nursing students improve following information literacy sessions (p<0.001), and remain unchanged 1 month later, regardless of teaching method. The two methods produce a comparable improvement (p=0.263). There is no improvement or degradation of skills 1 month post-session for either method (p=0.216). Nurses Information literacy skills improve after both face-to-face and online instruction. There is no skills degradation at 1 month post-intervention for either method. Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

A Spotlight on Preschool: The Influence of Family Factors on Children’s Early Literacy Skills

PubMed Central

Heath, Steve M.; Bishop, Dorothy V. M.; Bloor, Kimberley E.; Boyle, Gemma L.; Fletcher, Janet; Hogben, John H.; Wigley, Charles A.; Yeong, Stephanie H. M.

2014-01-01

Rationale Phonological awareness, letter knowledge, oral language (including sentence recall) and rapid automatised naming are acknowledged within-child predictors of literacy development. Separate research has identified family factors including socio-economic status, parents’ level of education and family history. However, both approaches have left unexplained significant amounts of variance in literacy outcomes. This longitudinal study sought to improve prospective classification accuracy for young children at risk of literacy failure by adding two new family measures (parents’ phonological awareness and parents’ perceived self-efficacy), and then combining the within-child and family factors. Method Pre-literacy skills were measured in 102 four year olds (46 girls and 56 boys) at the beginning of Preschool, and then at the beginning and end of Kindergarten, when rapid automatised naming was also measured. Family factors data were collected at the beginning of Preschool, and children’s literacy outcomes were measured at the end of Year 1 (age 6–7 years). Results Children from high-risk backgrounds showed poorer literacy outcomes than low-risk students, though three family factors (school socio-economic status, parents’ phonological awareness, and family history) typically accounted for less Year 1 variance than the within-child factors. Combining these family factors with the end of Kindergarten within-child factors provided the most accurate classification (i.e., sensitivity = .85; specificity = .90; overall correct = .88). Implications Our approach would identify at-risk children for intervention before they began to fail. Moreover, it would be cost-effective because although few at-risk children would be missed, allocation of unnecessary educational resources would be minimised. PMID:24751691

Facilitating Emergent Literacy Skills in Children with Hearing Loss

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zupan, Barbra; Dempsey, Lynn

2013-01-01

Purpose: To (a) familiarize readers with the components of emergent literacy and the impact hearing loss may have on the development of these skills; (b) demonstrate the importance of parent-professional collaboration and show how specific literacy-based activities can be integrated into existing daily routines and intervention programming; and…

The Value of Early Literacy and Parental Involvement.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ryan, Sheri Ann

Because early literacy development occurs through social processes, parents need to be involved in the beginning stages of their children's reading. This thesis details the need for early literacy experiences and provides evidence that reading success begins at home. The thesis distinguishes illiteracy and aliteracy, defines literacy, discusses…

The Effectiveness of Guided Inquiry-based Learning Material on Students’ Science Literacy Skills

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aulia, E. V.; Poedjiastoeti, S.; Agustini, R.

2018-01-01

The purpose of this research is to describe the effectiveness of guided inquiry-based learning material to improve students’ science literacy skills on solubility and solubility product concepts. This study used Research and Development (R&D) design and was implemented to the 11th graders of Muhammadiyah 4 Senior High School Surabaya in 2016/2017 academic year with one group pre-test and post-test design. The data collection techniques used were validation, observation, test, and questionnaire. The results of this research showed that the students’ science literacy skills are different after implementation of guided inquiry-based learning material. The guided inquiry-based learning material is effective to improve students’ science literacy skills on solubility and solubility product concepts by getting N-gain score with medium and high category. This improvement caused by the developed learning material such as lesson plan, student worksheet, and science literacy skill tests were categorized as valid and very valid. In addition, each of the learning phases in lesson plan has been well implemented. Therefore, it can be concluded that the guided inquiry-based learning material are effective to improve students’ science literacy skills on solubility and solubility product concepts in senior high school.

Digital, Hybrid, and Multilingual Literacies in Early Childhood

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Razfar, Aria; Yang, Eunah

2010-01-01

This article examines sociocultural research on early literacy development in the digital age. The last decade has witnessed a proliferation of informational technology that has fundamentally shifted how we think about language and literacy in the early childhood years. Despite these trends, narrow and reductive views of literacy continue to…

A multivariate twin study of early literacy in Japanese Kana

PubMed Central

Fujisawa, Keiko K.; Wadsworth, Sally J.; Kakihana, Shinichiro; Olson, Richard K.; DeFries, John C.; Byrne, Brian; Ando, Juko

2013-01-01

This first Japanese twin study of early literacy development investigated the extent to which genetic and environmental factors influence individual differences in prereading skills in 238 pairs of twins at 42 months of age. Twin pairs were individually tested on measures of phonological awareness, kana letter name/sound knowledge, receptive vocabulary, visual perception, nonword repetition, and digit span. Results obtained from univariate behavioral-genetic analyses yielded little evidence for genetic influences, but substantial shared-environmental influences, for all measures. Phenotypic confirmatory factor analysis suggested three correlated factors: phonological awareness, letter name/sound knowledge, and general prereading skills. Multivariate behavioral genetic analyses confirmed relatively small genetic and substantial shared environmental influences on the factors. The correlations among the three factors were mostly attributable to shared environment. Thus, shared environmental influences play an important role in the early reading development of Japanese children. PMID:23997545

Name-writing proficiency, not length of name, is associated with preschool children’s emergent literacy skills

PubMed Central

Puranik, Cynthia S.; Lonigan, Christopher J.

2011-01-01

The goals of this study were twofold: first, to examine whether preschool children’s name-writing proficiency differentiated them on other emergent reading and writing tasks, and second, to examine the effect of name length on preschool children’s emergent literacy skills including alphabet knowledge and spelling. In study 1, a range of emergent literacy tasks was administered to 296 preschool children aged 4–5 years. The more advanced name writers outperformed the less advanced name writers on all emergent literacy measures. Furthermore, children with longer names did not show superior performance compared to children with shorter names. In study 2, four measures of alphabet knowledge and spelling were administered to 104 preschool children. Once again, the more advanced name writers outperformed the less advanced name writers on the alphabet knowledge and spelling measures. Results indicated that having longer names did not translate into an advantage on the alphabet knowledge and spelling tasks. Name writing proficiency, not length of name appears to be associated with preschool children’s developing emergent literacy skills. Name writing reflects knowledge of some letters rather than a broader knowledge of letters that may be needed to support early spelling. PMID:22523450

Adult Literacy & Basic Skills Unit Newsletter. Nos. 32-35.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adult Literacy & Basic Skills Unit Newsletter, 1989

1989-01-01

This packet contains the four issues of a newsletter published in 1989 by the Adult Literacy & Basic Skills Unit in England. The Winter issue contains the following articles: "After the Act"; "An Evening at the Theatre"; "Horticulture: A Practical Project with Autistic Adults"; "Shared Reading"; and "Literacy and Adult Basic Education in…

Evaluating the Relationship among Parents' Oral and Written Language Skills, the Home Literacy Environment, and Their Preschool Children's Emergent Literacy Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taylor, Nicole A.

2011-01-01

Studies have examined the impact of parents' educational level on their child's emergent literacy skills and have found positive associations (Korat, 2009). However, a review of the literature indicates that previous studies have not investigated whether parents' oral and written language skills relate to their child's emergent oral and written…

Home literacy experiences and early childhood disability: a descriptive study using the National Household Education Surveys (NHES) program database.

PubMed

Breit-Smith, Allison; Cabell, Sonia Q; Justice, Laura M

2010-01-01

The present article illustrates how the National Household Education Surveys (NHES; U.S. Department of Education, 2009) database might be used to address questions of relevance to researchers who are concerned with literacy development among young children. Following a general description of the NHES database, a study is provided that examines the extent to which parent-reported home literacy activities and child emergent literacy skills differ for children with (a) developmental disabilities versus those who are developing typically, (b) single disability versus multiple disabilities, and (c) speech-language disability only versus other types of disabilities. Four hundred and seventy-eight preschool-age children with disabilities and a typically developing matched sample (based on parent report) were identified in the 2005 administration of the Early Childhood Program Participation (ECPP) Survey in the NHES database. Parent responses to survey items were then compared between groups. After controlling for age and socioeconomic status, no significant differences were found in the frequency of home literacy activities for children with and without disabilities. Parents reported higher levels of emergent literacy skills for typically developing children relative to children with disabilities. These findings suggest the importance of considering the home literacy experiences and emergent literacy skills of young children with disabilities when making clinical recommendations.

eHealth Literacy: Essential Skills for Consumer Health in a Networked World.

PubMed

Norman, Cameron D; Skinner, Harvey A

2006-06-16

Electronic health tools provide little value if the intended users lack the skills to effectively engage them. With nearly half the adult population in the United States and Canada having literacy levels below what is needed to fully engage in an information-rich society, the implications for using information technology to promote health and aid in health care, or for eHealth, are considerable. Engaging with eHealth requires a skill set, or literacy, of its own. The concept of eHealth literacy is introduced and defined as the ability to seek, find, understand, and appraise health information from electronic sources and apply the knowledge gained to addressing or solving a health problem. In this paper, a model of eHealth literacy is introduced, comprised of multiple literacy types, including an outline of a set of fundamental skills consumers require to derive direct benefits from eHealth. A profile of each literacy type with examples of the problems patient-clients might present is provided along with a resource list to aid health practitioners in supporting literacy improvement with their patient-clients across each domain. Facets of the model are illustrated through a set of clinical cases to demonstrate how health practitioners can address eHealth literacy issues in clinical or public health practice. Potential future applications of the model are discussed.

Literacy outcomes of children with early childhood speech sound disorders: impact of endophenotypes.

PubMed

Lewis, Barbara A; Avrich, Allison A; Freebairn, Lisa A; Hansen, Amy J; Sucheston, Lara E; Kuo, Iris; Taylor, H Gerry; Iyengar, Sudha K; Stein, Catherine M

2011-12-01

To demonstrate that early childhood speech sound disorders (SSD) and later school-age reading, written expression, and spelling skills are influenced by shared endophenotypes that may be in part genetic. Children with SSD and their siblings were assessed at early childhood (ages 4-6 years) and followed at school age (7-12 years). The relationship of shared endophenotypes with early childhood SSD and school-age outcomes and the shared genetic influences on these outcomes were examined. Structural equation modeling demonstrated that oral motor skills, phonological awareness, phonological memory, vocabulary, and speeded naming have varying influences on reading decoding, spelling, spoken language, and written expression at school age. Genetic linkage studies demonstrated linkage for reading, spelling, and written expression measures to regions on chromosomes 1, 3, 6, and 15 that were previously linked to oral motor skills, articulation, phonological memory, and vocabulary at early childhood testing. Endophenotypes predict school-age literacy outcomes over and above that predicted by clinical diagnoses of SSD or language impairment. Findings suggest that these shared endophenotypes and common genetic influences affect early childhood SSD and later school-age reading, spelling, spoken language, and written expression skills.

Literacy Outcomes of Children With Early Childhood Speech Sound Disorders: Impact of Endophenotypes

PubMed Central

Lewis, Barbara A.; Avrich, Allison A.; Freebairn, Lisa A.; Hansen, Amy J.; Sucheston, Lara E.; Kuo, Iris; Taylor, H. Gerry; Iyengar, Sudha K.; Stein, Catherine M.

2012-01-01

Purpose To demonstrate that early childhood speech sound disorders (SSD) and later school-age reading, written expression, and spelling skills are influenced by shared endophenotypes that may be in part genetic. Method Children with SSD and their siblings were assessed at early childhood (ages 4–6 years) and followed at school age (7–12 years). The relationship of shared endophenotypes with early childhood SSD and school-age outcomes and the shared genetic influences on these outcomes were examined. Results Structural equation modeling demonstrated that oral motor skills, phonological awareness, phonological memory, vocabulary, and speeded naming have varying influences on reading decoding, spelling, spoken language, and written expression at school age. Genetic linkage studies demonstrated linkage for reading, spelling, and written expression measures to regions on chromosomes 1, 3, 6, and 15 that were previously linked to oral motor skills, articulation, phonological memory, and vocabulary at early childhood testing. Conclusions Endophenotypes predict school-age literacy outcomes over and above that predicted by clinical diagnoses of SSD or language impairment. Findings suggest that these shared endophenotypes and common genetic influences affect early childhood SSD and later school-age reading, spelling, spoken language, and written expression skills. PMID:21930616

The Effects of an Early History of Otitis Media on Children's Language and Literacy Skill Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Winskel, Heather

2006-01-01

Background: Otitis media (OM) or middle ear infection is a common childhood illness and is most frequent during the crucial first 3 years of life when speech and language categories are being established, which could potentially have a long-term effect on language and literacy skill development. Aims: The purpose of the current study was to…

Promoting the 21st century scientific literacy skills through innovative chemistry instruction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rahayu, Sri

2017-12-01

Students need to be equipped with the 21st century skills/capabilities to ensure their competitiveness in the knowledge era. So, it is imperative that education at school should be changed in order to fulfill the need. However, there is not any specified approach on how to educate young students for the 21st century capabilities. Regardless the impediment for ts exist, we need to construct an innovative instruction that can develop the students' 21st century skills by incorporating the skills needed, based on contemporary theory of learning, necessary context of learning and appropriate assessment in a chemistry subject matter. This paper discuss the feasible skills to be promoted through chemistry course. Those skills/capabilities are scientific literacy, higher order thinking, communicationand collaboration and curiosity. The promoted are called the 21st century scientific literacy skills in which it emphasis on scientific literacy and embedded the other 21st century skills into the innovative chemistry instruction. The elements involve in the instruction such as inquiry and constructivist approach, nature of science, contemporary/socioscientific issues, critical thinking (higher order thinking).

Impacts of Parent-Implemented Early-Literacy Intervention for Spanish-Speaking Children with Language Impairment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pratt, Amy S.; Justice, Laura M.; Perez, Ashanty; Duran, Lillian K.

2015-01-01

Background: Children with language impairment (LI) often have lags in development of print knowledge, an important early-literacy skill. This study explores impacts of a print-focused intervention for Spanish-speaking children with LI in Southeastern Mexico. Aims: Aims were twofold. First, we sought to describe the print knowledge (print-concept…

Does Music Training Enhance Literacy Skills? A Meta-Analysis

PubMed Central

Gordon, Reyna L.; Fehd, Hilda M.; McCandliss, Bruce D.

2015-01-01

Children's engagement in music practice is associated with enhancements in literacy-related language skills, as demonstrated by multiple reports of correlation across these two domains. Training studies have tested whether engaging in music training directly transfers benefit to children's literacy skill development. Results of such studies, however, are mixed. Interpretation of these mixed results is made more complex by the fact that a wide range of literacy-related outcome measures are used across these studies. Here, we address these challenges via a meta-analytic approach. A comprehensive literature review of peer-reviewed music training studies was built around key criteria needed to test the direct transfer hypothesis, including: (a) inclusion of music training vs. control groups; (b) inclusion of pre- vs. post-comparison measures, and (c) indication that reading instruction was held constant across groups. Thirteen studies were identified (n = 901). Two classes of outcome measures emerged with sufficient overlap to support meta-analysis: phonological awareness and reading fluency. Hours of training, age, and type of control intervention were examined as potential moderators. Results supported the hypothesis that music training leads to gains in phonological awareness skills. The effect isolated by contrasting gains in music training vs. gains in control was small relative to the large variance in these skills (d = 0.2). Interestingly, analyses revealed that transfer effects for rhyming skills tended to grow stronger with increased hours of training. In contrast, no significant aggregate transfer effect emerged for reading fluency measures, despite some studies reporting large training effects. The potential influence of other study design factors were considered, including intervention design, IQ, and SES. Results are discussed in the context of emerging findings that music training may enhance literacy development via changes in brain mechanisms that

Does Music Training Enhance Literacy Skills? A Meta-Analysis.

PubMed

Gordon, Reyna L; Fehd, Hilda M; McCandliss, Bruce D

2015-01-01

Children's engagement in music practice is associated with enhancements in literacy-related language skills, as demonstrated by multiple reports of correlation across these two domains. Training studies have tested whether engaging in music training directly transfers benefit to children's literacy skill development. Results of such studies, however, are mixed. Interpretation of these mixed results is made more complex by the fact that a wide range of literacy-related outcome measures are used across these studies. Here, we address these challenges via a meta-analytic approach. A comprehensive literature review of peer-reviewed music training studies was built around key criteria needed to test the direct transfer hypothesis, including: (a) inclusion of music training vs. control groups; (b) inclusion of pre- vs. post-comparison measures, and (c) indication that reading instruction was held constant across groups. Thirteen studies were identified (n = 901). Two classes of outcome measures emerged with sufficient overlap to support meta-analysis: phonological awareness and reading fluency. Hours of training, age, and type of control intervention were examined as potential moderators. Results supported the hypothesis that music training leads to gains in phonological awareness skills. The effect isolated by contrasting gains in music training vs. gains in control was small relative to the large variance in these skills (d = 0.2). Interestingly, analyses revealed that transfer effects for rhyming skills tended to grow stronger with increased hours of training. In contrast, no significant aggregate transfer effect emerged for reading fluency measures, despite some studies reporting large training effects. The potential influence of other study design factors were considered, including intervention design, IQ, and SES. Results are discussed in the context of emerging findings that music training may enhance literacy development via changes in brain mechanisms that

Neurocognitive Development and Predictors of L1 and L2 Literacy Skills in Dyslexia: A Longitudinal Study of Children 5-11 Years Old.

PubMed

Helland, Turid; Morken, Frøydis

2016-02-01

The aim of this study was to find valid neurocognitive precursors of literacy development in first language (L1, Norwegian) and second language (L2, English) in a group of children during their Pre-literacy, Emergent Literacy and Literacy stages, by comparing children with dyslexia and a typical group. Children who were 5 years old at project start were followed until the age of 11, when dyslexia was identified and data could be analysed in retrospect. The children's neurocognitive pattern changed both by literacy stage and domain. Visuo-spatial recall and RAN appeared as early precursors of L1 literacy, while phonological awareness appeared as early precursor of L2 English. Verbal long term memory was associated with both L1 and L2 skills in the Literacy stage. Significant group differences seen in the Pre-literacy and Emergent literacy stages decreased in the Literacy stage. The developmental variations by stage and domain may explain some of the inconsistencies seen in dyslexia research. Early identification and training are essential to avoid academic failure, and our data show that visuo-spatial memory and RAN could be suitable early markers in transparent orthographies like Norwegian. Phonological awareness was here seen as an early precursor of L2 English, but not of L1 Norwegian. © 2015 The Authors. Dyslexia published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Effects of an Adolescent Literacy Program on Ninth Grade Students Deficient in Literacy Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Knuchel, Brian

2010-01-01

Research indicates that many adolescent students struggle with reading skills. Accordingly, this quantitative study attempted to address the problem of ninth-grade students entering high school deficient in literacy skills. The purpose of this non-experimental study was to investigate the effects a remedial reading program called Ramp-Up Literacy…

Examining the Relationship between Middle School Students' Critical Reading Skills, Science Literacy Skills and Attitudes: A Structural Equation Modeling

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Karademir, Ersin; Ulucinar, Ufuk

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study is to verify the causal relationship between middle school students' critical reading skills, science literacy skills and attitudes towards science literacy with research data according to the default model. Through the structural equation modeling, path analysis has been applied in the study which was designed in…

The development of scientific literacy assessment to measure student’s scientific literacy skills in energy theme

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rusilowati, A.; Nugroho, S. E.; Susilowati, E. S. M.; Mustika, T.; Harfiyani, N.; Prabowo, H. T.

2018-03-01

The research were aimed to develop and find out of validity, reliability, characteristic of scientific literacy assessment, and find out of the profile of students’ scientific literacy skills in Energy themed. The research is conducted in 7th grade of Secondary School at Demak, Central of Java Indonesia. The research design used R&D (Research and Development). The results of the research showed that the scientific literacy assessment was valid and reliable with 0.68 value in the first try out and 0.73 value in the last try out. The characteristics of the scientific literacy assessment are the difficulty index and the discrimination power. The difficulty index and distinguishing are 56.25% easy, 31.25% medium, and 12.5% very difficult with good discrimination power. The proportion of category of scientific literacy as the body of knowledge, the science as a way of investigating, science as a way of thinking, and the interaction among science, environment, technology, and society was 37.5%:25%:18.75%:18.75%. The highest to the lowest profile of students’ scientific literacy skills at Secondary School Demak was 72% in the category of science as a way of thinking and the lowest was 59% in the category of science as the body of knowledge.

Examining an Extended Home Literacy Model: The Mediating Roles of Emergent Literacy Skills and Reading Fluency

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Inoue, Tomohiro; Georgiou, George K.; Parrila, Rauno; Kirby, John R.

2018-01-01

We examined the developmental relationships between home literacy environment (parent teaching, shared book reading) and emergent literacy skills (phonological awareness, letter knowledge, vocabulary, rapid naming speed) in kindergarten, reading accuracy and fluency in Grade 1, and reading comprehension in Grades 2 and 3 in a sample of Canadian…

Developing a Test of Scientific Literacy Skills (TOSLS): measuring undergraduates' evaluation of scientific information and arguments.

PubMed

Gormally, Cara; Brickman, Peggy; Lutz, Mary

2012-01-01

Life sciences faculty agree that developing scientific literacy is an integral part of undergraduate education and report that they teach these skills. However, few measures of scientific literacy are available to assess students' proficiency in using scientific literacy skills to solve scenarios in and beyond the undergraduate biology classroom. In this paper, we describe the development, validation, and testing of the Test of Scientific Literacy Skills (TOSLS) in five general education biology classes at three undergraduate institutions. The test measures skills related to major aspects of scientific literacy: recognizing and analyzing the use of methods of inquiry that lead to scientific knowledge and the ability to organize, analyze, and interpret quantitative data and scientific information. Measures of validity included correspondence between items and scientific literacy goals of the National Research Council and Project 2061, findings from a survey of biology faculty, expert biology educator reviews, student interviews, and statistical analyses. Classroom testing contexts varied both in terms of student demographics and pedagogical approaches. We propose that biology instructors can use the TOSLS to evaluate their students' proficiencies in using scientific literacy skills and to document the impacts of curricular reform on students' scientific literacy.

Developing a Test of Scientific Literacy Skills (TOSLS): Measuring Undergraduates’ Evaluation of Scientific Information and Arguments

PubMed Central

Gormally, Cara; Brickman, Peggy; Lutz, Mary

2012-01-01

Life sciences faculty agree that developing scientific literacy is an integral part of undergraduate education and report that they teach these skills. However, few measures of scientific literacy are available to assess students’ proficiency in using scientific literacy skills to solve scenarios in and beyond the undergraduate biology classroom. In this paper, we describe the development, validation, and testing of the Test of Scientific Literacy Skills (TOSLS) in five general education biology classes at three undergraduate institutions. The test measures skills related to major aspects of scientific literacy: recognizing and analyzing the use of methods of inquiry that lead to scientific knowledge and the ability to organize, analyze, and interpret quantitative data and scientific information. Measures of validity included correspondence between items and scientific literacy goals of the National Research Council and Project 2061, findings from a survey of biology faculty, expert biology educator reviews, student interviews, and statistical analyses. Classroom testing contexts varied both in terms of student demographics and pedagogical approaches. We propose that biology instructors can use the TOSLS to evaluate their students’ proficiencies in using scientific literacy skills and to document the impacts of curricular reform on students’ scientific literacy. PMID:23222832

Information Behaviors and Information Literacy Skills of LIS Students: An International Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saunders, Laura; Kurbanoglu, Serap; Boustany, Joumana; Dogan, Guleda; Becker, Peter; Blumer, Eliane; Chowdhury, Sudatta; Dobreva, Milena; Gendina, Natalia; Grgic, Ivana Hebrang; Haddow, Gaby; Koltay, Tibor; Kortelainen, Terttu; Krakowska, Monika; Majid, Shaheen; Mezhova, Marina; Repanovici, Angela; Rudžioniene, Jurgita; Schneider, Rene; Terra, Ana Lucia; Todorova, Tania Y.

2015-01-01

Librarians are expected to be expert searchers, and developing information literacy skills to navigate the vast world of information is a focus of most library and information science (LIS) programs. It is important to understand the information literacy and behaviors of LIS students to see if they are employing the skills they will need to assist…

Summer Program Aims to Improve Literacy Skills of Black Male Teens

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

West, Cassandra

2012-01-01

In this article, the author talks about a summer program at the African American Adolescent Male Summer Literacy Institute which aims to improve literacy skills of black male teens. The African American Adolescent Male Summer Literacy Institute is now in its fourth year at the University of Illinois-Chicago (UIC). Alfred Tatum, director of the…

Handbook of Early Literacy Research. Volume 2

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dickinson, David K., Ed.; Neuman, Susan B., Ed.

2006-01-01

Current research increasingly highlights the role of early literacy in young children's development--and informs practices and policies that promote success among diverse learners. This handbook presents cutting-edge knowledge on all aspects of literacy learning in the early years. Volume 2 provides additional perspectives on important topics…

Investigating Morphological Awareness and the Processing of Transparent and Opaque Words in Adults with Low Literacy Skills and in Skilled Readers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

To, Nancy L.; Tighe, Elizabeth L.; Binder, Katherine S.

2016-01-01

For adults with low literacy skills, the role of phonology in reading has been fairly well researched, but less is known about the role of morphology in reading. We investigated the contribution of morphological awareness to word reading and reading comprehension and found that for adults with low literacy skills and skilled readers, morphological…

Neurocognitive Development and Predictors of L1 and L2 Literacy Skills in Dyslexia: A Longitudinal Study of Children 5–11 Years Old

PubMed Central

Morken, Frøydis

2015-01-01

The aim of this study was to find valid neurocognitive precursors of literacy development in first language (L1, Norwegian) and second language (L2, English) in a group of children during their Pre‐literacy, Emergent Literacy and Literacy stages, by comparing children with dyslexia and a typical group. Children who were 5 years old at project start were followed until the age of 11, when dyslexia was identified and data could be analysed in retrospect. The children's neurocognitive pattern changed both by literacy stage and domain. Visuo‐spatial recall and RAN appeared as early precursors of L1 literacy, while phonological awareness appeared as early precursor of L2 English. Verbal long term memory was associated with both L1 and L2 skills in the Literacy stage. Significant group differences seen in the Pre‐literacy and Emergent literacy stages decreased in the Literacy stage. The developmental variations by stage and domain may explain some of the inconsistencies seen in dyslexia research. Early identification and training are essential to avoid academic failure, and our data show that visuo‐spatial memory and RAN could be suitable early markers in transparent orthographies like Norwegian. Phonological awareness was here seen as an early precursor of L2 English, but not of L1 Norwegian. © 2015 The Authors. Dyslexia published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. PMID:26511662

Emergent literacy in kindergartners with cochlear implants

PubMed Central

Nittrouer, Susan; Caldwell, Amanda; Lowenstein, Joanna H; Tarr, Eric; Holloman, Christopher

2012-01-01

Problem A key ingredient to academic success is being able to read. Deaf individuals have historically failed to develop literacy skills comparable to those of their normal-hearing peers, but early identification and cochlear implants have improved prospects that these children can learn to read at the levels of their peers. The goal of this study was to examine early, or emergent, literacy in these children. Method 27 deaf children with cochlear implants (CIs) who had just completed kindergarten were tested on emergent literacy, as well as on cognitive and linguistic skills that support emergent literacy, specifically ones involving phonological awareness, executive functioning, and oral language. 17 kindergartners with normal hearing (NH) and 8 with hearing loss, but who used hearing aids (HAs) served as controls. Outcomes were compared for these three groups of children, regression analyses were performed to see if predictor variables for emergent literacy differed for children with NH and those with CIs, and factors related to the early treatment of hearing loss and prosthesis configuration were examined for children with CIs. Results Performance of children with CIs was roughly one or more standard deviations below the mean performance of children with NH on all tasks, except for syllable counting, reading fluency, and rapid serial naming. Oral language skills explained more variance in emergent literacy for children with CIs than for children with NH. Age of first implant explained moderate amounts of variance for several measures. Having one or two CIs had no effect, but children who had some amount of bimodal experience outperformed children who had none on several measures. Conclusions Even deaf children who have benefitted from early identification, intervention, and implantation are still at risk for problems with emergent literacy that could affect their academic success. This finding means that intensive language support needs to continue through at

Predicting First Grade Reading Achievement for Spanish-Speaking Kindergartners: Is Early Literacy Screening in English Valid?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ford, Karen L.; Invernizzi, Marcia A.; Huang, Francis

2014-01-01

This study explored the viability of using kindergarten measures of phonological awareness, alphabet knowledge, and orthographic knowledge, administered in English, to predict first grade reading achievement of Spanish-speaking English language learners. The primary research question was: Do kindergarten measures of early literacy skills in…

Student Experiences and Perceptions of Digital Literacy Skills Development: Engaging Learners by Design?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hall, Marion; Nix, Ingrid; Baker, Kirsty

2013-01-01

In the current digital environment, it is vital for learners to develop digital literacy skills. The UK's Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (HE) requires graduates to demonstrate digital literacy. Employers consider these skills essential. With the high cost of HE in the UK, learners themselves also expect university courses to…

Information Literacy Advocates: developing student skills through a peer support approach.

PubMed

Curtis, Ruth

2016-12-01

Since 2013/2014, an Information Literacy Advocates (ILA) scheme has been running at the University of Nottingham as an extracurricular module on the Nottingham Advantage Award programme. The Information Literacy Advocates scheme, which recruits medicine and health sciences students in their second year or above, aims to facilitate development of information literacy skills and confidence, as well as communication, organisation and teamwork, through the provision of peer support. Previous research indicates peer assistance effectively enhances such skills and is valued by fellow students who welcome the opportunity to approach more experienced students for help. This article, written by guest writer Ruth Curtis from the University of Nottingham, provides an overview of administering the ILA scheme and explores its impact on the Information Literacy Advocates, peers and librarians, and discusses future developments for taking the scheme forward. H. S. © 2016 Health Libraries Group.

Home Literacy Environment and English Language and Literacy Skills among Chinese Young Children Who Learn English as a Second Language

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yeung, Susanna S.; King, Ronnel B.

2016-01-01

The present study explored the home literacy environment for Chinese ESL kindergarteners and examined the relationships between home literacy practices and language and literacy skills. Ninety Hong Kong Chinese ESL kindergarteners were assessed for English vocabulary, phonological awareness, letter knowledge and word reading. Their parents…

Emergent Literacy Skills in Preschool Children with Hearing Loss Who Use Spoken Language: Initial Findings from the Early Language and Literacy Acquisition (ELLA) Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Werfel, Krystal L.

2017-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare change in emergent literacy skills of preschool children with and without hearing loss over a 6-month period. Method: Participants included 19 children with hearing loss and 14 children with normal hearing. Children with hearing loss used amplification and spoken language. Participants completed…

The Effect of Dialogic Reading on Early Literacy Outcomes for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pamparo, Veronica

2012-01-01

The incorporation of dialogic reading techniques in adult-child book reading has been effective in improving early literacy skills in children with language delays and those from at-risk populations. There is, however, limited research that examines the potential utility of dialogic reading strategies for children with disabilities such as Autism…

Media Exposure and Genetic Literacy Skills to Evaluate Angelina Jolie's Decision for Prophylactic Mastectomy.

PubMed

Abrams, Leah R; Koehly, Laura M; Hooker, Gillian W; Paquin, Ryan S; Capella, Joseph N; McBride, Colleen M

2016-01-01

To examine public preparedness to evaluate and respond to Angelina Jolie's well-publicized decision to have a prophylactic mastectomy. A consumer panel (n = 1,008) completed an online survey in November 2013, reporting exposure to Jolie's story, confidence applying genomic knowledge to evaluate her decision, and ability to interpret provided genetic risk information (genetic literacy skills). Linear and logistic regressions tested mediating/moderating models of these factors in association with opinions regarding mastectomies. Confidence with genomics was associated with increased genetic literacy skills and increased media exposure, with a significant interaction between the two. Confidence was also associated with favoring mastectomies for women with BRCA mutations, mediating the relationship with media exposure. Respondents were more likely to form opinions about mastectomies if they had high genetic literacy skills. These findings suggest that having higher genetic literacy skills may increase the public's ability to form opinions about clinical applications of genomic discovery. However, repeated media exposure to high-profile stories may artificially inflate confidence among those with low genetic literacy. © 2016 S. Karger AG, Basel.

A Primary Approach to Reading: Review of Early Literacy Interventions Implemented in Pediatric Settings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ogg, Julia A.; Sundman-Wheat, Ashley N.; Bateman, Lisa P.

2012-01-01

Children who begin school with less developed early literacy skills often have a difficult time catching up to their peers, and children who are poor readers in the first few years of school continue struggling with reading when compared with their peers at later grades. Before school entry, schools may be limited in their regular access to…

Applying Systems Design and Item Response Theory to the Problem of Measuring Information Literacy Skills.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Connor, Lisa G.; Radcliff, Carolyn J.; Gedeon, Julie A.

2002-01-01

Reports on the development of the Standardized Assessment of Information Literacy Skills (SAILS) at Kent State University (Ohio) for programmatic-level assessment of information literacy skills. Once validated, the instrument will be used to assess entry skills upon admission and longitudinally to ascertain whether there is significant change in…

Class Size Effects on Literacy Skills and Literacy Interest in First Grade: A Large-Scale Investigation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ecalle, Jean; Magnan, Annie; Gibert, Fabienne

2006-01-01

This article examines the impact of class size on literacy skills and on literacy interest in beginning readers from zones with specific educational needs in France. The data came from an experiment involving first graders in which teachers and pupils were randomly assigned to the different class types (small classes of 10-12 pupils vs. regular…

Using Oral Language Skills to Build on the Emerging Literacy of Adult English Learners. CAELA Network Brief

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vinogradov, Patsy; Bigelow, Martha

2010-01-01

In addition to learning to read and write for the first time, adult English language learners with limited or emerging literacy skills must acquire oral English. Often, learners with limited print literacy in their first language have oral skills in English that exceed their English literacy skills (Geva & Zadeh, 2006). While this mismatch of oral…

Workplace Literacy and Basic Skills = L'alphabetisation et les competences de base en milieu de travail.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Waugh, Sue

Workplace literacy and basic skills may be defined as skills needed by employees at work: reading, writing, math, and problem solving. Workplace literacy and skill requirements are based on the needs of each workplace and its workers. These skills are important because the work force needs to be highly skilled and adaptable to compete in a global…

Improving Emergent Literacy Skills: Web Destinations for Young Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thurlow, Richard

2009-01-01

Teaching pre-literacy skills to young children is an important educational goal that potentially can be assisted through the use of computer technologies. Preschool teachers and parents also want to help foster independent work on technological skills. Educational Web sites are being developed that might be useful in meeting both goals; however,…

Sixty Minutes of Physical Activity per Day Included within Preschool Academic Lessons Improves Early Literacy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kirk, Stacie M.; Kirk, Erik P.

2016-01-01

Background: The effects of increases in physical activity (PA) on early literacy skills in preschool children are not known. Methods: Fifty-four African-American preschool children from a low socioeconomic urban Head Start participated over 8 months. A 2-group, quasi-experimental design was used with one preschool site participating in the PA…

Identifying Key Early Literacy and School Readiness Issues: Exploring a Strategy for Assessing Community Needs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weigel, Daniel J.; Martin, Sally S.

2006-01-01

Much effort has been expended in developing intervention programs to help improve the early literacy and school readiness skills of young children. This article presents the results of a needs assessment project aimed at identifying priorities for community intervention programs aimed at ensuring that young children enter school ready to learn. A…

An Alternative Approach to Early Literacy: The Effects of ASL in Educational Media on Literacy Skills Acquisition for Hearing Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moses, Annie M.; Golos, Debbie B.; Bennett, Colleen M.

2015-01-01

Early childhood educators need access to research-based practices and materials to help all children learn to read. Some theorists have suggested that individuals learn to read through "dual coding" (i.e., a verbal code and a nonverbal code) and may benefit from more than one route to literacy (e.g., dual coding theory). Although deaf…

Information and informatics literacy: skills, timing, and estimates of competence.

PubMed

Scott, C S; Schaad, D C; Mandel, L S; Brock, D M; Kim, S

2000-01-01

Computing and biomedical informatics technologies are providing almost instantaneous access to vast amounts of possibly relevant information. Although students are entering medical school with increasingly sophisticated basic technological skills, medical educators must determine what curricular enhancements are needed to prepare learners for the world of electronic information. The purpose was to examine opinions of academic affairs and informatics administrators, curriculum deans and recently matriculated medical students about prematriculation competence and medical education learning expectations. Two surveys were administered: an Information Literacy Survey for curriculum/informatics deans and a Computing Skills Survey for entering medical students. Results highlight differences of opinion about entering competencies. They also indicate that medical school administrators believe that most basic information skills fall within the domain of undergraduate medical education. Further investigations are needed to determine precise entry-level skills and whether information literacy will increase as a result of rising levels of technical competence.

Hospital Job Skills Enhancement Program: A Workplace Literacy Project. Final Evaluation Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nurss, Joanne R.

A workplace literacy program was designed to improve the literacy skills of entry-level workers in the housekeeping, food service, and laundry departments of Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta. Classes were held twice per week for 36 weeks at the hospital on job time. Literacy was defined as reading, writing, oral communication, and problem…

Developing a Test of Scientific Literacy Skills (TOSLS): Measuring Undergraduates' Evaluation of Scientific Information and Arguments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gormally, Cara; Brickman, Peggy; Lutz, Mary

2012-01-01

Life sciences faculty agree that developing scientific literacy is an integral part of undergraduate education and report that they teach these skills. However, few measures of scientific literacy are available to assess students' proficiency in using scientific literacy skills to solve scenarios in and beyond the undergraduate biology classroom.…

Occupational Task Profiles: A Pan-Canadian Snapshot of the Canadian Literacy and Essential Skills Workforce--A Think Paper. Revised

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harwood, Chris

2012-01-01

Because Literacy and Essential Skills are so important to economic development, it is vital to know the competencies needed by the educators who deliver Literacy and Essential Skills programming. Likewise, Literacy and Essential Skills are crucial for labour market attachment. Low-skilled work has been most affected by technological change. There…

The Italian Health Literacy Project: Insights from the assessment of health literacy skills in Italy.

PubMed

Palumbo, Rocco; Annarumma, Carmela; Adinolfi, Paola; Musella, Marco; Piscopo, Gabriella

2016-09-01

Inadequate health literacy, namely the problematic individual's ability to navigate the health care system, has been depicted as a silent epidemic affecting a large part of the world population. Inadequate health literacy has been variously found to be a predictor of patient disengagement, inappropriateness of care, increased health care costs, and higher mortality rates. However, to date the evidence on the prevalence of limited health literacy is heterogeneous; moreover, studies dealing with this topic show a pronounced geographical concentration. To contribute in filling these gaps, this paper investigates health literacy skills in Italy. Drawing on the European Health Literacy Survey (HLS-EU), a tool to measure self-perceived levels of health literacy was administered to a representative sample of Italian citizens. A stepwise regression analysis allowed to shed light on the determinants and consequences of limited health literacy. Findings suggested that inadequate health literacy is a prevailing problem in Italy, even though it has been overlooked by both policy makers and health care practitioners. Financial deprivation was found to be a significant predictor of inadequate health literacy. Low health literate patients reported higher hospitalization rates and greater use of health services. As compared with the European Countries, Italy showed some peculiarities in terms of health literacy levels and socio-demographic determinants of health literacy, which provide with intriguing insights for policy making. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Profiles of Emergent Literacy Skills among Preschool Children Who Are at Risk for Academic Difficulties

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cabell, Sonia Q.; Justice, Laura M.; Konold, Timothy R.; McGinty, Anita S.

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore patterns of within-group variability in the emergent literacy skills of preschoolers who are at risk for academic difficulties. We used the person-centered approach of cluster analysis to identify profiles of emergent literacy skills, taking into account both oral language and code-related skills.…

A Case Study of Parental Perceptions of Literacy Skill Development for Severe Speech Impairments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sweat, Karen

2014-01-01

Students exhibiting speech deficits may not have the appropriate skills or support structures necessary to obtain adequate or acceptable literacy development as mixed results from past research have indicated that some students with speech impairments have the capacity to gain appropriate literacy skills. The purpose of the qualitative holistic…

A curricular approach to improve the information literacy and academic writing skills of part-time post-registration nursing students in Hong Kong.

PubMed

Tarrant, Marie; Dodgson, Joan E; Law, Beatrice V K K

2008-05-01

In today's environment of rapidly changing health care and information technology, nurses require a broad range of skills. One of the key skills required of all health professionals in this environment is information literacy. For registered nurses returning to a university setting to study for their baccalaureate degree, becoming information literate is one of many challenges they face. Also key to students' ability to use and communicate information in an appropriate and effective manner is their writing skills. This article describes a curricular intervention designed to develop and strengthen post-registration nurses' information literacy and academic writing competencies. An introductory information management module was developed and provided to three successive cohorts of students (n=159). Students were predominantly female (85.4%) with a mean age of 34.2 years (SD=6.8). Prior to commencing the program, students reported low information literacy and writing skills, especially in accessing and searching electronic databases and using referencing formats. The post-test evaluation of skills showed substantial and statistically significant increases in all assessed competencies. This intervention demonstrated that with structured but flexible learning activities early in the curriculum, post-registration nursing students can quickly become information literate.

Undergraduates' Text Messaging Language and Literacy Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grace, Abbie; Kemp, Nenagh; Martin, Frances Heritage; Parrila, Rauno

2014-01-01

Research investigating whether people's literacy skill is being affected by the use of text messaging language has produced largely positive results for children, but mixed results for adults. We asked 150 undergraduate university students in Western Canada and 86 in South Eastern Australia to supply naturalistic text messages and to complete…

Development of Emergent Math and Literacy Skills.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Malofeeva, Elena V.; Ciancio, Dennis; Day, Jeanne D.

The purpose of the present study was to determine whether individual differences in children's learning of emergent mathematics and literacy skills existed, and, if they did exist, whether they could be predicted from different child/environment characteristics. Eighty-one three- to five-year-old children took pretests, received training at four…

Investigating Predictors of Spelling Ability for Adults with Low Literacy Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Talwar, Amani; Cote, Nicole Gilbert; Binder, Katherine

2014-01-01

This study examined whether the spelling abilities of adults with low literacy skills could be predicted by their phonological, orthographic, and morphological awareness. Sixty Adult Basic Education (ABE) students completed several literacy tasks. It was predicted that scores on phonological and orthographic tasks would explain variance in…

Family Literacy Works: Key Findings from the NFER Evaluation of the Basic Skills Agency's Demonstration Programmes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Basic Skills Agency, 2006

2006-01-01

The Basic Skills Agency (formerly the Adult Literacy and Basic Skills Unit--ALBSU) is the national development agency for literacy, numeracy and related basic skills in England and Wales. This agency defines basic skills as " the ability to read, write, and speak in English and use mathematics at a level necessary to function and progress at…

Multiple Literacies, Curriculum, and Instruction in Early Childhood and Elementary School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Larson, Joanne

2006-01-01

This article describes some implications of using a multiple literacies perspective in the construction and implementation of literacy curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment in early childhood and elementary classrooms. After briefly laying out a theoretical perspective in sections focusing on early literacy, academic learning, literacy beyond…

Health literacy, computer skills and quality of patient-physician communication in Chinese patients with cataract.

PubMed

Lin, Xianchai; Wang, Mei; Zuo, Yajing; Li, Mingge; Lin, Xiaofeng; Zhu, Siping; Zheng, Yongxin; Yu, Minbin; Lamoureux, Ecosse L

2014-01-01

The aim of the study was to assess levels of health literacy and computer skills in Chinese patients with cataract, and their impact on the doctor-patient relationship. We undertook a cross-sectional study of cataract patients scheduled for cataract extraction procedures in Guangdong Province, China. Generic health literacy was assessed using 3 established screening questions. Adequate computer skills was determined if patients had used a computer and routinely used search engines on the Internet. Socio-demographic measures (e.g., age, sex, education) were obtained from a standardized interview. Participants who indicated that they could not understand what their doctors mean were considered to have had poor patient-physician communications. Of the 211 participants, 92 (43.6%) had inadequate health literacy and 204 (96.7%) inadequate computer skills. In multivariate analysis, females were more likely to have inadequate health literacy (odds ratio = 2.5, 95% confidence intervals [CI]: 1.3 to 4.7). People with inadequately health literacy were more likely to have a poor patient-physician communication (odds ratio = 3.5, 95% CIs: 1.3 to 9.0). Similar associations were found for inadequate computer skills. Chinese elderly patients with cataract have inadequate health literacy and very limited computer skills, which place them at high risk of misunderstanding and mismanaging their ocular conditions. Patient education information other than online materials may improve the eye care and outcomes of these patients.

Project RAILS: Lessons Learned about Rubric Assessment of Information Literacy Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Belanger, Jackie; Zou, Ning; Mills, Jenny Rushing; Holmes, Claire; Oakleaf, Megan

2015-01-01

Rubric assessment of information literacy is an important tool for librarians seeking to show evidence of student learning. The authors, who collaborated on the Rubric Assessment of Informational Literacy Skills (RAILS) research project, draw from their shared experience to present practical recommendations for implementing rubric assessment in a…

Visual Literacy: A Vital Skill in the Process of Rhetorical Criticism.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Flory, Joyce

"Visual literacy" denotes the abilities, competencies, and skills necessary to accurately intercept, interpret, understand, and create communication in visual modes. The term also refers to a popular movement of both students and teachers (e.g., Visual Literacy Association, Action for Children's Television, The Screen Educator's Society) who wish…

The Home Literacy Environment and Preschool Children's Reading Skills and Interest

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yeo, Lay See; Ong, Winston W.; Ng, Charis M.

2014-01-01

Research Findings: This study explored the association between the home literacy environment (HLE), conceptualized as comprising parents' reading beliefs and home literacy practices, and preschoolers' reading skills and reading interest. It also identified factors in the HLE that predict emerging reading competence and motivation to read. A total…

Starting Strong: Evidence-­Based Early Literacy Practices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blamey, Katrin; Beauchat, Katherine

2016-01-01

Four evidence-based instructional approaches create an essential resource for any early literacy teacher or coach. Improve your teaching practices in all areas of early literacy. Use four proven instructional approaches--standards based, evidenced based, assessment based, and student based--to improve their teaching practice in all areas of early…

Language Development, Literacy Skills, and Predictive Connections to Reading in Finnish Children with and without Familial Risk for Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Torppa, Minna; Lyytinen, Paula; Erskine, Jane; Eklund, Kenneth; Lyytinen, Heikki

2010-01-01

Discriminative language markers and predictive links between early language and literacy skills were investigated retrospectively in the Jyvaskyla Longitudinal Study of Dyslexia in which children at familial risk for dyslexia have been followed from birth. Three groups were formed on the basis of 198 children's reading and spelling status. One…

The Home Literacy Environment as a Predictor of the Early Literacy Development of Children at Family-Risk of Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hamilton, Lorna G.; Hayiou-Thomas, Marianna E.; Hulme, Charles; Snowling, Margaret J.

2016-01-01

The home literacy environment (HLE) predicts language and reading development in typically developing children; relatively little is known about its association with literacy development in children at family-risk of dyslexia. We assessed the HLE at age 4 years, precursor literacy skills at age 5, and literacy outcomes at age 6, in a sample of…

Life Skills Literacy: An Intervention Model to Alleviate Family Poverty

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Lee N.; Carswell, Andrew T.; Palmer, Lance; Sweaney, Annie L.; Mullis, Rebecca M.; Leonas, Karen K.; Moss, Joan Koonce; Mauldin, Teresa

2005-01-01

Life Skills Literacy (LSL) is a multidisciplinary intervention model that helps families living with limited resources (including poverty) achieve sustainable well-being. This model, based on ecological theory and a readiness for change framework, prepares people to learn from the program and teaches necessary life skills. The LSL project…

Parental Involvement in Emergent Literacy Skills of Urban Head Start Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nespeca, Sue McCleaf

1995-01-01

Explored the impact of parental involvement and of public libraries on Head Start children's emerging literacy skills. Found differences in the amount of parental involvement in literacy activities and the types of activities. Library use was minimal for fear of damaging books, transportation problems, or lack of time or effort. Suggested…

Literacy in Early Childhood and Primary Education: Issues, Challenges, Solutions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McLachlan, Claire; Nicholson, Tom; Fielding-Barnsley, Ruth; Mercer, Louise; Ohi, Sarah

2012-01-01

Literacy in Early Childhood and Primary Education provides a comprehensive introduction to literacy teaching and learning. The book explores the continuum of literacy learning and children's transitions from early childhood settings to junior primary classrooms and then to senior primary and beyond. Reader-friendly and accessible, this book equips…

The Foundations of Literacy Development in Children at Familial Risk of Dyslexia.

PubMed

Hulme, Charles; Nash, Hannah M; Gooch, Debbie; Lervåg, Arne; Snowling, Margaret J

2015-12-01

The development of reading skills is underpinned by oral language abilities: Phonological skills appear to have a causal influence on the development of early word-level literacy skills, and reading-comprehension ability depends, in addition to word-level literacy skills, on broader (semantic and syntactic) language skills. Here, we report a longitudinal study of children at familial risk of dyslexia, children with preschool language difficulties, and typically developing control children. Preschool measures of oral language predicted phoneme awareness and grapheme-phoneme knowledge just before school entry, which in turn predicted word-level literacy skills shortly after school entry. Reading comprehension at 8½ years was predicted by word-level literacy skills at 5½ years and by language skills at 3½ years. These patterns of predictive relationships were similar in both typically developing children and those at risk of literacy difficulties. Our findings underline the importance of oral language skills for the development of both word-level literacy and reading comprehension. © The Author(s) 2015.

Does Whole-Word Multimedia Software Support Literacy Acquisition?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Karemaker, Arjette M.; Pitchford, Nicola J.; O'Malley, Claire

2010-01-01

This study examined the extent to which multimedia features of typical literacy learning software provide added benefits for developing literacy skills compared with typical whole-class teaching methods. The effectiveness of the multimedia software Oxford Reading Tree (ORT) for Clicker in supporting early literacy acquisition was investigated…

Tell Me a Story: A Literacy-Based Intervention to Help Children, Early Care Providers, and Parents Talk about Difficult Topics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beardslee, William R.; Bartlett, Jessica Dym; Ayoub, Catherine

2014-01-01

The use of storytelling and discussion about difficult topics naturally lends itself to early skill development in both social-emotional and academic (i.e., emergent literacy) domains. In this article, the authors present initial information on the efficacy and feasibility of Tell Me A Story (TMAS), a program focused on supporting early childhood…

Family Literacy and the New Canadian: Formal, Non-Formal and Informal Learning: The Case of Literacy, Essential Skills and Language Learning in Canada

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eaton, Sarah Elaine

2011-01-01

This paper examines literacy and language learning across the lifespan within the context of immigrants in the Canadian context. It explores the process of improving literacy skills and acquiring second or third language skills through the systems of formal, non-formal and informal learning, as defined by the OECD [Organisation for Economic…

The Role of Parent Education and Parenting Knowledge in Children's Language and Literacy Skills among White, Black, and Latino Families

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rowe, Meredith L.; Denmark, Nicole; Harden, Brenda Jones; Stapleton, Laura M.

2016-01-01

This study investigated the role of parenting knowledge of infant development in children's subsequent language and pre-literacy skills among White, Black and Latino families of varying socioeconomic status. Data come from 6,150 participants in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort. Mothers' knowledge of infant development was…

Hospital Job Skills Enhancement Program: A Workplace Literacy Project. Curriculum Manual.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chase, Nancy D.

This document describes a workplace literacy program designed to improve the literacy skills of entry-level workers in the housekeeping, food service, and laundry departments of Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta. An introduction describes the goals of the program and the employees served (low-literate adults who relied on word of mouth for most…

An Investigation of the Relationship between Health Literacy and Social Communication Skills in Older Adults

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hester, Eva Jackson

2009-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine connections between health literacy and social communication skills in older adults, a population that experiences chronic health conditions but is reported to have low health literacy and declines in communication skills. Sixty-three older adults were administered the "Social Communication"…

Applying Behavior Analytic Procedures to Effectively Teach Literacy Skills in the Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Joseph, Laurice M.; Alber-Morgan, Sheila; Neef, Nancy

2016-01-01

The purpose of this article is to discuss the application of behavior analytic procedures for advancing and evaluating methods for teaching literacy skills in the classroom. Particularly, applied behavior analysis has contributed substantially to examining the relationship between teacher behavior and student literacy performance. Teacher…

Enhancing Scientific Literacy by Targeting Specific Scientific Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hicks, Sylvia; MacDonald, Shane; Martin, Ela

2017-01-01

The term scientific literacy is increasingly used by governments and teaching bodies, stemming from a growing international concern by scientists and government, who recognize the economic significance of developing scientific skills (McGregor & Kearton, 2010). However, in a society that requires students to be scientifically literate,…

Young offenders' perspectives on their literacy and communication skills.

PubMed

Hopkins, Thomas; Clegg, Judy; Stackhouse, Joy

2016-01-01

Research has revealed that the youth offending population has low language ability when assessed on standardized language measures. However, little is known about the perceptions young offenders (YOs) have of their own literacy ability and their communicative interactions with others. Such knowledge might further our understanding of the possible association between language, literacy and offending behaviour. This study investigates the perceptions and experiences YOs have of using literacy and communicating with others. It addresses the following questions. How satisfied are YOs with their own literacy and communication skills and how important do YOs perceive these to be? How much do YOs believe they understand others in their communicative interactions? How satisfied are YOs with their communicative interactions with others and how does this influence conflict at home, school, and in the youth justice system? An opportunity sample of 31 YOs on court orders were recruited from a local youth offending service, excluding any who did not have English as a first language or were in receipt of current speech and language therapy provision. Twenty-six qualitative individual semi-structured interviews and two focus group interviews were carried out and analysed using a framework analysis method. Themes revealed participants were dissatisfied with their communication and literacy ability. Other themes identified were difficulty in understanding others, a perceived lack of support and respect gained from others, and a negative impact of communication on self-esteem. The findings suggest that YOs often found themselves in disputes with authority figures, but that they avoided using positive communication to solve such conflicts and also avoided confiding in others. The findings support the results found from quantitative research on the language abilities of YOs. This emphasizes the value in adopting qualitative methodology to understand the relationship between literacy

Connecting Schools and Families: Understanding the Influence of Home Literacy Practices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Curry, Daphney L.; Reeves, Emily; Mcintyre, Christina J.

2016-01-01

Home literacy practices are extremely important in developing early language and literacy skills. Children from lower socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds may be at risk, not because their family literacy practices are inferior, but because their culturally defined literacy practices may not be consistent with school literacy expectations. To…

Influences of health literacy, judgment skills, and empowerment on asthma self-management practices.

PubMed

Londoño, Ana Maria Moreno; Schulz, Peter J

2015-07-01

Asthma self-management has been recognized as an essential factor for the improvement of asthma outcomes and patients' quality of life (WHO, 2013). Likewise, empowerment and health literacy have been noted as important elements for the management of chronic diseases. To study the influence of health literacy and empowerment on asthma self-management. This cross-sectional study used a self-reported questionnaire assessing health literacy, judgment skills, empowerment, and asthma self-management; 236 patients were recruited from medical offices in Switzerland and Italy. Judgment skills (B=2.28, p<0.001) and empowerment (B=0.19, p<0.05) have a significant and positive influence on several asthma self-management practices such as use of medicines, timely medical consultation, and asthma triggers control whereas health literacy (B=-0.15, p<0.175) appeared to have a negative effect on self-management practices. However, this was not significant. These findings suggest that empowered patients with adequate judgment skills carry out key self-management tasks more appropriately, which in turn will potentially result in better asthma control. This study recommends that both empowerment and judgment skills should be addressed in patient education as they serve as essential motivators to engage patients in these behaviors. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Contextual explanations for numeracy and literacy skill disparities between native and foreign-born adults in western countries

PubMed Central

Jencks, Christopher

2017-01-01

Using new direct measures of numeracy and literacy skills among 85,875 adults in 17 Western countries, we find that foreign-born adults have lower mean skills than native-born adults of the same age (16 to 64) in all of the examined countries. The gaps are small, and vary substantially between countries. Multilevel models reveal that immigrant populations’ demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, employment, and language proficiency explain about half of the cross-national variance of numeracy and literacy skills gaps. Differences in origin countries’ average education level also account for variation in the size of the immigrant-native skills gap. The more protective labor markets in immigrant-receiving countries are, the less well immigrants are skilled in numeracy and literacy compared to natives. For those who migrate before their teens (the 1.5 generation), access to an education system that accommodates migrants’ special needs is crucial. The 1 and 1.5 generation have smaller numeracy and literacy skills gaps in more ethnically diverse societies. PMID:28301541

Contextual explanations for numeracy and literacy skill disparities between native and foreign-born adults in western countries.

PubMed

Levels, Mark; Dronkers, Jaap; Jencks, Christopher

2017-01-01

Using new direct measures of numeracy and literacy skills among 85,875 adults in 17 Western countries, we find that foreign-born adults have lower mean skills than native-born adults of the same age (16 to 64) in all of the examined countries. The gaps are small, and vary substantially between countries. Multilevel models reveal that immigrant populations' demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, employment, and language proficiency explain about half of the cross-national variance of numeracy and literacy skills gaps. Differences in origin countries' average education level also account for variation in the size of the immigrant-native skills gap. The more protective labor markets in immigrant-receiving countries are, the less well immigrants are skilled in numeracy and literacy compared to natives. For those who migrate before their teens (the 1.5 generation), access to an education system that accommodates migrants' special needs is crucial. The 1 and 1.5 generation have smaller numeracy and literacy skills gaps in more ethnically diverse societies.

Guidance on the Organisation of the National Literacy Strategy in Reception Classes. The National Literacy Strategy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Department for Education and Employment, London (England).

The importance of appropriate communication, language and literacy learning in the early years cannot be overestimated. Children who enter school with well-developed communication and literacy skills have a considerable advantage over those who have yet to start. In England, children enter Reception classes at different points throughout the…

Relationship between Lifelong Learning Levels and Information Literacy Skills in Teacher Candidates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Solmaz, Dilek Yaliz

2017-01-01

This study aims to examine the relationship between lifelong learning levels and information literacy skills in teacher candidates. The research group consists of 127 physical education and sports teacher candidates. Data were collected by means of "Lifelong Learning Scale (LLL)" and "Information Literacy Scale". In the data…

Skills for Life: Statement on the National Strategy for Improving Adult Literacy and Numeracy Skills. The Agency Responds.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rogers, Penny, Ed.

England's Learning and Skills Development Agency welcomes the introduction of a coherent national funding and delivery strategy for adult literacy, numeracy, and English for speakers of other languages (ESOL). The agency believes that the strategy should incorporate the lessons of previous literacy and numeracy initiatives and build on examples of…

Educator Outcomes Associated with Implementation of Mississippi's K-3 Early Literacy Professional Development Initiative. REL 2017-270

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Folsom, Jessica Sidler; Smith, Kevin G.; Burk, Kymyona; Oakley, Nathan

2017-01-01

Substantial research points to the importance of developing strong early literacy skills. However, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, between 2007 and 2013, no more than 55 percent of Mississippi grade 4 students were reading at or above the proficiency level that demonstrates solid academic performance for the grade…

Integration of Information and Scientific Literacy: Promoting Literacy in Undergraduates

PubMed Central

Wolbach, Kevin C.; Purzycki, Catherine B.; Bowman, Leslie A.; Agbada, Eva; Mostrom, Alison M.

2010-01-01

The Association of College and Research Libraries recommends incorporating information literacy (IL) skills across university and college curricula, for the goal of developing information literate graduates. Congruent with this goal, the Departments of Biological Sciences and Information Science developed an integrated IL and scientific literacy (SL) exercise for use in a first-year biology course. Students were provided the opportunity to access, retrieve, analyze, and evaluate primary scientific literature. By the completion of this project, student responses improved concerning knowledge and relevance of IL and SL skills. This project exposes students to IL and SL early in their undergraduate experience, preparing them for future academic advancement. PMID:21123700

Guiding Children's Invented Spellings: A Gateway into Literacy Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ouellette, Gene; Senechal, Monique; Haley, Allyson

2013-01-01

This teaching study tested whether guiding invented spelling through a Vygotskian approach to feedback would facilitate kindergarten children's entry into literacy more so than phonological awareness instruction. Participants included 40 kindergarteners whose early literacy skills were typical of literacy-rich classrooms, and who were receiving a…

IQ variations across time, race, and nationality: an artifact of differences in literacy skills.

PubMed

Marks, David F

2010-06-01

A body of data on IQ collected over 50 years has revealed that average population IQ varies across time, race, and nationality. An explanation for these differences may be that intelligence test performance requires literacy skills not present in all people to the same extent. In eight analyses, population mean full scale IQ and literacy scores yielded correlations ranging from .79 to .99. In cohort studies, significantly larger improvements in IQ occurred in the lower half of the IQ distribution, affecting the distribution variance and skewness in the predicted manner. In addition, three Verbal subscales on the WAIS show the largest Flynn effect sizes and all four Verbal subscales are among those showing the highest racial IQ differences. This pattern of findings supports the hypothesis that both secular and racial differences in intelligence test scores have an environmental explanation: secular and racial differences in IQ are an artifact of variation in literacy skills. These findings suggest that racial IQ distributions will converge if opportunities are equalized for different population groups to achieve the same high level of literacy skills. Social justice requires more effective implementation of policies and programs designed to eliminate inequities in IQ and literacy.

School to Work Program as a Contributor to Adult Literacy Skill Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nuno-Toledo, Elsa

2010-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the learning of basic reading literacy skills in a contextualized, educational career technical training program, specifically the School to Work Program. The study explores whether adult literacy rates can change through students' participation in a contextualized, educational…

Modeling the Relationship between Prosodic Sensitivity and Early Literacy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holliman, Andrew; Critten, Sarah; Lawrence, Tony; Harrison, Emily; Wood, Clare; Hughes, David

2014-01-01

A growing literature has demonstrated that prosodic sensitivity is related to early literacy development; however, the precise nature of this relationship remains unclear. It has been speculated in recent theoretical models that the observed relationship between prosodic sensitivity and early literacy might be partially mediated by children's…

The National Early Literacy Panel: A Summary of the Process and the Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shanahan, Timothy; Lonigan, Christopher J.

2010-01-01

This article summarizes "Developing Early Literacy: Report of the National Early Literacy Panel," which was published in 2008.That report provides an extensive meta-analysis of approximately 300 studies showing which early literacy measures correlate with later literacy achievement. It also provides a series of meta-analyses of a comprehensive…

Robotics and Science Literacy: Thinking Skills, Science Process Skills and Systems Understanding

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sullivan, Florence R.

2008-01-01

This paper reports the results of a study of the relationship of robotics activity to the use of science literacy skills and the development of systems understanding in middle school students. Twenty-six 11-12-year-olds (22 males and 4 females) attending an intensive robotics course offered at a summer camp for academically advanced students…

Emergent Literacy Skills in Preschool Children With Hearing Loss Who Use Spoken Language: Initial Findings From the Early Language and Literacy Acquisition (ELLA) Study.

PubMed

Werfel, Krystal L

2017-10-05

The purpose of this study was to compare change in emergent literacy skills of preschool children with and without hearing loss over a 6-month period. Participants included 19 children with hearing loss and 14 children with normal hearing. Children with hearing loss used amplification and spoken language. Participants completed measures of oral language, phonological processing, and print knowledge twice at a 6-month interval. A series of repeated-measures analyses of variance were used to compare change across groups. Main effects of time were observed for all variables except phonological recoding. Main effects of group were observed for vocabulary, morphosyntax, phonological memory, and concepts of print. Interaction effects were observed for phonological awareness and concepts of print. Children with hearing loss performed more poorly than children with normal hearing on measures of oral language, phonological memory, and conceptual print knowledge. Two interaction effects were present. For phonological awareness and concepts of print, children with hearing loss demonstrated less positive change than children with normal hearing. Although children with hearing loss generally demonstrated a positive growth in emergent literacy skills, their initial performance was lower than that of children with normal hearing, and rates of change were not sufficient to catch up to the peers over time.

Skill Set or Mind Set? Associations between Health Literacy, Patient Activation and Health

PubMed Central

Smith, Samuel G.; Curtis, Laura M.; Wardle, Jane; von Wagner, Christian; Wolf, Michael S.

2013-01-01

Objective There is ongoing debate on whether health literacy represents a skill-based construct for health self-management, or if it also more broadly captures personal ‘activation’ or motivation to manage health. This research examines 1) the association between patient activation and health literacy as they are most commonly measured and 2) the independent and combined associations of patient activation and health literacy skills with physical and mental health. Methods A secondary analysis of baseline cross-sectional data from the LitCog cohort of older adults was used. Participants (n = 697) were recruited from multiple US-based health centers. During structured face-to-face interviews, participants completed the Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults (TOFHLA), the Patient Activation Measure (PAM), the SF-36 physical health summary subscale, and Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information Service (PROMIS) short form subscales for depression and anxiety. Results The relationship between health literacy and patient activation was weak, but significant (r = 0.11, p<0.01). In models adjusted for participant characteristics, lower health literacy was associated with worse physical health (β = 0.13, p<0.001) and depression (β = −0.16, p<0.001). Lower patient activation was associated with worse physical health (β = 0.19, p<0.001), depression (β = −0.27, p<0.001) and anxiety (β-0.24, p<0.001). Conclusions The most common measures of health literacy and patient activation are weakly correlated with each other, but also independently correlated with health outcomes. This suggests health literacy represents a distinct skill-based construct, supporting the Institute of Medicine’s definition. Deficits in either construct could be useful targets for behavioral intervention. PMID:24023942

A case study for teaching information literacy skills.

PubMed

Kingsley, Karla V; Kingsley, Karl

2009-01-29

The Internet has changed contemporary workplace skills, resulting in a need for proficiency with specific digital, online and web-based technologies within the fields of medicine, dentistry and public health. Although younger students, generally under 30 years of age, may appear inherently comfortable with the use of technology-intensive environments and digital or online search methods, competence in information literacy among these students may be lacking. This project involved the design and assessment of a research-based assignment to help first-year, graduate-level health science students to develop and integrate information literacy skills with clinical relevance. One cohort of dental students (n = 78) was evaluated for this project and the results demonstrate that although all students were able to provide the correct response from the content-specific, or technology-independent, portion of the assignment, more than half (54%) were unable to demonstrate competence with a web-based, technology-dependent section of this assignment. No correlation was found between any demographic variable measured (gender, age, or race). More evidence is emerging that demonstrates the need for developing curricula that integrates new knowledge and current evidence-based practices and technologies, traditionally isolated from graduate and health-care curricula, that can enhance biomedical and clinical training for students. This study provides evidence, critical for the evaluation of new practices, which can promote and facilitate the integration of information literacy into the curriculum.

The Dynamics of Motivation in Teaching Literacy Skills.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stanchfield, Jo M.

Basic emotional and intellectual factors in motivation can help to stimulate the learner to acquire the five major literacy skills: listening, speaking, thinking, reading, and writing. Contagion, or the spread effect in psychology, is reflected in the readily communicated attitude of the teacher toward students and teaching itself. Similarly,…

Why not just Google it? An assessment of information literacy skills in a biomedical science curriculum

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Few issues in higher education are as fundamental as the ability to search for, evaluate, and synthesize information. The need to develop information literacy, the process of finding, retrieving, organizing, and evaluating the ever-expanding collection of online information, has precipitated the need for training in skill-based competencies in higher education, as well as medical and dental education. Methods The current study evaluated the information literacy skills of first-year dental students, consisting of two, consecutive dental student cohorts (n = 160). An assignment designed to evaluate information literacy skills was conducted. In addition, a survey of student online search engine or database preferences was conducted to identify any significant associations. Subsequently, an intervention was developed, based upon the results of the assessment and survey, to address any deficiencies in information literacy. Results Nearly half of students (n = 70/160 or 43%) missed one or more question components that required finding an evidence-based citation. Analysis of the survey revealed a significantly higher percentage of students who provided incorrect responses (n = 53/70 or 75.7%) reported using Google as their preferred online search method (p < 0.01). In contrast, a significantly higher percentage of students who reported using PubMed (n = 39/45 or 86.7%) were able to provide correct responses (p < 0.01). Following a one-hour intervention by a health science librarian, virtually all students were able to find and retrieve evidence-based materials for subsequent coursework. Conclusions This study confirmed that information literacy among this student population was lacking and that integration of modules within the curriculum can help students to filter and establish the quality of online information, a critical component in the training of new health care professionals. Furthermore, incorporation of these modules early in the curriculum may be of

Why not just Google it? An assessment of information literacy skills in a biomedical science curriculum.

PubMed

Kingsley, Karl; Galbraith, Gillian M; Herring, Matthew; Stowers, Eva; Stewart, Tanis; Kingsley, Karla V

2011-04-25

Few issues in higher education are as fundamental as the ability to search for, evaluate, and synthesize information. The need to develop information literacy, the process of finding, retrieving, organizing, and evaluating the ever-expanding collection of online information, has precipitated the need for training in skill-based competencies in higher education, as well as medical and dental education. The current study evaluated the information literacy skills of first-year dental students, consisting of two, consecutive dental student cohorts (n = 160). An assignment designed to evaluate information literacy skills was conducted. In addition, a survey of student online search engine or database preferences was conducted to identify any significant associations. Subsequently, an intervention was developed, based upon the results of the assessment and survey, to address any deficiencies in information literacy. Nearly half of students (n = 70/160 or 43%) missed one or more question components that required finding an evidence-based citation. Analysis of the survey revealed a significantly higher percentage of students who provided incorrect responses (n = 53/70 or 75.7%) reported using Google as their preferred online search method (p < 0.01). In contrast, a significantly higher percentage of students who reported using PubMed (n = 39/45 or 86.7%) were able to provide correct responses (p < 0.01). Following a one-hour intervention by a health science librarian, virtually all students were able to find and retrieve evidence-based materials for subsequent coursework. This study confirmed that information literacy among this student population was lacking and that integration of modules within the curriculum can help students to filter and establish the quality of online information, a critical component in the training of new health care professionals. Furthermore, incorporation of these modules early in the curriculum may be of significant value to other dental

Why Do Early Mathematics Skills Predict Later Reading? The Role of Mathematical Language

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Purpura, David J.; Logan, Jessica A. R.; Hassinger-Das, Brenna; Napoli, Amy R.

2017-01-01

A growing body of evidence indicates that the development of mathematics and literacy skills is highly related. The importance of literacy skills--specifically language--for mathematics development has been well rationalized. However, despite several prominent studies indicating that mathematics skills are highly predictive of literacy…

Semantic and episodic memory in children with temporal lobe epilepsy: do they relate to literacy skills?

PubMed

Lah, Suncica; Smith, Mary Lou

2014-01-01

Children with temporal lobe epilepsy are at risk for deficits in new learning (episodic memory) and literacy skills. Semantic memory deficits and double dissociations between episodic and semantic memory have recently been found in this patient population. In the current study we investigate whether impairments of these 2 distinct memory systems relate to literacy skills. 57 children with unilateral temporal lobe epilepsy completed tests of verbal memory (episodic and semantic) and literacy skills (reading and spelling accuracy, and reading comprehension). For the entire group, semantic memory explained over 30% of variance in each of the literacy domains. Episodic memory explained a significant, but rather small proportion (< 10%) of variance in reading and spelling accuracy, but not in reading comprehension. Moreover, when children with opposite patterns of specific memory impairments (intact semantic/impaired episodic, intact episodic/impaired semantic) were compared, significant reductions in literacy skills were evident only in children with semantic memory impairments, but not in children with episodic memory impairments relative to the norms and to children with temporal lobe epilepsy who had intact memory. Our study provides the first evidence for differential relations between episodic and semantic memory impairments and literacy skills in children with temporal lobe epilepsy. As such, it highlights the urgent need to consider semantic memory deficits in management of children with temporal lobe epilepsy and undertake further research into the nature of reading difficulties of children with semantic memory impairments.

The Literacy Skills of Secondary Teaching Undergraduates: Results of Diagnostic Testing and a Discussion of Findings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moon, Brian

2014-01-01

The capacity of secondary school teachers to support general literacy and to teach discipline-specific literacy skills depends upon their personal literacy competence. Diagnostic testing of 203 secondary teaching undergraduates at one Australian university revealed deficiencies in personal literacy competence that could affect their future…

Do Infant Vocabulary Skills Predict School-Age Language and Literacy Outcomes?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Duff, Fiona J.; Reen, Gurpreet; Plunkett, Kim; Nation, Kate

2015-01-01

Background: Strong associations between infant vocabulary and school-age language and literacy skills would have important practical and theoretical implications: Preschool assessment of vocabulary skills could be used to identify children at risk of reading and language difficulties, and vocabulary could be viewed as a cognitive foundation for…

Beyond Shared Book Reading: Dimensions of Home Literacy and Low-Income African American Preschoolers' Skills.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Britto, Pia Rebello; Brooks-Gunn, Jeanne

2001-01-01

Examined associations between individual dimensions of the home literacy environment and specific emergent literacy skills among low-income preschoolers. Found that three dimensions of family literacy environments--language and verbal interactions, learning climate, and social and emotional climate--differentially foster preschool children's…

ARE LITERACY SKILLS ASSOCIATED WITH YOUNG ADULTS’ HEALTH IN AFRICA? EVIDENCE FROM MALAWI

PubMed Central

Smith-Greenaway, Emily

2014-01-01

This study investigates whether literacy skills are a distinct dimension of education that influences young adults’ health in the southeast African context of Malawi. It uses new data from Tsogolo la Thanzi, a study of young adults in southern Malawi, to achieve three aims. The first is descriptive: to demonstrate a direct assessment for measuring literacy in a population-based survey, and show that it captures variability in skills among young adults, including those with comparable levels of educational attainment. The second aim is to identify whether literacy influences young adults’ health—net of their educational attainment and other confounding factors. Multivariate analyses reveal that literacy is associated with two measures of physical health: self-rated health and prolonged sickness. Because literacy is a key determinant of health, the third aim is to provide insight into how to measure it: can commonly used indirect approaches to estimating literacy (e.g., based on educational attainment or self-reports), accurately capture its prevalence and relationship with health? In a second set of analyses, bivariate results show whether, and the extent to which, indirect measures of literacy overestimate literacy’s prevalence, and multivariate models assess whether indirect estimates of literacy capture its relationship with health. The findings support future efforts to incorporate literacy assessments into population surveys to accurately estimate literacy’s prevalence and health benefits, particularly in contexts like Malawi where access to high-quality schools remains limited. PMID:25164414

Oral language supports early literacy: a pilot cluster randomized trial in disadvantaged schools.

PubMed

Snow, Pamela C; Eadie, Patricia A; Connell, Judy; Dalheim, Brenda; McCusker, Hugh J; Munro, John K

2014-10-01

This study examined the impact of teacher professional development aimed at improving the capacity of primary teachers in disadvantaged schools to strengthen children's expressive and receptive oral language skills and early literacy success in the first 2 years of school. Fourteen low-SES schools in Victoria, Australia were randomly allocated to a research (n = 8) or control arm (n = 6), resulting in an initial sample of 1254 students, (n = 602 in research arm and n = 652 in control arm). The intervention comprised 6 days of teacher and principal professional development (delivered by language and literacy experts), school-based continuing contact with the research team and completion by one staff member of each research school of a postgraduate unit on early language and literacy. Schools in the control arm received standard teaching according to state auspiced curriculum guidelines. Full data were available on 979 students at follow-up (time 2). Students in the research arm performed significantly better on Test of Language Development: Primary (Fourth Edition) sub-tests (p ≤ .002) and the Reading Progress Test (F = 10.4(1); p = .001) than students in the control arm at time 2. Narrative scores were not significantly different at time 2, although students in research schools showed greater gains. Findings provide "proof of concept" for this approach, and are discussed with respect to implications for teacher professional development and pre-service education concerning the psycholinguistic competencies that underpin the transition to literacy.

Creating Connections, Building Constructions: Language, Literacy, and Play in Early Childhood.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roskos, Kathleen

In these politically charged times of early literacy initiatives, position statements, and education reform, talk about play and literacy learning seems rather awkward, if not even a bit silly. As the realities of early literacy education set in, teachers, legislators, and parents grow ever more critical of what young children are doing as…

Clapping in time parallels literacy and calls upon overlapping neural mechanisms in early readers.

PubMed

Bonacina, Silvia; Krizman, Jennifer; White-Schwoch, Travis; Kraus, Nina

2018-05-12

The auditory system is extremely precise in processing the temporal information of perceptual events and using these cues to coordinate action. Synchronizing movement to a steady beat relies on this bidirectional connection between sensory and motor systems, and activates many of the auditory and cognitive processes used when reading. Here, we use Interactive Metronome, a clinical intervention technology requiring an individual to clap her hands in time with a steady beat, to investigate whether the links between literacy and synchronization skills, previously established in older children, are also evident in children who are learning to read. We tested 64 typically developing children (ages 5-7 years) on their synchronization abilities, neurophysiological responses to speech in noise, and literacy skills. We found that children who have lower variability in synchronizing have higher phase consistency, higher stability, and more accurate envelope encoding-all neurophysiological response components linked to language skills. Moreover, performing the same task with visual feedback reveals links with literacy skills, notably processing speed, phonological processing, word reading, spelling, morphology, and syntax. These results suggest that rhythm skills and literacy call on overlapping neural mechanisms, supporting the idea that rhythm training may boost literacy in part by engaging sensory-motor systems. © 2018 New York Academy of Sciences.

Schooling, Literacy and Individual Earnings. International Adult Literacy Survey.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Osberg, Lars

This paper uses direct measures of literacy skill levels provided by the International Adult Literacy Survey to estimate the return to literacy skills. Using a very simple human capital earnings equation and standard ordinary least squares regression, it tested estimates of the return to literacy skills for their robustness to alternative scalings…

The relationship between health, education, and health literacy: results from the Dutch Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey.

PubMed

van der Heide, Iris; Wang, Jen; Droomers, Mariël; Spreeuwenberg, Peter; Rademakers, Jany; Uiters, Ellen

2013-01-01

Health literacy has been put forward as a potential mechanism explaining the well-documented relationship between education and health. However, little empirical research has been undertaken to explore this hypothesis. The present study aims to study whether health literacy could be a pathway by which level of education affects health status. Health literacy was measured by the Health Activities and Literacy Scale, using data from a subsample of 5,136 adults between the ages of 25 and 65 years, gathered within the context of the 2007 Dutch Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey. Linear regression analyses were used in separate models to estimate the extent to which health literacy mediates educational disparities in self-reported general health, physical health status, and mental health status as measured by the Short Form-12. Health literacy was found to partially mediate the association between low education and low self-reported health status. As such, improving health literacy may be a useful strategy for reducing disparities in health related to education, as health literacy appears to play a role in explaining the underlying mechanism driving the relationship between low level of education and poor health.

Doing peer review and receiving feedback: impact on scientific literacy and writing skills.

PubMed

Geithner, Christina A; Pollastro, Alexandria N

2016-03-01

Doing peer review has been effectively implemented to help students develop critical reading and writing skills; however, its application in Human Physiology programs is limited. The purpose of the present study was to determine the impact of peer review on Human Physiology majors' perceptions of their scientific literacy and writing skills. Students enrolled in the Scientific Writing course completed multiple writing assignments, including three revisions after receiving peer and instructor feedback. Students self-assessed their knowledge, skills, and attitudes related to science and writing in pre- and postcourse surveys (n = 26 with complete data). Seven survey items related to scientific literacy and writing skills impacted by peer review were selected for analysis. Scores on these survey items were summed to form a composite self-rating score. Responses to two questions regarding the most useful learning activities were submitted to frequency analysis. Mean postcourse scores for individual survey items and composite self-rating scores were significantly higher than precourse means (P < 0.05). Peer review was the most frequently noted among 21 learning activities for increasing scientific literacy and in the top 5 for improving writing skills. In conclusion, peer review is an effective teaching/learning approach for improving undergraduate Human Physiology majors' knowledge, skills, and attitudes regarding science and scientific writing. Copyright © 2016 The American Physiological Society.

Live Webcam Coaching to Help Early Elementary Classroom Teachers Provide Effective Literacy Instruction for Struggling Readers: The Targeted Reading Intervention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vernon-Feagans, Lynne; Kainz, Kirsten; Hedrick, Amy; Ginsberg, Marnie; Amendum, Steve

2013-01-01

This study evaluated whether the Targeted Reading Intervention (TRI), a classroom teacher professional development program delivered through webcam technology literacy coaching, could provide rural classroom teachers with the instructional skills to help struggling readers progress rapidly in early reading. Fifteen rural schools were randomly…

Order in the House!: Associations among Household Chaos, the Home Literacy Environment, Maternal Reading Ability, and Children's Early Reading

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Anna D.; Martin, Anne; Brooks-Gunn, Jeanne; Petrill, Stephen A.

2008-01-01

The current study examines whether associations exist between household chaos and children's early reading skills, after controlling for a comprehensive battery of home literacy environment characteristics. Our sample included 455 kindergarten and first-grade children who are enrolled in the Western Reserve Reading Project. We go on to test…

Health Literacy Education within Adult Literacy Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Diehl, Sandra J.

2011-01-01

Building health literacy skills among adult learners has the potential to contribute to efforts to eliminate health disparities and improve health outcomes. Adults with limited literacy skills are more likely to be underserved by health services and at risk for poorer health. Recognition of the need for stronger health literacy skills and a desire…

The Associations among Preschool Children's Growth in Early Reading, Executive Function, and Invented Spelling Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhang, Chenyi; Bingham, Gary E.; Quinn, Margaret F.

2017-01-01

The purpose of the present study was to examine associations among children's emergent literacy (early reading), language, executive function (EF), and invented spelling skills across prekindergarten. Participants included 123, primarily African American, 4-year-old children enrolled in a variety of prekindergarten settings. In addition to…

Promoting School and Life Success through Early Childhood Family Literacy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swick, Kevin J.

2009-01-01

Early childhood family literacy programs have great potential to positively influence children and families. This article presents the core values and key components of high quality early childhood family literacy programs. The benefits and cost effectiveness of these programs are also discussed.

Early Literacy and Very Young Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parlakian, Rebecca

2004-01-01

For infants and toddlers, education and care are "two sides of the same coin." The author briefly reviews current research on the importance of relationships to cognitive development and early language and literacy. Instructional strategies that are most appropriate to the early years include "intentionality" and "scaffolding." Intentionality…

Literacy Skill Differences between Adult Native English and Native Spanish Speakers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Herman, Julia; Cote, Nicole Gilbert; Reilly, Lenore; Binder, Katherine S.

2013-01-01

The goal of this study was to compare the literacy skills of adult native English and native Spanish ABE speakers. Participants were 169 native English speakers and 124 native Spanish speakers recruited from five prior research projects. The results showed that the native Spanish speakers were less skilled on morphology and passage comprehension…

Increasing the Literacy Skills of Students Who Require AAC through Modified Direct Instruction and Specific Instructional Feedback

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Westover, Jennifer M.

2010-01-01

Literacy skills are fundamental for all learners. For students who require augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), strong literacy skills provide a gateway to generative communication, genuine social networking, improved access to academic opportunities, access to information technology and future employment opportunities. However, many…

Problem-based learning through field investigation: Boosting questioning skill, biological literacy, and academic achievement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suwono, Hadi; Wibowo, Agung

2018-01-01

Biology learning emphasizes problem-based learning as a learning strategy to develop students ability in identifying and solving problems in the surrounding environment. Problem identification skills are closely correlated with questioning skills. By holding this skill, students tend to deliver a procedural question instead of the descriptive one. Problem-based learning through field investigation is an instruction model which directly exposes the students to problems or phenomena that occur in the environment, and then the students design the field investigation activities to solve these problems. The purpose of this research was to describe the improvement of undergraduate biology students on questioning skills, biological literacy, and academic achievement through problem-based learning through field investigation (PBFI) compared with the lecture-based instruction (LBI). This research was a time series quasi-experimental design. The research was conducted on August - December 2015 and involved 26 undergraduate biology students at the State University of Malang on the Freshwater Ecology course. The data were collected during the learning with LBI and PBFI, in which questioning skills, biological literacy, and academic achievement were collected 3 times in each learning model. The data showed that the procedural correlative and causal types of questions are produced by the students to guide them in conducting investigations and problem-solving in PBFI. The biological literacy and academic achievement of the students at PBFI are significantly higher than those at LBI. The results show that PBFI increases the questioning skill, biological literacy, and the academic achievement of undergraduate biology students.

Process skills approach to develop primary students’ scientific literacy: A case study with low achieving students on water cycle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suryanti; Ibrahim, M.; Lede, N. S.

2018-01-01

The results of the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) study on the scientific literacy of Indonesian students since the year 2000 have been still far below the international average score of 500. This could also be seen from the results of the science literacy test of 5th-grade students of primary school in Indonesia which showed that 60% of students are still at level ≤ 3 (value < 500). The students’ science literacy skills need to be improved by applying learning with a process skills approach. This study aims to describe the findings of classroom action research using a process skills approach to the science literacy level of primary students (n = 23). This research was conducted in 2 cycles with stages of planning, implementation, observation, and reflection. Students’ ability in scientific literacy was measured by using description and subjective tests of context domains, knowledge, competencies, and attitudes. In this study, researchers found an improvement in students’ science literacy skills when learning using a process skills approach. In addition, students’ scientific attitude is also more positive. In activities for learning science, students should be challenged as often as possible so that they have more practice using their scientific knowledge and skills to solve problems presented by teachers in the classroom.

Defining Literacy in the 21st Century: A Guide to Terminology and Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pilgrim, Jodi; Martinez, Elda E.

2013-01-01

In the twenty-first century, literacy skills increasingly reflect technology use and the abilities necessary to problem-solve, collaborate, and present information through multi-media. As technology becomes more readily available to all students, concepts of literacy change. Researchers and theorists from various disciplines define and describe…

A case study for teaching information literacy skills

PubMed Central

Kingsley, Karla V; Kingsley, Karl

2009-01-01

Background The Internet has changed contemporary workplace skills, resulting in a need for proficiency with specific digital, online and web-based technologies within the fields of medicine, dentistry and public health. Although younger students, generally under 30 years of age, may appear inherently comfortable with the use of technology-intensive environments and digital or online search methods, competence in information literacy among these students may be lacking. Methods This project involved the design and assessment of a research-based assignment to help first-year, graduate-level health science students to develop and integrate information literacy skills with clinical relevance. Results One cohort of dental students (n = 78) was evaluated for this project and the results demonstrate that although all students were able to provide the correct response from the content-specific, or technology-independent, portion of the assignment, more than half (54%) were unable to demonstrate competence with a web-based, technology-dependent section of this assignment. No correlation was found between any demographic variable measured (gender, age, or race). Conclusion More evidence is emerging that demonstrates the need for developing curricula that integrates new knowledge and current evidence-based practices and technologies, traditionally isolated from graduate and health-care curricula, that can enhance biomedical and clinical training for students. This study provides evidence, critical for the evaluation of new practices, which can promote and facilitate the integration of information literacy into the curriculum. PMID:19178715

Oral language and narrative skills in children with specific language impairment with and without literacy delay: a three-year longitudinal study.

PubMed

Vandewalle, Ellen; Boets, Bart; Boons, Tinne; Ghesquière, Pol; Zink, Inge

2012-01-01

This longitudinal study compared the development of oral language and more specifically narrative skills (storytelling and story retelling) in children with specific language impairment (SLI) with and without literacy delay. Therefore, 18 children with SLI and 18 matched controls with normal literacy were followed from the last year of kindergarten (mean age=5 years 5 months) until the beginning of grade 3 (mean age=8 years 1 month). Oral language tests measuring vocabulary, morphology, sentence and text comprehension and narrative skills were administered yearly. Based on first and third grade reading and spelling achievement, both groups were divided into a group with and a group without literacy problems. Results showed that the children with SLI and literacy delay had persistent oral language problems across all assessed language domains. The children with SLI and normal literacy skills scored also persistently low on vocabulary, morphology and story retelling skills. Only on listening comprehension and storytelling, they evolved towards the level of the control group. In conclusion, oral language skills in children with SLI and normal literacy skills remained in general poor, despite their intact literacy development during the first years of literacy instruction. Only for listening comprehension and storytelling, they improved, probably as a result of more print exposure. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

New Setting, Same Skill: Teaching Geography Students to Transfer Information Literacy Skills from Familiar to Unfamiliar Contexts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Allison, Caleb; Laxman, Kumar; Lai, Mei

2016-01-01

Existing research shows that high school students do not possess information literacy skills adequate to function in a high-tech society that relies so heavily on information. If students are taught these skills, they struggle to apply them. This small-scale intervention focused on helping Geography students at a low-socioeconomic high school in…

Using "Clicker 5" to Enhance Emergent Literacy in Young Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parette, Howard P.; Hourcade, Jack J.; Dinelli, Jenny M.; Boeckmann, Nichole M.

2009-01-01

Best practices in emergent literacy instruction for young children acknowledge and facilitate the smooth progression between children's early engagement with print materials and subsequent fuller literacy mastery. In so doing, model programs target five key emergent literacy skills. The rapid rise in the breadth and depth of educational…

Exploring German Preservice Teachers' Electronic and Professional Literacy Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fuchs, Carolin

2006-01-01

This article presents findings from an exploratory pilot project which aimed at fostering electronic and professional literacy skills of preservice language teachers through computer-mediated peer collaboration. The research context is a qualitative case study involving cooperation via the email and chat functions of "FirstClass" among…

Examining Relationships among Dialect Variation and Emergent Literacy Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Terry, Nicole Patton

2012-01-01

This study examined the relationship between nonmainstream American English (NMAE) dialect use and various emergent literacy skills among typically developing children in prekindergarten. Correlation and regression analyses were used to examine the relationship between children's production of NMAE forms (i.e., dialect variation [DVAR]) and their…

Literacies in Early Childhood: Changing Views Challenging Practice.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Makin, Laurie; Diaz, Criss Jones

Acknowledging that young children's early understandings about literacy occur within their cultural and linguistic communities, the book compiles articles challenging traditional views of literacy and suggesting positive new practices. Each chapter includes "reflection" and "followup" sections that reinforce the link between theory and practice,…

Unpacking Pandora's Box: Issues in the Assessment of English Learners' Literacy Skill Development in Multimodal Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pandya, Jessica Zacher

2012-01-01

In this commentary I unpack the Pandora's Box of issues related to the assessment of English language learners' literacy skill development in multimodal classrooms. I ask how we might quantify the benefits of multimodal composing, for k-12 as well as college students, given the existing complexity of assessing ELLs' traditional literacy skills. I…

Early Childhood Literacy Coaches' Role Perceptions and Recommendations for Change

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kissel, Brian; Mraz, Maryann; Algozzine, Bob; Stover, Katie

2011-01-01

In recent years, literacy coaches have emerged as an integral part of a school's literacy team. Although current research on literacy coaching examines the work of coaches at the elementary and middle/secondary school levels, little research exists on the roles and perspectives of early childhood literacy coaches. This study sought to fill that…

Developing Early Literacy Skills: Things We Know We Know and Things We Know We Don't Know

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lonigan, Christopher J.; Shanahan, Timothy

2010-01-01

This rejoinder provides responses to the conceptual concerns expressed in the nine critiques published in this issue of "Educational Researcher" of the 2008 National Early Literacy Panel report. It explains the necessity of adhering to clearly established study selection parameters in conducting trustworthy meta-analyses and the need to be…

Narrative Ability of Children With Speech Sound Disorders and the Prediction of Later Literacy Skills

PubMed Central

Wellman, Rachel L.; Lewis, Barbara A.; Freebairn, Lisa A.; Avrich, Allison A.; Hansen, Amy J.; Stein, Catherine M.

2012-01-01

Purpose The main purpose of this study was to examine how children with isolated speech sound disorders (SSDs; n = 20), children with combined SSDs and language impairment (LI; n = 20), and typically developing children (n = 20), ages 3;3 (years;months) to 6;6, differ in narrative ability. The second purpose was to determine if early narrative ability predicts school-age (8–12 years) literacy skills. Method This study employed a longitudinal cohort design. The children completed a narrative retelling task before their formal literacy instruction began. The narratives were analyzed and compared for group differences. Performance on these early narratives was then used to predict the children’s reading decoding, reading comprehension, and written language ability at school age. Results Significant group differences were found in children’s (a) ability to answer questions about the story, (b) use of story grammars, and (c) number of correct and irrelevant utterances. Regression analysis demonstrated that measures of story structure and accuracy were the best predictors of the decoding of real words, reading comprehension, and written language. Measures of syntax and lexical diversity were the best predictors of the decoding of nonsense words. Conclusion Combined SSDs and LI, and not isolated SSDs, impact a child’s narrative abilities. Narrative retelling is a useful task for predicting which children may be at risk for later literacy problems. PMID:21969531

Continuity in Literacy Achievements from Kindergarten to First Grade: A Longitudinal Study of Arabic-Speaking Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hassunah Arafat, Safieh; Korat, Ofra; Aram, Dorit; Saiegh-Haddad, Elinor

2017-01-01

The study addressed the question of continuity in literacy achievements from kindergarten to first grade among Arabic-speaking children in Israel. We examined (1) how age and family socio-economic status (SES) predict children's literacy skills in kindergarten and (2) how age, SES, and early literacy skills in kindergarten predict literacy…

Early Years Literacy in Indian Urban Schools: Structural, Social and Pedagogical Issues

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dyer, Caroline

2008-01-01

Literacy has been a crucial aspect of education as a human right for over 50 years, but this basic right remains unassured for at least 700 million adults worldwide. In 1999, UNESCO acknowledged that schools are not making the expected contribution to increasing national literacy rates or providing individuals with the literacy skills they need.…

Identifying Preschool Children At-Risk of Later Reading Difficulties: Evaluation of two Emergent Literacy Screening Tools

PubMed Central

Wilson, Shauna B.; Lonigan, Christopher J.

2012-01-01

Emergent literacy skills are predictive of children’s early reading success, and literacy achievement in early schooling declines more rapidly for children who are below-average readers. It is therefore important for teachers to identify accurately children at risk for later reading difficulty so children can be exposed to good emergent literacy interventions. In this study, 176 preschoolers were administered two screening tools, the Revised Get Ready to Read! (GRTR-R) and the Individual Growth and Development Indicators (IGDIs), and a diagnostic measure at two time points. Receiver operating characteristic curve analyses revealed that at optimal cut scores, GRTR-R provided more accurate classification of children’s overall emergent literacy skills than did IGDIs. However, neither measure was particularly good at classifying specific emergent literacy skills. PMID:19822699

Using an Interdisciplinary Approach to Teach Undergraduates Communication and Information Literacy Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dinkelman, Andrea L.; Aune, Jeanine E.; Nonnecke, Gail R.

2010-01-01

For successful and productive careers, undergraduate students need effective communication and critical thinking skills; information literacy is a substantial component in the development of these skills. Students often perceive communication courses as distinct and separate from their chosen discipline. Faculty from the Departments of English and…

An Examination of an Early Intervention Reading Program Focusing on the Progress Monitoring of Literacy Skills and the Reading Self-Concepts of Struggling Readers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Samuelson, Teresa C.

2010-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine progress monitoring, reading self-concept, and the literacy skills of first and second grade struggling readers. Progress monitoring is an instructional process used by teachers to assess students' academic performance on a regular basis, typically weekly or monthly. When based on the skill level of the…

Using Technology To Enhance Early Literacy through Play.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liang, Poh-Hwa; Johnson, James

1999-01-01

Discusses technology with reference to children's play, including how technology mixes with the established connection between children's play and emergent literacy and advantages and disadvantages of the three-way intersection of technology, literacy, and play in early childhood education. Addresses play and computers, software, the Internet, and…

Incorporating Information Literacy Skills into Analytical Chemistry: An Evolutionary Step

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walczak, Mary M.; Jackson, Paul T.

2007-01-01

The American Chemical Society (ACS) has recently decided to incorporate various information literacy skills for teaching analytical chemistry to the students. The methodology has been found to be extremely effective, as it provides better understanding to the students.

Developing Professional Skills in STEM Students: Data Information Literacy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zilinski, Lisa D.; Sapp Nelson, Megan; Van Epps, Amy S.

2014-01-01

Undergraduate STEM students are increasingly expected to have some data use skills upon graduation, whether they pursue post-graduate education or move into industry. This project was an initial foray into the application of data information literacy competencies to training undergraduate students to identify markers of data and information…

Multimedia Shared Stories: Teaching Literacy Skills to Diverse Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rivera, Christopher J.

2013-01-01

Through research, shared stories have demonstrated their effectiveness in teaching literacy skills to students with disabilities, including students who are culturally and linguistically diverse. In an effort to keep pace with ever-changing technology, shared stories can be transformed into a multimedia experience using software that is commonly…

Determinants of tobacco-related health literacy: A qualitative study with early adolescents.

PubMed

Parisod, Heidi; Axelin, Anna; Smed, Jouni; Salanterä, Sanna

2016-10-01

Today's adolescents are used to a constant information flow, but many face difficulties in processing health-related information due to low health literacy. There is still need for deeper understanding on the determinants of health literacy in relation to adolescents to guide the development of health literacy instruments and interventions. The purpose of this study was to explore, from the perspective of early adolescents, the determinants of health literacy in the context of tobacco-related health communication. A qualitative descriptive study. Two schools located in the south of Finland. One school represented a typical Finnish public school with students following general curriculum and the other represented a Finnish public school with students with special educational needs. Purposively selected sample of 10-13-year-old early adolescents (n=39) from the two schools to obtain a varied group of early adolescents representing different kinds of literacy levels. We conducted 10 focus groups with early adolescents and analyzed the data using the theoretical thematic analysis method. We used a combination of the determinants presented in three adolescent-specific health literacy models as the theoretical framework of deductive analysis. The remaining data extracts were coded inductively. We sorted the codes under sub-themes that represented different determinants of health literacy. These were further divided between three themes: "personal", "external", and "mediating" determinants. Finally, we named the themes with an expression that embodied the early adolescents' views and experiences. Early adolescents' descriptions revealed that the list of determinants presented in the three adolescent-specific health literacy models is not comprehensive enough. Early adolescents brought up how their motives, self-efficacy, and role expectations determine their health literacy in addition to the other personal determinants presented in the previous models. Their descriptions

Digital Technology Snapshot of the Literacy and Essential Skills Field 2013. Summary Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Trottier, Vicki

2013-01-01

From January to March 2013, "Canadian Literacy and Learning Network" (CLLN) conducted a snapshot to provide information about how digital technology tools are being used in the Literacy and Essential Skills (L/ES) field. The snapshot focused primarily on digital tools and activities that meet the organizational needs of provincial and…

An Evaluation of Two Emergent Literacy Screening Tools for Preschool Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilson, Shauna B.; Lonigan, Christopher J.

2009-01-01

Children's reading success in early elementary school can be predicted from their emergent literacy skills. Consequently, there has been an increased focus on early childhood education as a means of identifying children at risk for later reading difficulty. Because diagnostic measures are impractical for this use, emergent literacy screening tools…

Incorporating Functional Digital Literacy Skills as Part of the Curriculum for High School Students with Intellectual Disability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cihak, David F.; Wright, Rachel; Smith, Cate C.; McMahon, Don; Kraiss, Kelly

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of teaching functional digital literacy skills to three high school students with intellectual disability. Functional digital literacy skills included sending and receiving email messages, organizing social bookmarking to save, share, and access career websites, and accessing cloud storage to…

Mothers' Attention-Getting Utterances during Shared Book Reading: Links to Low-Income Preschoolers' Verbal Engagement, Visual Attention, and Early Literacy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Son, Seung-Hee Claire; Tineo, Maria F.

2016-01-01

This study examined associations among low-income mothers' use of attention-getting utterances during shared book reading, preschoolers' verbal engagement and visual attention to reading, and their early literacy skills (N = 51). Mother-child shared book reading sessions were videotaped and coded for each utterance, including attention talk,…

Differential Susceptibility in Early Literacy Instruction through Computer Games: The Role of the Dopamine D4 Receptor Gene (DRD4)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kegel, Cornelia A. T.; Bus, Adriana G.; van IJzendoorn, Marinus H.

2011-01-01

Not every child seems equally susceptible to the same parental, educational, or environmental influences even if cognitive level is similar. This study is the first randomized controlled trial to apply the differential susceptibility paradigm to education in relation to children's genotype and early literacy skills. A randomized pretest-posttest…

"Handy Manny" and the Emergent Literacy Technology Toolkit

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hourcade, Jack J.; Parette, Howard P., Jr.; Boeckmann, Nichole; Blum, Craig

2010-01-01

This paper outlines the use of a technology toolkit to support emergent literacy curriculum and instruction in early childhood education settings. Components of the toolkit include hardware and software that can facilitate key emergent literacy skills. Implementation of the comprehensive technology toolkit enhances the development of these…

Effect of information literacy training course on information literacy skills of undergraduate students of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences based on ACRL standards.

PubMed

Karimi, Zohreh; Ashrafi-Rizi, Hasan; Papi, Ahmad; Shahrzadi, Leila; Hassanzadeh, Akbar

2015-01-01

Information literacy is the basis for lifelong learning. Information literacy skills, especially for student in an environment that is full of information from multiple technologies are being developed is equally important. Information literacy is a set of cognitive and practical skills and like any other science, proper training is needed, and standard-based education is definitely better and evaluation would be easier. This study aimed to determine the impact of information literacy training course on information literacy skills of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences students based on ACRL standard in 2012. The study method is semi-experience with two group design (with pre-test and post-test) and applied. The data collection toll was a questionnaire assessing student's information literacy that developed by Davarpanah and Siamak and validity was confirmed by professional librarians and reliability as measured by Cronbach's alpha, was 0.83. The sample consisted of 50 undergraduate students from Isfahan University of Medical Sciences that by random sampling method was perch in both case and control groups. Before and after the training (once a week), a questionnaire was distributed between the two groups. This training was held in a classroom equipped with computers with internet access and in addition to training using brochures and librarian presentation, interactive methods such as discussion and exercises were used. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 20 software and two level of descriptive (mean and SD) and inferential statistics (t-test and t-paired). The results showed that the students' information literacy scores before the training was lower than average, so that in the control group was 32.96 and in the case group was 33.24; while information literacy scores in the case group significantly increased after the training (46.68). Also, the effect of education, respectively had a greater impact on the ability to access information (the second

Effect of information literacy training course on information literacy skills of undergraduate students of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences based on ACRL standards

PubMed Central

Karimi, Zohreh; Ashrafi-rizi, Hasan; Papi, Ahmad; Shahrzadi, Leila; Hassanzadeh, Akbar

2015-01-01

Background: Information literacy is the basis for lifelong learning. Information literacy skills, especially for student in an environment that is full of information from multiple technologies are being developed is equally important. Information literacy is a set of cognitive and practical skills and like any other science, proper training is needed, and standard-based education is definitely better and evaluation would be easier. This study aimed to determine the impact of information literacy training course on information literacy skills of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences students based on ACRL standard in 2012. Materials and Methods: The study method is semi-experience with two group design (with pre-test and post-test) and applied. The data collection toll was a questionnaire assessing student's information literacy that developed by Davarpanah and Siamak and validity was confirmed by professional librarians and reliability as measured by Cronbach's alpha, was 0.83. The sample consisted of 50 undergraduate students from Isfahan University of Medical Sciences that by random sampling method was perch in both case and control groups. Before and after the training (once a week), a questionnaire was distributed between the two groups. This training was held in a classroom equipped with computers with internet access and in addition to training using brochures and librarian presentation, interactive methods such as discussion and exercises were used. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 20 software and two level of descriptive (mean and SD) and inferential statistics (t-test and t-paired). Results: The results showed that the students’ information literacy scores before the training was lower than average, so that in the control group was 32.96 and in the case group was 33.24; while information literacy scores in the case group significantly increased after the training (46.68). Also, the effect of education, respectively had a greater impact on the

Health literacy and digital media use: Assessing the Health Literacy Skills Instrument – Short Form and its correlates among African American college students

PubMed Central

Rosenbaum, Judith E.; Deane, Amber E.

2018-01-01

Improving health literacy is increasingly seen as a solution to health problems and inequalities. This study assesses how one of the more recent measures of health literacy, the Health Literacy Skills Instrument – Short Form, performs among African American college students, and ascertains if and how media use relates to health literacy. Results indicate that both the use of health-related websites and apps as well as overall time spent with the media were positively, but conditionally, linked to health literacy. However, findings also pointed to the need for further test development. PMID:29942630

The Effectiveness of Synthetic Phonics in the Development of Early Reading Skills among Struggling Young ESL Readers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jamaludin, Khairul Azhar; Alias, Norlidah; Mohd Khir, Roselina Johari; DeWitt, Dorothy; Kenayathula, Husaina Banu

2016-01-01

A quasi-experimental research design was used to investigate the effectiveness of synthetic phonics in the development of early reading skills among struggling young English as a second language (ESL) readers in a rural school. The pretest and posttest, adapted from the Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening (PALS) for Preschool Students and…

Critical Lessons from the Transactional Perspective on Early Literacy Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Whitmore, Kathryn F.; Martens, Prisca; Goodman, Yetta M.; Owocki, Gretchen

2004-01-01

This article is a synthesis of early literacy research organized according to critical lessons that delineate our shared knowledge base that we name a 'transactional perspective on early literacy development.' The critical lessons are grouped into three sets to present the continuum of methodological stances that interpretive researchers take as…

Seven Elements Important to Successful Implementation of Early Literacy Intervention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Foorman, Barbara; Dombek, Jennifer; Smith, Kevin

2016-01-01

The objective of this article is to describe seven elements important to successful implementation of early literacy intervention. The seven elements are drawn from research as well as from the authors' recent randomized controlled trial of effective early literacy interventions in kindergarten through second grade in 55 schools across Florida.…

Engaging the learner: Embedding information literacy skills into a biotechnology degree.

PubMed

Ward, Helena; Hockey, Julie

2007-09-01

One of the challenges of the Biotechnology industry is keeping up to date with the rapid pace of change and that much of the information, which students learn in their undergraduate studies, will be out of date in a few years. It is therefore crucial that Biotechnology students have the skills to access the relevant information for their studies and critically evaluate the vast volume of information and its sources. By developing information literacy skills, which are part of lifelong learning, Biotechnology graduates are better prepared for their careers. Students also need to understand the issues related to the use of information such as social, political, ethical, and legal implications. This paper will outline the embedding of information literacy skills within the Biotechnology degree at the University of South Australia. Examples of specific activities and their link to assessment will be discussed. Copyright © 2007 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

Developing Information Literacy Skills Early in an Undergraduate Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Freeman, Edward; Lynd-Balta, Eileen

2010-01-01

Several core competencies related to information literacy have been identified by the Association of College and Research Libraries. Students must learn to gather relevant information and communicate their findings effectively. The collaborative activity described here, which could easily be adapted for other disciplines, introduces first-semester…

A Preliminary Psychometric Analysis of a Measure of Information Technology Literacy Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lombardi, Allison R.; Izzo, Margo V.; Rifenbark, Graham G.; Murray, Alexa; Buck, Andrew; Johnson, Victor

2017-01-01

Information technology (IT) literacy skills are increasingly important for all adolescents to learn, as the majority of post-school pursuits will require at least some amount of computer skills. For adolescents with disabilities, this urgency is perhaps more pronounced, as this subpopulation typically experiences more dismal post-school outcomes…

A Historical Reflection on Literacy, Gender and Opportunity: Implications for the Teaching of Literacy in Early Childhood Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Levy, Rachael

2016-01-01

This paper presents a historical reflection on gender and literacy, with a view to informing the present teaching of literacy in early childhood. The relationship between gender, literacy and opportunity in the labour market is examined, given that despite girls' achievement in literacy, in comparison with boys', women continue to earn…

Sixty Minutes of Physical Activity per Day Included Within Preschool Academic Lessons Improves Early Literacy.

PubMed

Kirk, Stacie M; Kirk, Erik P

2016-03-01

The effects of increases in physical activity (PA) on early literacy skills in preschool children are not known. Fifty-four African-American preschool children from a low socioeconomic urban Head Start participated over 8 months. A 2-group, quasi-experimental design was used with one preschool site participating in the PA intervention and a second site participating as the control site. The PA program was designed to promote 300 minutes/week of moderate to vigorous PA academic lessons. Academic achievement related to early literacy and phonological awareness in the areas of rhyming and alliteration were assessed at baseline, 4 and 8 months. Over 8 months, rhyming significantly (p < .01) improved in the PA group (173 ± 12%) compared with the controls (28 ± 8%) resulting in between group differences at 8 months (p < .01). Alliteration significantly (p < .01) improved in the PA group (52 ± 16%) compared with controls (13 ± 5%), resulting in between group differences at 8 months (p < .01). As minutes of exposure to moderate to vigorous PA increased, the change in picture naming (R(2) = .35, p < .05), alliteration (R(2) = .38, p < .05), and rhyming (R(2) = .42, p < .05), increased. A teacher-directed PA program is effective at increasing PA and improving early literacy. © 2016, American School Health Association.

Relations between Indian Children's Home Literacy Environment and Their English Oral Language and Literacy Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kalia, Vrinda; Reese, Elaine

2009-01-01

More than 90 million Indian children are becoming literate in English, yet the home literacy environment for Indian children learning English has not been explored. Preschool children (N = 50) from Bangalore, India, were assessed for vocabulary, phonological awareness, and print skills in English, their language of schooling. Parents reported on…

Enhancing Emergent Literacy Skills in Inclusive Preschools for Young Children with Visual Impairments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Day, Janice Neibaur; McDonnell, Andrea P.; Heathfield, Lora Tuesday

2005-01-01

Emergent literacy can be viewed as skills that are precursors to later reading and writing (Sulzby & Teale, 1991) or can be more broadly conceptualized as literacy acquisition that occurs along a developmental continuum. Because children with disabilities, such as visual impairments, can be at risk for later reading difficulties, it is critical…

The Effect of an Integrated Strategies Approach to Promoting Scientific Literacy on Grade 6 and 7 Learners' General Literacy Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Webb, Paul; Mayaba, Nokhanyo

2010-01-01

This study investigates the effects of a scientific literacy strategy which focuses on reading, writing, talking and doing science on the development of grade six and seven learners' general literacy skills, both in their home language (isiXhosa) and the language of classroom instruction (English). A mixed method design was used. Quantitative data…

"Foundations for Literacy": An Early Literacy Intervention for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lederberg, Amy R.; Miller, Elizabeth M.; Easterbrooks, Susan R.; Connor, Carol McDonald

2014-01-01

The present study evaluated the efficacy of a new preschool early literacy intervention created specifically for deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) children with functional hearing. Teachers implemented "Foundations for Literacy" with 25 DHH children in 2 schools (intervention group). One school used only spoken language, and the other used…

Enhancing RN-to-BSN students' information literacy skills through the use of instructional technology.

PubMed

Schutt, Michelle A; Hightower, Barbara

2009-02-01

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing advocates that professional nurses have the information literacy skills essential for evidence-based practice. As nursing schools embrace evidence-based models to prepare students for nursing careers, faculty can collaborate with librarians to create engaging learning activities focused on the development of information literacy skills. Instructional technology tools such as course management systems, virtual classrooms, and online tutorials provide opportunities to reach students outside the traditional campus classroom. This article discusses the collaborative process between faculty and a library instruction coordinator and strategies used to create literacy learning activities focused on the development of basic database search skills for a Computers in Nursing course. The activities and an online tutorial were included in a library database module incorporated into WebCT. In addition, synchronous classroom meeting software was used by the librarian to reach students in the distance learning environment. Recommendations for module modifications and faculty, librarian, and student evaluations are offered.

Added Value of Early Literacy Screening in Preschool Children.

PubMed

Iyer, Sai Nandini; Dawson, M Zachary; Sawyer, Mark I; Abdullah, Neelab; Saju, Leya; Needlman, Robert D

2017-09-01

The Early Literacy Screener (ELS) is a brief screen for emergent literacy delays in 4- and 5-year-olds. Standard developmental screens may also flag these children. What is the value of adding the ELS? Parents of children aged 4 (n = 45) and 5 (n = 26) years completed the Ages and Stages Questionnaire-3 (ASQ-3), the Survey of Well-Being in Young Children (SWYC), and the ELS. Rates of positive agreement (PA), negative agreement (NA), and overall agreement (Cohen's κ) across the various screening tools were calculated. Early literacy delays were detected in 51% of those who passed the ASQ and 38% of those who passed the SWYC. For ELS versus ASQ, κ = 0.18, PA = 0.36 (95% CI = 0.23-0.51), and NA = 0.83 (95% CI = 0.66-0.92). For ELS versus SWYC, κ = 0.42, PA = 0.61 (95% CI = 0.45-0.75), and NA = 0.82 (95% CI = 0.65-0.92). The ELS adds value by flagging early literacy delays in many children who pass either the ASQ-3 or SWYC.

Sparks Fade, Knowledge Stays: The National Early Literacy Panel's Report Lacks Staying Power

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Neuman, Susan B.

2010-01-01

In this article, the author talks about "Developing Early Literacy," the report of the National Early Literacy Panel. The panel, which consisted of nine experts, was convened by the National Institute for Literacy to synthesize the research on the development of literacy from birth through age 5. Over the eight years of their work, only 190…

Parenting Styles and Home Literacy Opportunities: Associations with Children's Oral Language Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bingham, Gary E.; Jeon, Hyun-Joo; Kwon, Kyong-Ah; Lim, Chaehyun

2017-01-01

This study examined associations among parenting style, home literacy practices, and children's language skills. A total of 181 ethnically diverse parents, primarily African American, and their preschool-aged child participated. Results suggest that an authoritative parenting style was positively associated with informal home literacy (book…

Information Literacy and Adult Learners: Using Authentic Assessment to Determine Skill Gaps

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rapchak, Marcia E.; Lewis, Leslie A.; Motyka, Julie K.; Balmert, Margaret

2015-01-01

Information literacy (IL) skills are essential for adult learners in higher education, especially those unfamiliar with information systems. Citing a lack of literature assessing such skills in adult learners, this article examines the IL abilities of adult learners in an IL course. Using a rubric and annotated bibliographies from study…

Smoothing Children's Transition into Formal Schooling: Addressing Complexities in an Early Literacy Initiative in Remote Aboriginal Communities, Northern Territory, Australia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maher, Marguerite; Bellen, Linda

2015-01-01

There is a growing awareness that some children transition into formal schooling more readily than others. Compelling evidence indicates that children familiar with the skills and knowledge associated with the dominant practices of literacy teaching in schools have an advantage. While families play a pivotal role in children's early literacy…

Formal and informal home learning activities in relation to children's early numeracy and literacy skills: the development of a home numeracy model.

PubMed

Skwarchuk, Sheri-Lynn; Sowinski, Carla; LeFevre, Jo-Anne

2014-05-01

The purpose of this study was to propose and test a model of children's home numeracy experience based on Sénéchal and LeFevre's home literacy model (Child Development, 73 (2002) 445-460). Parents of 183 children starting kindergarten in the fall (median child age=58 months) completed an early home learning experiences questionnaire. Most of the children whose parents completed the questionnaire were recruited for numeracy and literacy testing 1 year later (along with 32 children from the inner city). Confirmatory factor analyses were used to reduce survey items, and hierarchical regression analyses were used to predict the relation among parents' attitudes, academic expectations for their children, reports of formal and informal numeracy, and literacy home practices on children's test scores. Parental reports of formal home numeracy practices (e.g., practicing simple sums) predicted children's symbolic number system knowledge, whereas reports of informal exposure to games with numerical content (measured indirectly through parents' knowledge of children's games) predicted children's non-symbolic arithmetic, as did numeracy attitudes (e.g., parents' enjoyment of numeracy). The home literacy results replicated past findings; parental reports of formal literacy practices (e.g., helping their children to read words) predicted children's word reading, whereas reports of informal experiences (i.e., frequency of shared reading measured indirectly through parents' storybook knowledge) predicted children's vocabulary. These findings support a multifaceted model of children's early numeracy environment, with different types of early home experiences (formal and informal) predicting different numeracy outcomes. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Literacy and Life Skills Education for Vulnerable Youth: What Policy Makers Can Do

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bernhardt, Anna Caroline; Yorozu, Rika; Medel-Añonuevo, Carolyn

2014-01-01

In countries with a high concentration of youth with low literacy levels, the policy and programming task related to education and training is particularly daunting. This note briefly presents policies and practices which have been put in place to provide vulnerable youth with literacy and life skills education. It is based on a multi-country…

Assessing the influence of health literacy on health information behaviors: A multi-domain skills-based approach.

PubMed

Suri, Venkata Ratnadeep; Majid, Shaheen; Chang, Yun-Ke; Foo, Schubert

2016-06-01

The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between five domain-specific skills of health literacy: Find Health Information (FHI), Appraise Health Information (AHI), Understand Health Information to act (UHI), Actively Manage One's Health (AMH), and E-health literacy (e-Heals), and health information seeking behaviors and three categories of health outcomes. A survey was implemented and data was collected from 1062 college going adults and analyzed using bivariate tests and multiple regression analysis. Among the five domain-specific Health Literacy skills, AHI and e-Heals were significantly associated with the use of traditional sources and the Internet for healthcare information respectively. Similarly and AMH and e-Heals were significantly associated with the use of traditional sources and the Internet for health lifestyle information respectively. Lastly AHI, AMH and e-Heals were significantly associated with the three categories of outcomes, and AFH was significantly associated with cognitive and instrumental outcomes, but not doctor-patient communication outcomes. Consumers' ability to use different health sources for both healthcare and health lifestyle information, and the three categories of health outcomes are associated with different domain-specific health literacy skills. Health literacy initiatives may be improved by focusing on clients to develop domain-specific skills that increase the likelihood of using health information sources and accrue benefits. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Literacy and life skills education for vulnerable youth: What policy makers can do

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bernhardt, Anna Caroline; Yorozu, Rika; Medel-Añonuevo, Carolyn

2014-04-01

In countries with a high concentration of youth with low literacy levels, the policy and programming task related to education and training is particularly daunting. This note briefly presents policies and practices which have been put in place to provide vulnerable youth with literacy and life skills education. It is based on a multi-country research study undertaken by the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) in cooperation with the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada (DFATD Canada; previously Canadian International Development Agency, CIDA), and on subsequent policy dialogue forums with policy makers, practitioners, researchers and youth representatives held in Africa, the Arab region and Asia. Built on this review of existing policies and their implementation, this note provides lessons for innovative practices and suggests six concrete ways to address the needs of vulnerable youth through literacy and life skills education.

Health Literacy: Cancer Prevention Strategies for Early Adults.

PubMed

Simmons, Robert A; Cosgrove, Susan C; Romney, Martha C; Plumb, James D; Brawer, Rickie O; Gonzalez, Evelyn T; Fleisher, Linda G; Moore, Bradley S

2017-09-01

Health literacy, the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand health information and services needed to make health decisions, is an essential element for early adults (aged 18-44 years) to make informed decisions about cancer. Low health literacy is one of the social determinants of health associated with cancer-related disparities. Over the past several years, a nonprofit organization, a university, and a cancer center in a major urban environment have developed and implemented health literacy programs within healthcare systems and in the community. Health system personnel received extensive health literacy training to reduce medical jargon and improve their patient education using plain language easy-to-understand written materials and teach-back, and also designed plain language written materials including visuals to provide more culturally and linguistically appropriate health education and enhance web-based information. Several sustainable health system policy changes occurred over time. At the community level, organizational assessments and peer leader training on health literacy have occurred to reduce communication barriers between consumers and providers. Some of these programs have been cancer specific, including consumer education in such areas as cervical cancer, skin cancer, and breast cancer that are targeted to early adults across the cancer spectrum from prevention to treatment to survivorship. An example of consumer-driven health education that was tested for health literacy using a comic book-style photonovel on breast cancer with an intergenerational family approach for Chinese Americans is provided. Key lessons learned from the health literacy initiatives and overall conclusions of the health literacy initiatives are also summarized. Copyright © 2017 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Child Development and Emergent Literacy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Whitehurst, Grover J.; Lonigan, Christopher J.

1998-01-01

Offers a typology of emergent literacy skills, reviews research relating emergent literacy to reading, and reviews evidence linking emergent literacy environments and development of emergent literacy skills. Proposes that emergent literacy consists of inside-out skills and outside-in skills that are influential at different times during reading…

Early Readers' Perceptions of the Value of Literacy in Their Lives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kinkead-Clark, Zoyah

2017-01-01

The following article aims to present, from children's perspectives, the value of literacy and how they use it in their everyday lives. Through the use of ethnographic methodology, including observations, interviews and collection of artifacts, it seeks to examine how children rely on their literacy skills authentically, as they play and move…

Tracking development from early speech-language acquisition to reading skills at age 13.

PubMed

Bartl-Pokorny, Katrin D; Marschik, Peter B; Sachse, Steffi; Green, Vanessa A; Zhang, Dajie; Van Der Meer, Larah; Wolin, Thomas; Einspieler, Christa

2013-06-01

Previous studies have indicated a link between speech-language and literacy development. To add to this body of knowledge, we investigated whether lexical and grammatical skills from toddler to early school age are related to reading competence in adolescence. Twenty-three typically developing children were followed from age 1;6 to 13;6 (years;months). Parental checklists and standardized tests were used to assess the development of mental lexicon, grammatical and reading capacities of the children. Direct assessment of early speech-language functions positively correlated with later reading competence, whereas lexical skills reported by parents were not associated with this capacity. At (pre-) school age, larger vocabulary and better grammatical abilities predicted advanced reading abilities in adolescence. Our study contributes to the understanding of typical speech-language development and its relation to later reading outcome, extending the body of knowledge on these developmental domains for future early identification of children at risk for reading difficulties.

Determining the Feasibility of an Annual Commissioner's Report of the Mastery of Basic Skills by Florida Citizens. Basic Literacy and Basic Skills Technical Report No. 1.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Powell, William R.; And Others

This report recommends that an annual report be made to the citizens of Florida about the state of literacy in Florida. The concept of literacy is defined in terms of levels of literacy and basic skills required to achieve the different levels. A review of the literature on literacy is the basis for three suggested levels of literacy: (1)…

The development and validation of testing materials for literacy, numeracy and digital skills in a Dutch context

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Greef, Maurice; Segers, Mien; Nijhuis, Jan; Lam, Jo Fond; van Groenestijn, Mieke; van Hoek, Frans; van Deursen, Alexander J. A. M.; Bohnenn, Ella; Tubbing, Marga

2015-10-01

Besides work-oriented training, most Dutch adult learning courses of formal and non-formal education focus on three basic skills: literacy, numeracy and problem solving in technology-rich environments. In the Netherlands, the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science recently initiated the development of a new adult education framework concerning literacy, numeracy and digital skills. In order to monitor the progress of literacy, numeracy and digital competencies, it is necessary to develop and validate testing materials for specific competencies. This study validates the testing materials which were developed to assess learners' proficiency in literacy (reading and writing), numeracy and digital skills based on the new Dutch framework. The outcome is that the materials proved valid and can be used in different courses referring to basic skills and adult learning, though there are still some limitations. Besides adult education professionals (such teachers and trainers), policy makers can also use the results of these tests in order to describe and monitor the impact of adult education on the lives of adult learners.

Secondary English Learners: Strengthening Their Literacy Skills through Culturally Responsive Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ramirez, Pablo C.; Jimenez-Silva, Margarita

2014-01-01

In high school English classrooms where English language learners may be at risk of academic failure, Culturally Responsive Teaching can help educators build an inclusive community in which all students can improve their literacy skills.

Fine Motor Skills Predict Maths Ability Better than They Predict Reading Ability in the Early Primary School Years

PubMed Central

Pitchford, Nicola J.; Papini, Chiara; Outhwaite, Laura A.; Gulliford, Anthea

2016-01-01

Fine motor skills have long been recognized as an important foundation for development in other domains. However, more precise insights into the role of fine motor skills, and their relationships to other skills in mediating early educational achievements, are needed to support the development of optimal educational interventions. We explored concurrent relationships between two components of fine motor skills, Fine Motor Precision and Fine Motor Integration, and early reading and maths development in two studies with primary school children of low-to-mid socio-economic status in the UK. Two key findings were revealed. First, despite being in the first 2 years of primary school education, significantly better performance was found in reading compared to maths across both studies. This may reflect the protective effects of recent national-level interventions to promote early literacy skills in young children in the UK that have not been similarly promoted for maths. Second, fine motor skills were a better predictor of early maths ability than they were of early reading ability. Hierarchical multiple regression revealed that fine motor skills did not significantly predict reading ability when verbal short-term memory was taken into account. In contrast, Fine Motor Integration remained a significant predictor of maths ability, even after the influence of non-verbal IQ had been accounted for. These results suggest that fine motor skills should have a pivotal role in educational interventions designed to support the development of early mathematical skills. PMID:27303342

Fine Motor Skills Predict Maths Ability Better than They Predict Reading Ability in the Early Primary School Years.

PubMed

Pitchford, Nicola J; Papini, Chiara; Outhwaite, Laura A; Gulliford, Anthea

2016-01-01

Fine motor skills have long been recognized as an important foundation for development in other domains. However, more precise insights into the role of fine motor skills, and their relationships to other skills in mediating early educational achievements, are needed to support the development of optimal educational interventions. We explored concurrent relationships between two components of fine motor skills, Fine Motor Precision and Fine Motor Integration, and early reading and maths development in two studies with primary school children of low-to-mid socio-economic status in the UK. Two key findings were revealed. First, despite being in the first 2 years of primary school education, significantly better performance was found in reading compared to maths across both studies. This may reflect the protective effects of recent national-level interventions to promote early literacy skills in young children in the UK that have not been similarly promoted for maths. Second, fine motor skills were a better predictor of early maths ability than they were of early reading ability. Hierarchical multiple regression revealed that fine motor skills did not significantly predict reading ability when verbal short-term memory was taken into account. In contrast, Fine Motor Integration remained a significant predictor of maths ability, even after the influence of non-verbal IQ had been accounted for. These results suggest that fine motor skills should have a pivotal role in educational interventions designed to support the development of early mathematical skills.

Administrators' Perceptions of Community College Students' Computer Literacy Skills in Beginner Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ragin, Tracey B.

2013-01-01

Fundamental computer skills are vital in the current technology-driven society. The purpose of this study was to investigate the development needs of students at a rural community college in the Southeast who lacked the computer literacy skills required in a basic computer course. Guided by Greenwood's pragmatic approach as a reformative force in…

Phonological Processing Skills as Predictors of Literacy amongst Arabic Speaking Bahraini Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

al Mannai, Haya; Everatt, John

2005-01-01

This paper reports a study of the reading and spelling skills of grades 1-3 Arabic-speaking children in Bahrain. Children were tested on their literacy skills (single word reading and spelling), their ability to decode letter strings (non-word reading) and measures of phonological awareness, short-term memory, speed of processing and non-verbal…

Health literacy skills for informed decision making in colorectal cancer screening: Perceptions of screening invitees and experts.

PubMed

Woudstra, Anke J; Timmermans, Daniëlle R M; Uiters, Ellen; Dekker, Evelien; Smets, Ellen M A; Fransen, Mirjam P

2018-06-01

The process of informed decision making (IDM) requires an adequate level of health literacy. To ensure that all individuals have equal opportunity to make an informed decision in colorectal cancer (CRC) screening, it is essential to gain more insight into which health literacy skills are needed for IDM. Our aims were (i) to explore how individuals make a decision about CRC screening and (ii) to explore which skills are needed for IDM in CRC screening and (iii) to integrate these findings within a conceptual framework. We conducted 3 focus groups with individuals eligible for CRC screening (n = 22) and 2 focus groups with experts in the field of health literacy, oncology and decision making, including scientific researchers and health-care professionals (n = 17). We used framework analysis to analyse our data. We identified and specified ten health literacy skills, which varied from the ability to read and understand CRC screening information to the ability to weigh up pros and cons of screening for personal relevance. The skills were linked to 8 decision-making stages in CRC screening within a conceptual framework. We found differences in perceptions between screening invitees and experts, especially in the perceived importance of CRC screening information for IDM. This study provides insight into the decision-making stages and health literacy skills that are essential for IDM in CRC screening. The proposed conceptual framework can be used to inform the development of context-based measurement of health literacy and interventions to support IDM in cancer screening. © 2017 The Authors Health Expectations published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Visual Literacy in Primary Science: Exploring Anatomy Cross-Section Production Skills

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

García Fernández, Beatriz; Ruiz-Gallardo, José Reyes

2017-04-01

Are children competent producing anatomy cross-sections? To answer this question, we carried out a case study research aimed at testing graphic production skills in anatomy of nutrition. The graphics produced by 118 children in the final year of primary education were analysed. The children had to draw a diagram of a human cross section, integrating knowledge of anatomy acquired from longitudinal sections. The results show that they have very limited skills in producing these graphics judging by the dimensions (scale, shape, organs represented and its organization inside the section) and their conception of human anatomy at thoracic level (location of the organs, elements in the spaces between them and connections between organs). The results also indicate that the only exposure to cross-sections in daily life is not enough by itself to draw them correctly, so this type of graphic production should be addressed from the earliest stages of education, since it contributes to the development of visual literacy, and this is a crucial skill when it comes to learning science concepts and developing scientific literacy.

Information Literacy for Health Professionals: Teaching Essential Information Skills with the Big6 Information Literacy Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Santana Arroyo, Sonia

2013-01-01

Health professionals frequently do not possess the necessary information-seeking abilities to conduct an effective search in databases and Internet sources. Reference librarians may teach health professionals these information and technology skills through the Big6 information literacy model (Big6). This article aims to address this issue. It also…

A randomized trial examining the effects of parent engagement on early language and literacy: the Getting Ready intervention.

PubMed

Sheridan, Susan M; Knoche, Lisa L; Kupzyk, Kevin A; Edwards, Carolyn Pope; Marvin, Christine A

2011-06-01

Language and literacy skills established during early childhood are critical for later school success. Parental engagement with children has been linked to a number of adaptive characteristics in preschoolers including language and literacy development, and family-school collaboration is an important contributor to school readiness. This study reports the results of a randomized trial of a parent engagement intervention designed to facilitate school readiness among disadvantaged preschool children, with a particular focus on language and literacy development. Participants included 217 children, 211 parents, and 29 Head Start teachers in 21 schools. Statistically significant differences in favor of the treatment group were observed between treatment and control participants in the rate of change over 2 academic years on teacher reports of children's language use (d=1.11), reading (d=1.25), and writing skills (d=0.93). Significant intervention effects on children's direct measures of expressive language were identified for a subgroup of cases where there were concerns about a child's development upon entry into preschool. Additionally, other child and family moderators revealed specific variables that influenced the treatment's effects. Copyright © 2011 Society for the Study of School Psychology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Randomized Trial Examining the Effects of Parent Engagement on Early Language and Literacy: The Getting Ready Intervention

PubMed Central

Knoche, Lisa L.; Kupzyk, Kevin A.; Edwards, Carolyn Pope; Marvin, Christine A.

2011-01-01

Language and literacy skills established during early childhood are critical for later school success. Parental engagement with children has been linked to a number of adaptive characteristics in preschoolers including language and literacy development, and family-school collaboration is an important contributor to school readiness. This study reports the results of a randomized trial of a parent engagement intervention designed to facilitate school readiness among disadvantaged preschool children, with a particular focus on language and literacy development. Participants included 217 children, 211 parents, and 29 Head Start teachers in 21 schools. Statistically significant differences in favor of the treatment group were observed between treatment and control participants in the rate of change over 2 academic years on teacher reports of children’s language use (d = 1.11), reading (d = 1.25), and writing skills (d = .93). Significant intervention effects on children’s direct measures of expressive language were identified for a subgroup of cases where there were concerns about a child’s development upon entry into preschool. Additionally, other child and family moderators revealed specific variables that influenced the treatment’s effects. PMID:21640249

Modes of acquisition of health literacy skills in informal learning contexts.

PubMed

Calha, António Geraldo Manso

2014-12-01

In this article we try to analyze the learning processes of health literacy skills in informal contexts. We intend to broaden the understanding of the learning process beyond the formal contexts, thus contributing to the elucidation of health professionals on how individuals acquire and manage their knowledge in health matters. Given our goal, we use an analytic corpus constituted by one hundred autobiographical narratives written between 2006 and 2011, in educational contexts but with recognized potential for use in different scientific fields, including health. The results reveal the existence of three different types of modes of learning health literacy skills in informal context: : i) learning that takes place in action, in achieving daily tasks; ii) learning processes that result from problem solving; iii) learning that occurs in an unplanned manner, resulting from accidental circumstances and, in some cases, devoid of intentionality.

The Effects of Parental Literacy Involvement and Child Reading Interest on the Development of Emergent Literacy Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carroll, Crystal

2013-01-01

Acquisition of literacy is best conceptualized as a developmental continuum, with its origins early in the life of a child, rather than an all-or-none phenomenon that begins when children start school. How parents expose their children to literacy even before they enter school is important for the later development of reading. The home environment…

Development of Phonological Processing Skills in Children with Specific Language Impairment with and without Literacy Delay: A 3-Year Longitudinal Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vandewalle, Ellen; Boets, Bart; Ghesquiere, Pol; Zink, Inge

2012-01-01

Purpose: To compare the development of phonological skills in children with specific language impairment (SLI) with and without literacy delay and to examine whether kindergarten phonological skills could discriminate these 2 groups. Method: In a longitudinal study, 8 children with SLI and literacy delay, 10 children with SLI and normal literacy,…

Improving Struggling Readers' Early Literacy Skills through a Tier 2 Professional Development Program for Rural Classroom Teachers: The Targeted Reading Intervention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vernon-Feagans, Lynne; Bratsch-Hines, Mary; Varghese, Cheryl; Cutrer, Elizabeth A.; Garwood, Justin D.

2018-01-01

This article reports the results of a randomized controlled trial that replicated and extended research on the Targeted Reading Intervention (TRI), a professional development program for kindergarten and first-grade teachers in low-wealth rural schools that helps enhance literacy skills of struggling readers. In weekly webcam coaching sessions,…

Longitudinal Relations Between Parental Writing Support and Preschoolers’ Language and Literacy Skills

PubMed Central

Bindman, Samantha W.; Hindman, Annemarie H.; Aram, Dorit; Morrison, Frederick J.

2013-01-01

Parental writing support was examined over time and in relation to children’s language and literacy skills. Seventy-seven parents and their preschoolers were videotaped writing an invitation together twice during one year. Parental writing support was coded at the level of the letter to document parents’ graphophonemic support (letter–sound correspondence), print support (letter formation), and demand for precision (expectation for correcting writing errors). Parents primarily relied on only a couple print (i.e., parent writing the letter alone) and graphophonemic (i.e., saying the word as a whole, dictating letters as children write) strategies. Graphophonemic and print support in preschool predicted children’s decoding skills, and graphophonemic support also predicted children’s future phonological awareness. Neither type of support predicted children’s vocabulary scores. Demand for precision occurred infrequently and was unrelated to children’s outcomes. Findings demonstrate the importance of parental writing support for augmenting children’s literacy skills. PMID:25045186

Word Reading and Word Spelling in French Adult Literacy Students: The Relationship with Oral Language Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eme, Elsa; Lambert, Eric; Alamargot, Denis

2014-01-01

We analysed word reading and spelling in French adults with low levels of literacy (A-IL). As well as examining phonological and lexical processes, we explored the relationship between literacy and oral language skills. Fifty-two adult literacy students were compared with reading level-matched pupils in Years 1-3 of primary school on reading tasks…

Measuring Visual Literacy Skills on Students’ Concept Understanding of Genetic Transfer Material

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fibriana, F.; Pamelasari, S. D.; Aulia, L. S.

2017-04-01

Visualization is an important skill for all students majoring in natural sciences. Also, the visual literacy skills (VLS) are essential for Microbiology learning. The lecturer can use the external representations (ERs) to visualize the microorganisms and its microenvironment. One of learning materials which are rather difficult to interpret in microbiology is genetic transfer. In this study, we measure the VLS on students’ concept understanding of genetic transfer material using a simple test. The tests were held before and after the lecture on this topic employing a combination of talking drawing with picture and picture model. The results show that in the beginning, students showed their poor visual literacy. After the lecture, students were able to draw their understanding on the genetic transfer in bacteria. Most students’ visual literacy ability improves in the level of acceptable. In conclusion, the students’ ability was improved in the average amount of conceptual knowledge. This result reveals that some students comprehend in the correct level of ability, meaning that they have a high degree of conceptual (propositional) and visual knowledge.

Third Grade Literacy Policies: Identification, Intervention, Retention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rose, Stephanie; Schimke, Karen

2012-01-01

Students not reading proficiently by the end of 3rd grade are four times more likely than proficient readers to drop out of high school. This fact and other recent research on the importance of early literacy skills have culminated in an intense focus on improving 3rd-grade reading proficiency. The challenges of improving literacy are, in turn,…

Effectiveness of a Clinic-Based Early Literacy Program in Changing Parent-Child Early Literacy Habits.

PubMed

Fricke, Jonathan; Navsaria, Dipesh; Mahony, Karin

2016-12-01

Reach Out and Read (ROR) improves children's development and kindergarten readiness by encouraging parents to routinely share books with their children. Primary care providers give age-appropriate books and anticipatory guidance on reading at each well-child visit. This study evaluated parent attitudes and behaviors of early literacy related to ROR participation in Wisconsin clinics. A survey of early literacy attitudes and behaviors was administered to parents of children ages 6 months to 5 years in 36 Wisconsin clinics. Ten clinics were established ROR sites (intervention group) and 26 clinics had applied to become ROR programs but had not yet initiated the program (control group). Parents at clinics with ROR programs were more likely to read with a child under the age of 6 months (OR=1.58, 95% CI, 1.05-2.38). Other literacy metrics trended toward improvement but none reached statistical significance. Paradoxically, the odds of parents reporting reading as a bedtime habit were decreased among those who participated in ROR. Our study finds mixed support of the effectiveness of ROR outside of academic settings. The apparent discrepancy between these results and those from national studies on ROR may be related to differences in respondent demographics and educational attainment or differences in program implementation and fidelity. We believe that the results will become clearer with future study as clinics are prospectively evaluated over time rather than being compared to non-ROR clinics in a cross-sectional snapshot.

Early Literacy Research: Findings Primary-Grade Teachers Will Want to Know

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reutzel, D. Ray

2015-01-01

This article shares recent research findings in early literacy that every primary grade teacher has had questions about at one time or another ranging from handwriting to phonemic awareness, writing to concepts about print, and more. The article reports research that elaborates upon and extends early literacy research that was reported by the…

Early Literacy Measures for Improving Student Reading Achievement: Translating Research into Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marston, Doug; Pickart, Mary; Reschly, Amy; Heistad, David; Muyskens, Paul; Tindal, Gerald

2007-01-01

The importance of early literacy instruction and its role in later reading proficiency is well established; however, measures and procedures to screen and monitor proficiency in the area of early literacy are less well researched. The purpose of this study was to (a) examine the technical adequacy and validity of early curriculum-based literacy…

IALS and Essential Skills in Canadian Literacy Policy and Practice: A Descriptive Overview

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Centre for Literacy, 2013

2013-01-01

This paper gathers descriptions on the use of the International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS) and essential skills cross Canada. IALS was developed as a population measure to lay out the distribution of skills and their relationship to other social and economic attributes. The information was taken from federal, provincial, and territorial…

Kids, Take a Look at This! Visual Literacy Skills in the School Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vermeersch, Lode; Vandenbroucke, Anneloes

2015-01-01

Although the paradigm of visual literacy (VL) is rapidly emerging, the construct itself still lacks operational specificity. Based on a semiotic understanding of visual culture as an ongoing process of "making meaning", we present in this study a skill-based classification of VL, differentiating four sets of VL skills: perception;…

What Does Low Proficiency in Literacy Really Mean? Adult Skills in Focus #2

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

OECD Publishing, 2016

2016-01-01

In designing policies and programmes targeting populations with poor literacy skills, it is important to take into account differences in the level of these skills within and among these populations. For example, native speakers of the mainstream language may require different language-development training than non-native speakers; and most adults…

Student Development of Information Literacy Skills during Problem-Based Organic Chemistry Laboratory Experiments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shultz, Ginger V.; Li, Ye

2016-01-01

Problem-based learning methods support student learning of content as well as scientific skills. In the course of problem-based learning, students seek outside information related to the problem, and therefore, information literacy skills are practiced when problem-based learning is used. This work describes a mixed-methods approach to investigate…

Developing Media Literacy Skills for Students with Specific Learning Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

James, Jessica Everett

2014-01-01

Students with specific learning disabilities (SLD), such as emotional disturbances, and speech or language impairment, attending high schools located in the rural Mississippi Delta lack media literacy skills that could impact the student's ability to successfully graduate from high school. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to identify…

College Students' Text Messaging, Use of Textese and Literacy Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Drouin, M. A.

2011-01-01

In this study, I examined reported frequency of text messaging, use of textese and literacy skills (reading accuracy, spelling and reading fluency) in a sample of American college students. Participants reported using text messaging, social networking sites and textese more often than was reported in previous (2009) research, and their frequency…

Investigating Predictors of Spelling Ability for Adults with Low Literacy Skills

PubMed Central

Talwar, Amani; Cote, Nicole Gilbert; Binder, Katherine S.

2014-01-01

This study examined whether the spelling abilities of adults with low literacy skills could be predicted by their phonological, orthographic, and morphological awareness. Sixty Adult Basic Education (ABE) students completed several literacy tasks. It was predicted that scores on phonological and orthographic tasks would explain variance in spelling scores, whereas scores on morphological tasks may not. Scores on all phonological tasks and on one orthographic task emerged as significant predictors of spelling scores. Additionally, error analyses revealed a limited influence of morphological knowledge in spelling attempts. Implications for ABE instruction are discussed. PMID:25364644

Workplace Communication Skills, Workplace Basic Skills, & Literacy Training in UAW-Chrysler Region 3. Final Performance Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Indiana Vocational Technical Coll., Indianapolis.

A workplace literacy partnership program model was demonstrated at four Chrysler plants in Indiana. Objectives were to improve workers' individual skills, enhance personal productivity, and increase work force job security and plant competitiveness. During the 3-month start-up phase, project staff worked with management and labor representatives…

Analysis of preservice science teacher information literacy towards research skills

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Subekti, H.; Purnomo, A. R.; Susilo, H.; Ibrohim; Suwono, H.

2018-04-01

Information literacy is an important component for university students necessary to support personal development both in academic and real-life setting. This research aimed to analyze the drawing picture of information literacy ability among preservice science teacher in Universitas Negeri Surabaya related to research skills. Purposive sampling was used to determine the amount of participants, thereby involving 208 participants from class year 2014, 2015, and 2016. For gathering the data, the instruments being applied were questionnaire based information literacy test. The data then were analyzed in descriptive manner. The results indicated that the male students outperformed the female students by which they obtained 51.1% correct answer, 2% higher than the female students. Based on the duration of the study, the percentage of correct answers varies among students of class year 2014, 2015, and 2016; 56.2%, 45.1%, and 48.4% respectively. When looked at the average percentage of all students, however, most of items were scored in low category (below 50%) except for type of notification, strategy to accessing information, mastery of terminologies used in research and the essence of the copyright . To conclude, the literacy ability of preservice science teachers is still relatively low and the tendency of information literacy possessed by male students is relatively higher than female students.

Enhancing health policymakers' information literacy knowledge and skill for policymaking on control of infectious diseases of poverty in Nigeria.

PubMed

Uneke, Chigozie Jesse; Ezeoha, Abel Ebeh; Uro-Chukwu, Henry; Ezeonu, Chinonyelum Thecla; Ogbu, Ogbonnaya; Onwe, Friday; Edoga, Chima

2015-01-01

In Nigeria, one of the major challenges associated with evidence-to-policy link in the control of infectious diseases of poverty (IDP), is deficient information literacy knowledge and skill among policymakers. There is need for policymakers to acquire the skill to discover relevant information, accurately evaluate retrieved information and to apply it correctly. To use information literacy tool of International Network for Availability of Scientific Publications (INASP) to enhance policymakers' knowledge and skill for policymaking on control of IDP in Nigeria. Modified "before and after" intervention study design was used in which outcomes were measured on target participants both before the intervention is implemented and after. This study was conducted in Ebonyi State, south-eastern Nigeria and participants were career health policy makers. A two-day health-policy information literacy training workshop was organized to enhance participants" information literacy capacity. Topics covered included: introduction to information literacy; defining information problem; searching for information online; evaluating information; science information; knowledge sharing interviews; and training skills. A total of 52 policymakers attended the workshop. The pre-workshop mean rating (MNR) of knowledge and capacity for information literacy ranged from 2.15-2.97, while the post-workshop MNR ranged from 3.34-3.64 on 4-point scale. The percentage increase in MNR of knowledge and capacity at the end of the workshop ranged from 22.6%-55.3%. The results of this study suggest that through information literacy training workshop policy makers can acquire the knowledge and skill to identify, capture and share the right kind of information in the right contexts to influence relevant action or a policy decision.

Enhancing health policymakers' information literacy knowledge and skill for policymaking on control of infectious diseases of poverty in Nigeria

PubMed Central

Uneke, Chigozie Jesse; Ezeoha, Abel Ebeh; Uro-Chukwu, Henry; Ezeonu, Chinonyelum Thecla; Ogbu, Ogbonnaya; Onwe, Friday; Edoga, Chima

2015-01-01

Background In Nigeria, one of the major challenges associated with evidence-to-policy link in the control of infectious diseases of poverty (IDP), is deficient information literacy knowledge and skill among policymakers. There is need for policymakers to acquire the skill to discover relevant information, accurately evaluate retrieved information and to apply it correctly. Objectives To use information literacy tool of International Network for Availability of Scientific Publications (INASP) to enhance policymakers' knowledge and skill for policymaking on control of IDP in Nigeria. Methods Modified "before and after" intervention study design was used in which outcomes were measured on target participants both before the intervention is implemented and after. This study was conducted in Ebonyi State, south-eastern Nigeria and participants were career health policy makers. A two-day health-policy information literacy training workshop was organized to enhance participants" information literacy capacity. Topics covered included: introduction to information literacy; defining information problem; searching for information online; evaluating information; science information; knowledge sharing interviews; and training skills. Results A total of 52 policymakers attended the workshop. The pre-workshop mean rating (MNR) of knowledge and capacity for information literacy ranged from 2.15-2.97, while the post-workshop MNR ranged from 3.34-3.64 on 4-point scale. The percentage increase in MNR of knowledge and capacity at the end of the workshop ranged from 22.6%-55.3%. Conclusion The results of this study suggest that through information literacy training workshop policy makers can acquire the knowledge and skill to identify, capture and share the right kind of information in the right contexts to influence relevant action or a policy decision. PMID:26284149

Before They Read: Teaching Language and Literacy Development through Conversations, Interactive Read-Alouds, and Listening Games

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Cathy Puett

2010-01-01

Preschool and kindergarten educators know that strong oral language skills must be in place before children can learn to read. In "Before They Read: Teaching Language and Literacy Development through Conversations, Interactive Read-Alouds, and Listening Games," Cathy Puett Miller helps educators teach those early literacy skills with engaging…

Doing Peer Review and Receiving Feedback: Impact on Scientific Literacy and Writing Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Geithner, Christina A.; Pollastro, Alexandria N.

2016-01-01

Doing peer review has been effectively implemented to help students develop critical reading and writing skills; however, its application in Human Physiology programs is limited. The purpose of the present study was to determine the impact of peer review on Human Physiology majors' perceptions of their scientific literacy and writing skills.…

Health Literacy and Health Outcomes

MedlinePlus

... When compared to those with adequate health literacy skills, studies have shown that patients with limited health literacy ... literacy skills. 12 Back to Top Health status Studies demonstrate that persons with limited health literacy skills are significantly more likely than persons with adequate ...

Addressing Inadequacies of the Observation Survey of Early Literacy Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

D'Agostino, Jerome V.; Rodgers, Emily; Mauck, Susan

2018-01-01

The authors used nationally based, random sample data from three different years (2009-2010, 2011-2012, and 2014-2015) for nearly 20,000 first-grade students (n = 9,760, 3,657, and 3,121, respectively) to examine long-reported inadequacies of a commonly used early literacy assessment tool, the Observation Survey of Early Literacy Achievement…

Quantitative Literacy across the Curriculum: Integrating Skills from English Composition, Mathematics, and the Substantive Disciplines

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Jane E.

2010-01-01

Quantitative literacy is an important proficiency that pertains to "word problems" from science, history, and other fields. Unfortunately, teaching how to solve such problems often is relegated to math courses alone. This article examines how quantitative literacy also involves concepts and skills from English composition and the substantive…

Information Portals: A New Tool for Teaching Information Literacy Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kolah, Debra; Fosmire, Michael

2010-01-01

Librarians at Rice and Purdue Universities created novel assignments to teach students important information literacy skills. The assignments required the students to use a third-party web site, PageFlakes and NetVibes, respectively, to create a dynamically updated portal to information they needed for their research and class projects. The use of…

Size Matters: Early Vocabulary as a Predictor of Language and Literacy Competence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Joanne

2011-01-01

This paper investigated the predictive ability of expressive vocabulary size and lexical composition at age 2 on later language and literacy skills from ages 3 through 11. Multivariate analysis of covariance was performed to compare 16 language and literacy outcomes between children with large expressive vocabulary size at 24 months (N = 1,073)…

Relations among Emergent Literacy Skills, Behavior Problems, and Social Competence in Preschool Children from Low- and Middle-Income Backgrounds.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lonigan, Christopher J.; Bloomfield, Brenlee G.; Anthony, Jason L.; Bacon, Kimberly D.; Samwel, Corine S.; Phillips, Beth M.

1999-01-01

A study examined the overlap between behaviors associated with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorders and emergent literacy skills in 44 children from middle-income families and 41 Head Start children. Attention problems were associated with literacy skills in both groups, however, the effect was strongest for the middle-income group.…

Signatures and Popular Literacy in Early Seventeenth-Century Japan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rubinger, Richard

2006-01-01

My paper looks at "signatures" in the form of "ciphers" (kao) and other personal marks made on population registers, town rules, and apostasy oaths in the early seventeenth century to provide some empirical evidence of very high literacy among village leaders. The essay also argues, using the same data, that literacy had…

Contributions of Emergent Literacy Skills to Name Writing, Letter Writing, and Spelling in Preschool Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Puranik, Cynthia S.; Lonigan, Christopher J.; Kim, Young-Suk

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine which emergent literacy skills contribute to preschool children's emergent writing (name-writing, letter-writing, and spelling) skills. Emergent reading and writing tasks were administered to 296 preschool children aged 4-5 years. Print knowledge and letter-writing skills made positive contributions to name…

Information Literacy Skills: Promoting University Access and Success in the United Arab Emirates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shana, Zuhrieh; Ishtaiwa, Fawzi

2013-01-01

The focus of this research is to assess the level of information literacy (IL) skills required for the transition-to-university experience across the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This research further seeks to shed light on the IL levels of incoming first-year university students and describe their perceptions of their IL skills. The research…

Kodak Skills Enhancement Program. U.S. Department of Education National Workplace Literacy Project. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beaudin, Bart P.

The Kodak Skills Enhancement program was a workplace literacy project funded through the U.S. Department of Education's National Workplace Literacy Program. The project goals were as follows: (1) establish a positive climate within the Kodak corporate environment to ensure program effectiveness by garnering support at all levels; (2) determine the…

HumRRO's Literacy Research for the U.S. Army: Developing Functional Literacy Training.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sticht, Thomas G.; And Others

The major purposes of the project were to determine the nature of the literacy problem in the Army by studying the literacy demands of Army jobs together with the literacy skills of Army personnel, and to develop a literacy training program to provide job-related-functional, literacy skills. Literacy research and development performed by HumRRO…

Effectiveness of training intervention to improve medical student's information literacy skills.

PubMed

Abdekhoda, Mohammadhiwa; Dehnad, Afsaneh; Yousefi, Mahmood

2016-12-01

This study aimed to assess the efficiency of delivering a 4-month course of "effective literature search" among medical postgraduate students for improving information literacy skills. This was a cross-sectional study in which 90 postgraduate students were randomly selected and participated in 12 training sessions. Effective search strategies were presented and the students' attitude and competency concerning online search were measured by a pre- and post-questionnaires and skill tests. Data were analyzed by SPSS version 16 using t-test. There was a significant improvement (p=0.00), in student's attitude. The mean (standard deviation [SD]) was 2.9 (0.8) before intervention versus the mean (SD) 3.9 (0.7) after intervention. Students' familiarity with medical resources and databases improved significantly. The data showed a significant increase (p=0.03), in students' competency score concerning search strategy design and conducting a search. The mean (SD) was 2.04 (0.7) before intervention versus the mean (SD) 3.07 (0.8) after intervention. Also, students' ability in applying search and meta search engine improved significantly. This study clearly acknowledges that the training intervention provides considerable opportunity to improve medical student's information literacy skills.

Measuring the Continuum of Literacy Skills among Adults: Educational Testing and the LAMP Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guadalupe, Cesar; Cardoso, Manuel

2011-01-01

The field of educational testing has become increasingly important for providing different stakeholders and decision-makers with information. This paper discusses basic standards for methodological approaches used in measuring literacy skills among adults. The authors address the increasing interest in skills measurement, the discourses on how…

Connecting the Dots: Raising a Reader Builds Evidence Base for Its Parent Engagement and Early Literacy Program. Research Report. Publication #2014-60

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walker, Karen; Gooze, Rachel A.; Torres, Alicia

2014-01-01

Early literacy skills are the foundation for school success. This is particularly important for groups of children at heightened risk of poor educational outcomes, such as English language learners and children from low-income families. Informed by a growing body of research and evaluation studies that point to the importance of home literacy…

The relevance of context in understanding health literacy skills: Findings from a qualitative study.

PubMed

McKenna, Verna B; Sixsmith, Jane; Barry, Margaret M

2017-10-01

Conceptualizing health literacy as a relational concept, which involves how individuals interact with complex health and social systems, requires a greater understanding of the context of people's health experiences. To describe individuals' experiences of accessing, understanding, appraising and applying health information; explore the barriers and facilitators to using these skills; and to describe the experience of information exchange in health consultations. A longitudinal qualitative methodology with thematic analysis of interviews was used. Health literacy levels were assessed using the HLS-EU-47-Item Questionnaire. Findings are presented from the first round of data collection. Twenty-six participants purposefully selected from a CVD risk reduction programme at three separate time points. Four key themes identified: using health literacy capacities for managing health; psychological and structural factors that impact on these capacities; and the relationship quality with the health-care provider (HCP). Although limited health literacy was prevalent across the sample (65%), all individuals were very proactive in attempting to utilize health literacy skills. Findings emphasize the importance of contextual factors such as the quality of communication with the health-care provider, perceptions of control, attitudes to family medical history, navigating structural barriers and being supported in managing treatment and medication side-effects. Findings are relevant for health-care providers in order to enhance the patient-provider relationship and to ensure optimum health outcomes for all individuals regardless of health literacy levels. © 2017 The Authors Health Expectations Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Professionals' Perceptions of the Role of Literacy in Early Intervention Services

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thatcher, Karen; Fletcher, Kathryn

2008-01-01

The purpose of the current study was to examine therapists' perceptions about literacy in early intervention services. Little effort has been devoted to the incorporation of literacy into therapy services for very young children with special needs. In an attempt to understand how therapy providers view the role of literacy in their services, 168…

Auditory processing and speech perception in children with specific language impairment: relations with oral language and literacy skills.

PubMed

Vandewalle, Ellen; Boets, Bart; Ghesquière, Pol; Zink, Inge

2012-01-01

This longitudinal study investigated temporal auditory processing (frequency modulation and between-channel gap detection) and speech perception (speech-in-noise and categorical perception) in three groups of 6 years 3 months to 6 years 8 months-old children attending grade 1: (1) children with specific language impairment (SLI) and literacy delay (n = 8), (2) children with SLI and normal literacy (n = 10) and (3) typically developing children (n = 14). Moreover, the relations between these auditory processing and speech perception skills and oral language and literacy skills in grade 1 and grade 3 were analyzed. The SLI group with literacy delay scored significantly lower than both other groups on speech perception, but not on temporal auditory processing. Both normal reading groups did not differ in terms of speech perception or auditory processing. Speech perception was significantly related to reading and spelling in grades 1 and 3 and had a unique predictive contribution to reading growth in grade 3, even after controlling reading level, phonological ability, auditory processing and oral language skills in grade 1. These findings indicated that speech perception also had a unique direct impact upon reading development and not only through its relation with phonological awareness. Moreover, speech perception seemed to be more associated with the development of literacy skills and less with oral language ability. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Academic Difficulties and Early Literacy Deprivation: The Case of Ethiopians in Israel.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barkon, Elisheva; Avinor, Eleanor

1995-01-01

Investigates a possible link between academic difficulties and early literacy deprivation among the immigrant Ethiopian population in Israel. Findings suggest that such deprivation can affect the person after he becomes literate and multilingual and that literacy exposure in early childhood and first-language maintenance is important. (11…

Exploring EFL Students' Visual Literacy Skills and Global Understanding through Their Analysis of Louis Vuitton's Advertisement Featuring Mikhail Gorbachev

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Takaya, Kentei

2016-01-01

Visual literacy is an important skill for students to have in order to interpret embedded messages on signs and in advertisements successfully. As advertisements today tend to feature iconic people or events that shaped the modern world, it is crucial to develop students' visual literacy skills so they can comprehend the intended messages. This…

Norming a VALUE rubric to assess graduate information literacy skills.

PubMed

Turbow, David J; Evener, Julie

2016-07-01

The study evaluated whether a modified version of the information literacy Valid Assessment of Learning in Undergraduate Education (VALUE) rubric would be useful for assessing the information literacy skills of graduate health sciences students. Through facilitated calibration workshops, an interdepartmental six-person team of librarians and faculty engaged in guided discussion about the meaning of the rubric criteria. They applied the rubric to score student work for a peer-review essay assignment in the "Information Literacy for Evidence-Based Practice" course. To determine inter-rater reliability, the raters participated in a follow-up exercise in which they independently applied the rubric to ten samples of work from a research project in the doctor of physical therapy program: the patient case report assignment. For the peer-review essay, a high level of consistency in scoring was achieved for the second workshop, with statistically significant intra-class correlation coefficients above 0.8 for 3 criteria: "Determine the extent of evidence needed," "Use evidence effectively to accomplish a specific purpose," and "Access the needed evidence." Participants concurred that the essay prompt and rubric criteria adequately discriminated the quality of student work for the peer-review essay assignment. When raters independently scored the patient case report assignment, inter-rater agreement was low and statistically insignificant for all rubric criteria (kappa=-0.16, p>0.05-kappa=0.12, p>0.05). While the peer-review essay assignment lent itself well to rubric calibration, scorers had a difficult time with the patient case report. Lack of familiarity among some raters with the specifics of the patient case report assignment and subject matter might have accounted for low inter-rater reliability. When norming, it is important to hold conversations about search strategies and expectations of performance. Overall, the authors found the rubric to be appropriate for

A randomized controlled trial of an early-intervention, computer-based literacy program to boost phonological skills in 4- to 6-year-old children.

PubMed

O'Callaghan, Paul; McIvor, Aimee; McVeigh, Claire; Rushe, Teresa

2016-12-01

Many school-based interventions are being delivered in the absence of evidence of effectiveness (Snowling & Hulme, 2011, Br. J. Educ. Psychol., 81, 1). This study sought to address this oversight by evaluating the effectiveness of the commonly used the Lexia Reading Core5 intervention, with 4- to 6-year-old pupils in Northern Ireland. A total of 126 primary school pupils in year 1 and year 2 were screened on the Phonological Assessment Battery 2nd Edition (PhAB-2). Children were recruited from the equivalent year groups to Reception and Year 1 in England and Wales, and Pre-kindergarten and Kindergarten in North America. A total of 98 below-average pupils were randomized (T0) to either an 8-week block (x¯ = 647.51 min, SD = 158.21) of daily access to Lexia Reading Core5 (n = 49) or a waiting-list control group (n = 49). Assessment of phonological skills was completed at post-intervention (T1) and at 2-month follow-up (T2) for the intervention group only. Analysis of covariance which controlled for baseline scores found that the Lexia Reading Core5 intervention group made significantly greater gains in blending, F(1, 95) = 6.50, p = .012, partial η 2  = .064 (small effect size) and non-word reading, F(1, 95) = 7.20, p = .009, partial η 2  = .070 (small effect size). Analysis of the 2-month follow-up of the intervention group found that all group treatment gains were maintained. However, improvements were not uniform among the intervention group with 35% failing to make progress despite access to support. Post-hoc analysis revealed that higher T0 phonological working memory scores predicted improvements made in phonological skills. An early-intervention, computer-based literacy program can be effective in boosting the phonological skills of 4- to 6-year-olds, particularly if these literacy difficulties are not linked to phonological working memory deficits. © 2016 The British Psychological Society.

Skills for Children Entering Kindergarten

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tindal, Gerald; Irvin, P. Shawn; Nese, Joseph F. T.; Slater, Steve

2015-01-01

Assessing kindergarten entry skills is complex, requiring attention to skill proficiency and interactive behaviors deemed critical for learning to occur. In our analysis of a state initiative, pilot data were collected on early literacy and numeracy and 2 aspects of important student interactions in the classroom (social and task behaviors) within…

Multimodal lexical processing in auditory cortex is literacy skill dependent.