Key Findings and Current Plans Laura Shapiro 1 Jessie Ricketts 2 - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Reading and Vocabulary Project Launch: Key Findings and Current Plans

Laura Shapiro1 Jessie Ricketts2 Sanne van der Kleij1 Adrian Burgess1

1 Aston University 2 Royal Holloway University of London

@LaShaps1 @ricketts_lara

Plan for today

iStockphoto: Chelnok

11.00 – 11.15 Welcome and introductions 11.15 – 11.45 Key findings and current plans Aston Literacy Project (ALP), Dr. Laura Shapiro Vocabulary and Reading in Secondary Schools (VaRiSS), Dr. Jessie Ricketts Reading and Vocabulary (RAV), Dr. Laura Shapiro 11.45 – 12.30 Discussion and feedback Megan Dixon, the primary context Alex Quigley, the secondary context 12.30 – 2.00 Buffet lunch and informal discussions

Key Findings from the Aston Literacy Project (ESRC funded project, with Anna Cunningham, Caroline Witton, Joel Talcott, Adrian Burgess) Key Findings from the VaRiSS project (ESRC funded project, with Nicola Dawson, Charles Hulme, Arne Lervåg) Introducing the Reading and Vocabulary Project (Nuffield Foundation funded project, with Jessie Ricketts, Sanne van der Kleij and Adrian Burgess)

Project updates

Aston Literacy Project (ALP)

http://www.aston.ac.uk/alp/

Plus additional sample in Year 2 (2012) n = 570

• 1. What are the most crucial skills children need to learn to read?
• 2. How has phonics teaching influenced children’s reading?

Aston Literacy Project (ALP)

Early reading = learning to “decode” words

Ehri, L. C. (2008). Scientific Studies of Reading, 9(2). Share, D. L. (1995). Cognition, 55.

Early reading = learning to “decode” words

Each time a child “decodes” a word, they strengthen their knowledge of print-sound mappings …and eventually develop fast access from print to meaning

Ehri, L. C. (2008). Scientific Studies of Reading, 9(2). Share, D. L. (1995). Cognition, 55.

• 1. What are the most crucial skills children need to learn to read?
• 2. How has phonics teaching influenced children’s reading?

Aston Literacy Project (ALP)

Crucial skills for reading

Cunningham, A.J., Witton, C., Talcott, J.B., Burgess, A.P., & Shapiro, L.R. (2015). Deconstructing phonological tasks: The contribution of stimulus and response type to the prediction of early decoding skills, Cognition, 143 , pp. 178-186.

What is the first sound in “bat”?

Crucial skills for reading

Linguistic skills Segmenting skills Verbal skills

Cunningham, A.J., Witton, C., Talcott, J.B., Burgess, A.P., & Shapiro, L.R. (2015). Deconstructing phonological tasks: The contribution of stimulus and response type to the prediction of early decoding skills, Cognition, 143 , pp. 178-186.

In pre-school and early primary, promote activities that involve phoneme segmentation … out loud Picture matching OK as long as child says the word, and segments it

• ut loud

Ideal activity: segmenting words and blending sounds

Stuart, M,& Stainthorp, R. (2015). Reading development and Teaching. London: Sage https://uk.sagepub.com/en-gb/eur/reading-development-and-teaching/book237999

Crucial skills for reading: Implications for teaching

• 1. What are the most crucial skills children need to learn to read?
• 2. How has phonics teaching influenced children’s reading?

Aston Literacy Project (ALP)

Phonics teaching

The phonics screening check was introduced in 2012 (when ALP pupils were in Reception). Schools ‘sharpened up’ phonics teaching (more systematic) All ALP schools taught systematic synthetic phonics (either Letters and Sounds or Read Write Inc.) ALP sample, suburbs of Birmingham: 25% disadvantaged pupils (from 0 - 66% per school) 10% English Additional Language

Phonics teaching

How do ALP pupils perform on standardised tests of reading (compared to a normative sample prior to phonics screener)? Nonword reading (words that must be decoded- direct test of phonics teaching) Exception word reading (words that cannot be fully decoded- tests lexical-semantic processes)

Standard scores: expected distribution

Average = 100

Standard scores: expected distribution

Average = 100

Year 4: reading accuracy

Average = 104 Average = 107

Forum for Research in Literacy and Language (2012). Diagnostic test of word reading processes (DTWRP). GL Assessment.

Year 5: reading efficiency

Average = 99 Average = 105

Torgesen, J. K., Wagner, R. K., & Rashotte, C. A. (2011). TOWRE-2: Test of Word Reading

• Efficiency. Pearson Clinical.

Phonics teaching

Long term advantage on nonword reading (directly tests decoding) Lower than expected numbers of children with difficulties Perform at expected-levels on exception word reading (tests lexical- semantic processes: words that cannot be fully decoded)

Aston Literacy Project: Summary

Promoting segmentation skills will prepare children for phonics We can raise basic reading attainments through systematic synthetic phonics teaching But we could do more: Continue to support basic reading skills in late primary and beyond Consider how to support exception word reading (linked to vocabulary, and amount of reading practice!)

Aston Literacy Project: Summary

Promoting segmentation skills will prepare children for phonics We can raise basic reading attainments through systematic synthetic phonics teaching But we could do more: Continue to support basic reading skills in late primary and beyond Consider how to support exception word reading (linked to vocabulary, and amount of reading practice!)

Key Findings from the Aston Literacy Project (ESRC project, with Anna Cunningham, Caroline Witton, Joel Talcott, Adrian Burgess) Key Findings from the VaRiSS project (ESRC project, with Nicola Dawson, Charles Hulme, Arne Lervåg) Introducing the Reading and Vocabulary Project (Nuffield Foundation funded project, with Jessie Ricketts, Sanne van der Kleij and Adrian Burgess)

Plan

Oral language and reading

The Simple View of Reading

Oral language processes: Vocabulary is particularly important Oxford Language Report (2018) Teacher views Vocabulary is a barrier for many Word gap is increasing We need more support, especially in upper primary and secondary

• xford.ly/wordgap

Vocabulary and Reading in Secondary School

VaRiSS project Little is known about oral vocabulary and reading progress in secondary school Accessing the secondary (and primary) curriculum Expectations of independence: ‘reading to learn’ Exam performance Downplayed in the upper primary (KS2) and secondary curriculum (other aspects of language and literacy are also important)

Vocabulary and Reading in Secondary School

Do we see reciprocal relationships between vocabulary and reading comprehension in adolescence? Childhood (Verhoeven et al., 2011 but see Quinn et al., 2015) Only one study in adolescence (Reynolds & Turek, 2012) Vocabulary → reading comprehension

vocabulary reading

Development: three separable processes

First longitudinal study tracking progress within adolescence Growth: Is there progress over time? Stability: Does pecking order stay the same over time (Bornstein et al., 2014)? Spread: Is there evidence for Matthew effects? Compensation?

Design and participants

unselected

Phase 3 14.01 yrs (.33) N = 186 48.4% Phase 1 12.01 yrs (.33) N = 208 48.6% girls 2013-2014 2015-2016 2014-2015 Phase 2 13.07 yrs (.34) N = 195 49.7% girls

Measures

Oral vocabulary (two measures)

• Receptive, expressive, depth, breadth

Word-level reading (six measures)

• Nonwords, regular words, irregular

words, accuracy, efficiency Reading comprehension (four measures)

• Individual differences, reliability

what does summer mean? pump, chicken cough, cello delk, seldent

Word reading (accuracy)

• Significant growth (small but functionally relevant?)
• Very high stability
• Gap narrows

average Age-appropriate performance on average: M ≈ 100, SD ≈ 15 bottom 10-20%

• Significant growth (small but functionally relevant?)
• Very high stability
• Gap narrows

Reading comprehension

average: (6 – 8/13 questions correct) Age-appropriate performance on average: M ≈ 100, SD ≈ 15 bottom 10-20%

Oral vocabulary

WASI BPVS

• Significant growth (small but

functionally relevant?)

• Very high stability
• Gap narrows

bottom 10-20%

Relationship between vocabulary and reading

vocabulary reading

Relationship between vocabulary and reading

vocabulary reading comprehension no

Relationship between vocabulary and reading

vocabulary reading comprehension no

Relationship between vocabulary and reading

vocabulary reading comprehension

Summary

Poorest performing 10-20%:

• not exceeding levels of the average 9 year old (but 12 – 14 years)
• can‘t assume they can access the curriculum, will constrain
• utcomes

Significant growth

• small in real terms but may be functionally important
• clearly learning new information (e.g. subject-specific vocab)

High stability: rank order also preserved Evidence of compensation: narrowing of gaps (but not closing) Vocabulary and reading comprehension inextricably linked

Key Findings from the Aston Literacy Project (ESRC project, with Anna Cunningham, Caroline Witton, Joel Talcott, Adrian Burgess) Key Findings from the VaRiSS project (ESRC project, with Nicola Dawson, Charles Hulme, Arne Lervåg) Introducing the Reading and Vocabulary Project (Nuffield Foundation funded project, with Jessie Ricketts, Sanne van der Kleij and Adrian Burgess)

Plan

Reading and Vocabulary Project

Written text contains a richer and more varied vocabulary than oral language How can reading support vocabulary learning? More able readers read more, with independent reading exposing them to a more diverse range of words than less able readers More able readers are better at using text to learn new words? Plans: Longitudinal Study: examine reading and vocabulary growth as pupils progress into secondary school Experimental Study: intervene to increase reading practice

Reading and Vocabulary

Aston Literacy Project

http://www.aston.ac.uk/alp/

Plus additional sample in Year 2 (2012) n = 570

At Year 5 (age 10), we find:

Year 5 Reading Practice Year 5 Vocabulary Year 5 Reading Ability School entry Vocabulary School entry Letter knowledge

Planned Experimental Study

Use SMS-feedback to encourage reading practice (based on established SMS-feedback interventions)

Set reading goals Complete reading diary Gain feedback on each diary entry (compared to goals)

Test whether:

SMS-feedback increases reading practice? Reading practice predicts vocabulary learning (over and above reading ability)?

Questions

Intervene to improve reading ability, reading practice, or both?

Pilot data: both are important (and supporting reading ability will have knock on effects on reading practice). Experimental study will demonstrate whether increasing reading activity is important, over and above reading ability

What are the effects of SES on these relationships?

Slower growth in vocabulary (especially during secondary transition)? Is SMS-feedback effective in encouraging reading in children from lower SES backgrounds?

Thanks

Co-investigators on ALP Natalie Walsh (PhD student at Aston University) Anna Cunningham (Coventry University) Adrian Burgess, Caroline Witton, Joel Talcott (Aston University) Co-investigators on VARISS Nicola Dawson (PhD student at Royal Holloway) Charles Hulme (University of Oxford) Arne Lervåg (University of Oslo) Pupils and Teachers from participating schools Research Assistants http://www.aston.ac.uk/alp/ www.variss.org / http://pc.rhul.ac.uk/sites/lara/