Effective Reading Comprehension Instruction: Examining Child x Instruction Interactions.

This study examined the effect of 3rd-grade language arts instruction on growth in children's reading comprehension skills and the degree to which the impact of instruction depended on the language and reading skills children brought to the classroom. Classrooms were observed in the fall, winter, and spring, and language arts activities were coded using multiple dimensions of instruction. Overall, the effect of instruction depended on children's fall reading comprehension scores. Children with average to low fall reading comprehension scores achieved greater growth in classrooms with more time spent on teacher-managed reading comprehension instructional activities but demonstrated less growth in classrooms with more time spent on child-managed reading comprehension activities. Research and classroom instruction implications are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The effects of a language and literacy intervention on Head Start children and teachers.

A language and literacy intervention was implemented in 10 Head Start classrooms. Teachers were trained in specific book reading and conversation strategies. The focus of the intervention was to train teachers how to increase opportunities for language and vocabulary development in young children. At the end of the year, children in the intervention classrooms performed significantly better than children in the control classrooms on the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-III and the Expressive One-Word Vocabulary Test (3rd ed.). In addition, teachers in the intervention classrooms used strategies that promoted language development during book reading and other classroom activities. Head Start teachers can be trained to implement strategies that have positive effects on children's language and literacy development. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of integrated instruction on motivation and strategy use in reading.

Effects of instructional context on intrinsic and extrinsic motivation have been examined with a variety of studies. This quasi experiment compared students receiving an instructional intervention designed to increase intrinsic motivation with students receiving traditional instruction. Concept-oriented reading instruction (CORI) integrated reading and language arts with science inquiry. It emphasized learning goals, real-world interaction (hands-on science activities), competence support (strategy instruction), autonomy support (self-directed learning), and collaboration. Traditional classrooms had the same content objectives and comparable teachers but different pedagogy. Children in CORI classrooms scored higher on motivation than did children in traditional classrooms, with effect sizes of 1.94 for curiosity and 1.71 for strategy use. Grade-level differences were found for recognition and competition. The results show that classroom contexts can be constructed to influence motivational outcomes positively. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Accelerating language development through picture book reading: A systematic extension to Mexican day care.

Previous research demonstrates linguistic advances in middle-class 2-yr-olds in the US resulting from training parents to read with their children following a particular style. This style, called dialogic reading, encourages children to talk about picture books and gives them models and feedback for progressively more sophisticated language use. This research extends these procedures to a day-care setting using 20 Mexican 2-yr-olds from low-income backgrounds. Children in the intervention group were read to individually by a teacher using dialogic reading techniques. The control group children were given individual arts and crafts instruction by the same teacher. Effects of the intervention were assessed through standardized language tests and by comparing the children's spontaneous language while they shared a picture book with an adult who was unaware of their group assignment. Differences favoring the intervention group were found on all standardized language posttests and on some measures of language production. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Teaching writing to children who are underserved.

Writing instruction for children from low-income families has been dominated by 2 antithetical views, one emphasizing component skills and drill-and-practice instruction, the other emphasizing natural processes of learning language. A 3rd approach, one that reflects pedagogical principles that are based on a sociocognitive model of writing was investigated. Writing instruction that featured these principles in varying degrees was examined in 26 4th-grade and 16 6th-grade classrooms. Regression analysis indicated that more than 40% of the variance in children's posttest writing-quality scores was accounted for by degree of adherence to the model, and scores in writing mechanics did not suffer from application of the model. The results suggest that sociocognitive approaches to writing instruction have much to offer this population of children. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effectiveness of comprehensive professional development for teachers of at-risk preschoolers.

[Correction Notice: An erratum for this article was reported in Vol 101(3) of Journal of Educational Psychology (see record 2009-11043-017). In the article, a disclosure statement was incorrectly omitted due to an error during the production process from the author note of the final article. The following statement should have appeared in the author note: The University of Texas Health Science Center—Houston owns intellectual property for the online professional development program and the progress monitoring program and receives remuneration as do Paul Swank and Susan Landry as two of the authors of those programs.] This study compared effectiveness of “business as usual” to that of 4 professional development (PD) programs that targeted teachers of at-risk preschool children. A 2 × 2 design was used to cross mentoring and progress monitoring conditions among the 4 PD programs. Specifically, some teachers received both in-classroom mentoring and detailed, instructionally linked feedback concerning children's progress in language and literacy. Some teachers received no mentoring but did receive the detailed, instructionally linked feedback concerning children's progress. Some teachers received in-classroom mentoring but only limited feedback on children's progress, which was not linked to curricular activities. Finally, some teachers received no mentoring and only limited feedback concerning children's progress. All 4 PD conditions included the same year-long, facilitated online course that emphasized language and literacy instruction, practice of learned material in one's classroom, and participation in online message boards with fellow teachers. Across 4 states, 158 schools (N = 262 classrooms) were randomly assigned to 1 of the 4 PD conditions or business as usual. The condition that included online coursework combined with mentoring and detailed, instructionally linked feedback yielded the greatest improvements in teaching behavior and children's school readiness. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Maternal scaffolding of children's problem solving and children's adjustment in kindergarten: Hmong families in the United States.

The study examined relations between maternal scaffolding of children's problem solving and children's adjustment in kindergarten in Hmong families living in the United States. Mothers and their children (63 dyads) were visited the summer before kindergarten. Mothers' years in the United States, age, education, reasoning skills, and parenting beliefs were assessed. Maternal scaffolding (cognitive support, directiveness of instruction, praise, and criticism) was coded while mothers helped their children with school-like tasks. Children's reasoning skills, conscientiousness, autonomous behavior, and task persistence in kindergarten were reported by teachers at the end of kindergarten (54 children). Maternal cognitive support of children's problem solving predicted children's reasoning skills in kindergarten even after controlling for maternal education and reasoning skills. Maternal directive instruction positively predicted children's conscientious behavior and negatively predicted children's autonomous behaviors after controlling for maternal education and parenting beliefs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

“Effectiveness of comprehensive professional development for teachers of at-risk preschoolers”: Correction.

Reports an error in "Effectiveness of comprehensive professional development for teachers of at-risk preschoolers" by Susan H. Landry, Jason L. Anthony, Paul R. Swank and Pauline Monseque-Bailey (Journal of Educational Psychology, 2009[May], Vol 101[2], 448-465). In the article, a disclosure statement was incorrectly omitted due to an error during the production process from the author note of the final article. The following statement should have appeared in the author note: The University of Texas Health Science Center—Houston owns intellectual property for the online professional development program and the progress monitoring program and receives remuneration as do Paul Swank and Susan Landry as two of the authors of those programs. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2009-04640-017.) This study compared effectiveness of “business as usual” to that of 4 professional development (PD) programs that targeted teachers of at-risk preschool children. A 2 × 2 design was used to cross mentoring and progress monitoring conditions among the 4 PD programs. Specifically, some teachers received both in-classroom mentoring and detailed, instructionally linked feedback concerning children's progress in language and literacy. Some teachers received no mentoring but did receive the detailed, instructionally linked feedback concerning children's progress. Some teachers received in-classroom mentoring but only limited feedback on children's progress, which was not linked to curricular activities. Finally, some teachers received no mentoring and only limited feedback concerning children's progress. All 4 PD conditions included the same year-long, facilitated online course that emphasized language and literacy instruction, practice of learned material in one's classroom, and participation in online message boards with fellow teachers. Across 4 states, 158 schools (N = 262 classrooms) were randomly assigned to 1 of the 4 PD conditions or business as usual. The condition that included online coursework combined with mentoring and detailed, instructionally linked feedback yielded the greatest improvements in teaching behavior and children's school readiness. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Mnemonic techniques in second-language learning.

Reviews methods, results, and various issues associated with the use of mnemonic techniques in 2nd-language learning. The historical background of mnemonic techniques in 2nd-language learning is reviewed. Two specific imagery-based mnemonics, the keyword and the hook techniques are described with a review of empirical evidence for their effectiveness. Various theoretical interpretations of the effects of the 2 mnemonic techniques on 2nd-language learning are discussed. Practical implications of such research for the problem of transfer of learning to naturalistic situations, the generalizability of current empirical findings and procedures to other types of verbal materials, and extensions to settings other than the experimental laboratory, (e.g., the classrooms) are discussed. (64 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Conversational competence and peer response to mildly retarded children.

This study investigated the relationship between mildy retarded children's conversational competence and their acceptance by regular education students. Ninety-four elementary school students watched videotapes in which mildly retarded children displayed either skill or lack of skill at conversational management. Half of the students were told the retarded children's special education placement; half were not. Students responded more positively when the mildly retarded children displayed skill at managing conversations, projecting that they would be liked by others in their classrooms. When the mildly retarded children showed problems with conversational management, students projected that they would be rejected or isolated by peers. These findings support the position that language can play an important role in children's response to their handicapped peers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

First-grade teachers' goals and children's developing perceptions of school.

Used a longitudinal design to investigate how goals and practices of 1st-grade teachers influenced students' perceptions of school and their classroom behaviors. Before school began, the goals (academic vs social development) and classroom structure (strict vs permissive) of 13 teachers were assessed. 77 children were then interviewed and tested prior to 1st grade and again 7 mo later. Observations were conducted to corroborate self-report data. Results suggest that teachers' beliefs influenced classroom activities, children's behaviors, and children's perceptions of school. Certain combinations of the identified ideologies produced classroom environments which children found anxiety arousing. Clarity of teacher demands may be an important feature of supportive 1st-grade classrooms. (28 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Children's use of the keyword method to learn simple Spanish vocabulary words.

Assessed children's ability to use a mnemonic procedure to learn foreign language vocabulary, the keyword method, using 107 2nd and 5th graders as Ss. To remember a foreign word translation, the keyword method user (a) associates the foreign word to an English word (the keyword) that sounds like part of the foreign word, and (b) remembers a picture of the keyword and translation referents interacting. Ss who were instructed in keyword method use and provided with interactive pictures for each vocabulary item remembered more simple Spanish vocabulary translations than did control Ss not instructed to use the keyword method. Learning the acoustic links without a keyword method instruction did not improve vocabulary learning. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Learning mathematics from procedural instruction: Externally imposed goals influence what is learned.

Do externally imposed achievement goals influence what children learn from procedural instruction? Third- and 4th-grade children's goals were manipulated toward either learning or performance. All children were then taught a procedure for solving mathematical equivalence problems (e.g., a?+?b?+?c?=?a?+?_). Children who were given learning goals were initially more likely to gain conceptual knowledge from the procedural lesson than were children who were given performance goals. After a 2-week period, however, children who were given performance goals exhibited the same conceptual gains as children who were given learning goals. Both initially and after the 2-week period, children who were given either goal were more likely to extend their knowledge beyond the taught procedure than were children who were not given goals. External sources such as teachers and parents may have the potential to foster children's learning by shaping children's goals. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Comparison of social problem solving of children from open and traditional classrooms: A two-year longitudinal study.

Examined the hypothesized relation between open classrooms and children's social problem-solving performance by comparing, over a 2-yr period, the social problem-solving cognitions of 2 groups of children who had attended open and traditional classrooms, respectively, for 3 yrs. Ss in Phase 1 were 60 children (average age 9.5 yrs) from open classrooms and 60 matched chidren from traditional classrooms; 40 Ss from open classrooms and 40 Ss from traditional classrooms who had participated in Phase 1 were eligible to serve in Phase 2. The 8 open and 8 traditional classrooms used in the study were found to be different treatment groups based on ratings of openness and restrictiveness. The prediction of a relation between the open classroom and greater social problem-solving cognitions in children was based on previous research suggesting that the social-cognitive climate of the open classroom is more conducive to children's independent decision making and initiative. Multivariate analyses of repeated measures showed that open-classroom Ss had higher scores in social problem-solving cognitions and correspondingly higher scores in self-esteem and ego-strength. Educational implications of the findings are discussed in terms of the social-cognitive climate of open and restrictive classrooms and their effect on children's social-cognitive development. Limitations of the nonequivalent, nonrandomized group design used in the present study are also discussed. (48 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

How children change their minds: Strategy change can be gradual or abrupt.

This study investigated patterns of change in children's strategies for solving mathematical equivalence problems. The strategies children expressed in speech and in gesture were assessed both before and after an instructional intervention. In the intervention, children received either no input, accuracy feedback, or feedback plus instruction about a principle, an analogy, or a procedure. From pretest to posttest, many children changed both the variability of their strategy use and the content of their strategy repertoires. Patterns of change depended on type of instruction and on children's initial level of variability. Children who received instruction were especially likely to generate new strategies, and children with high variability were especially likely to abandon prior strategies. Gradual change was most common; however, many children modified their repertoires abruptly. Abrupt strategy change was especially prevalent among children who received procedure-based instruction and among children with low initial variability. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Instruction begins in the home: Relations between parental instruction and children's self-regulation in the classroom.

The study examined the effectiveness of 3 aspects of parental instruction for predicting children's self-regulation in school. Fathers, mothers, and their children (52 families) were visited in their homes the summer before the child entered 3rd grade. Metacognitive content (task and strategy information), manner of instruction (small steps at an appropriate pace), and emotional support were coded from parents' instructions to their children for a problem-solving task. Children's self-regulatory behaviors in the classroom were assessed the following school year. Two patterns of relations were observed. Manner of instruction predicted children's attention to instructions and help-seeking in the classroom. Metacognitive content of instructions did not predict these aspects of self-regulation. In contrast, metacognitive content of instructions presented in an understandable manner with emotional support predicted children's monitoring and metacognitive talk. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Class climate moderates peer relations and emotional adjustment in children with an early history of anxious solitude: A child × environment model.

Classroom emotional climate was hypothesized to moderate psychosocial adjustment in 1st grade for children with an early childhood history of anxious solitude. Participants were 1,364 children in the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Study of Early Child Care and their mothers, child-care providers, and teachers. As anticipated, children with an early childhood history of anxious solitude were more rejected, poorly accepted (boys), and victimized (girls) by peers and demonstrated more depressive symptoms (girls) in 1st-grade classrooms with negative observed emotional climate. Results support a Child × Environment model of children's social and emotional adjustment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Book access, shared reading, and audio models: The effects of supporting the literacy learning of linguistically diverse students in school and at home.

Sixteen teachers and their 162 first-grade students participated in this study to explore the impact of book-rich classroom environments and home rereading, with and without an audio model, on reading motivation, comprehension, and fluency. Classrooms with both students who speak English as a second language and native English-speaking students were in 1 of 4 conditions: book-rich classroom environment, book-rich classroom environment and daily rereading of books at home, book-rich classroom environment and daily rereading of books with audiotapes at home, and unmodified reading instruction at school. There was enhanced comprehension for book-rich classrooms, both with and without a home component. Furthermore, home-based rereading increased students' reading motivation and promoted parental involvement. Use of audio models provided particular benefits for students learning to speak English. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Child-Centered Kinder Training for Teachers of Pre-School Children Deemed At-Risk.

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of child-centered kinder training on both at-risk children and their teachers using Landreth's 10-week filial training model. In this project, the teachers received 30 minutes of immediate feedback following their play sessions with individual children. Following the 10-week training, teachers participated in 13 group sessions to help them generalize the use of the skills into their classrooms. The findings indicate that changes occurred in both the children and the teachers. The children who participated in play sessions with their teachers improved in three of the four composite scales of the Behavior Assessment Scale for Children (Internalizing Problems, Behavioral Symptoms Index, and Adaptive Skills), when compared to a control group of children who did not have the play sessions. The teachers demonstrated better play therapy skills and higher levels of empathic responding with children in the playroom. In addition, teachers were able to generalize the skills into their classrooms when compared to teachers who had not received kinder training. The findings of this study indicate that child-centered kinder training is an effective strategy for both at-risk pre-school children and their teachers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A picture book reading intervention in day care and home for children from low-income families.

The effects of an interactive book reading program were assessed with children from low-income families who attended subsidized day-care centers in New York. The children entered the program with language development in standard English vocabulary and expression that was about 10 mo behind chronological age on standardized tests. Children were pretested and assigned randomly within classrooms to 1 of 3 conditions: (1) a school plus home condition in which the children were read to by their teachers and their parents, (2) a school condition in which children were read to only by teachers, and (3) a control condition in which children engaged in play activities under the supervision of their teachers. Training of adult readers was based on a self-instructional video. The intervention lasted for 6 wks, at which point children were posttested on several standardized measures of language ability that had been used as pretests. These assessments were repeated at a 6 mo follow-up. Educationally and statistically significant effects of the reading intervention were obtained at posttest and follow-up on measures of expressive vocabulary. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)