Abstract
The chapter describes an ongoing project aimed at understanding the impact of instruction on children’s early literacy growth. Derived from direct observations of classroom instruction, findings revealed that the most effective instruction depends on the initial skill levels of the child. These child X instruction interactions imply that efforts to improve children’s literacy skills will be greatly enhanced by a focus on tailoring instruction to each child’s profile of strengths and weaknesses. An intervention is described that attempts to provide such individualized instruction combining a small-group focus with computer support that specifies the amounts and types of instruction each child needs to advance. Findings from the intervention demonstrated greater reading growth for the individualized instruction group over a control group. Further, the more the instruction matched recommended amounts and types for each child, the more children grew. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Barnett, S. W. (1995). Long-term effects of early childhood programs on cognitive and school outcomes. Future of Children, 5(3), 25–50.
Barnett, W. S., Young, J. W., & Schweinhart, L. J. (1998). How preschool education influences long-term cognitive development and school success. In W. S. Barnett & S. S. Boocock (Eds.), Early care and education for children in poverty: promises, programs, and long-term results. Albany: State University of New York Press.
Beals, D. E., & DeTemple, J. M. (1993). Home contributions to early language and literacy development. Yearbook of the National Reading Conference, 42, 207–215.
Beals, D. E., & Tabors, P. O. (1995). Arboretum, bureaucratic and carbohydrates: preschoolers’ exposure to rare vocabulary at home. First Language, 15, 57–76.
Bowman, B. T., Donovan, S., & Burns, M. S. (2001). Eager to learn: educating our preschoolers. Washington DC: National Academy Press.
Connor, C. M., Morrison, F. J., Fishman, B. J., Schatschneider, C., & Underwood, P. (2007). THE EARLY YEARS: algorithm-guided individualized reading instruction. Science, 315(5811), 464–465.
Connor, C. M., Morrison, F. J., & Katch, L. E. (2004). Beyond the reading wars: exploring the effect of child-instruction interactions on growth in early reading. Scientific Studies of Reading, 8, 305–336.
Connor, C. M., Morrison, F. J., & Petrella, J. N. (2004). Effective reading comprehension instruction: examining child instruction interactions. Journal of Educational Psychology, 96, 682–698.
Connor, C. M., Morrison, F. J., & Slominski, L. (2006). Preschool instruction and children’s literacy skill growth. Journal of Educational Psychology, 98(4), 665–689.
Connor, C. M., Morrison, F. J., & Underwood, P. S. (2007). A second chance in second grade: the independent and cumulative impact of first- and second-grade reading instruction and students’ letter-word reading skill growth. Scientific Studies of Reading, 11(3), 199–233.
Connor, C. M., Piasta, S. B., Glasney, S., Schatschneider, C., Fishman, B., Underwood, P., et al. (2009). Individualizing student instruction precisely: effects of child by instruction interactions on first graders’ literacy development. Child Development, 80, 77–100.
Cook-Gumperz, J. (1986). Caught in a web of words: some considerations on language socialization and language acquisition. In J. Cook-Gumperz, W. A. Cosaro & J. Streeck (Eds.), Children’s worlds and children’s language (pp. 37–68). New York: New Babylon.
Crain-Thoreson, C., & Dale, P. S. (1999). Enhancing linguistic performance: parents and teachers as book reading partners for children with language delays. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 19(1), 28–39.
Dickinson, D. K., Anastasopolous, L., McCabe, A., Peisner-Feinberg, E. S., & Poe, M. D. (2003). The comprehensive language approach to early literacy: the interrelationships among vocabulary, phonological sensitivity, and print knowledge among preschool-aged children. Journal of Educational Psychology, 93(3), 465–481.
Dickinson, D. K., & Smith, M. W. (1994). Long-term effects of preschool teachers’ book readings on low-income children’s vocabulary and story comprehension. Reading Research Quarterly, 29(2), 105–122.
Dickinson, D. K., & Tabors, P. O. (2001). Beginning literacy with language. Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes.
Durlak, J. A. (2003). The long-term impact of preschool prevention programs: a commentary. Prevention and Treatment, 6(32), 1–5.
ECCRN. (2004). Multiple pathways to early literacy achievement. Harvard Educational Review, 74, 1–29.
Entwisle, D. R., Alexander, K. L., & Olson, L. S. (2005). First grade and educational attainment by age 22: a new story. American Journal of Sociology, 110, 1458–1502.
Foorman, B. R., Francis, D. J., Fletcher, J. M., Schatschneider, C., & Mehta, P. (1998). The role of instruction in learning to read: preventing reading failure in at-risk children. Journal of Educational Psychology, 90, 37–55.
Graue, E., Clements, M. A., Reynolds, A. J., & Niles, M. D. (2004). More than teacher directed or child initiated: preschool curriculum type, parent involvement, and children’s outcomes in the Child-Parent Centers [Electronic Version]. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 12. Retrieved February 5, 2005 from http://epaa.asu.edu/epaa/v12n72/
Howes, C., & Smith, E. (1995). Relations among child care quality, teacher behavior, children’s play activities, emotional security, and cognitive activity in child care. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 10(4), 381–404.
Huttenlocher, J., Vasilyeva, M., Cymerman, E., & Levine, S. (2002). Language input and syntax. Cognitive Psychology, 45, 337–374.
Juel, C., & Minden-Cupp, C. (2000). Learning to read words: linguistic units and instructional strategies. Reading Research Quarterly, 35, 458–492.
Lazar, I., Darlington, R., Murray, H., Royce, J., & Snipper, A. (1982). Lasting effects of early education: a report from the consortium for longitudinal studies. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, 47(2–3).
Lonigan, C. J., & Whitehurst, G. J. (1998). Relative efficacy of parent and teacher involvement in a shared book-reading intervention for preschool children from low income backgrounds. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 13(2), 263–290.
Mather, N., & Woodcock, R. W. (2001). Woodcock Johnson III tests of achievement: Examiner’s manual. Itasca, IL: Riverside.
Morrison, F. J., Bachman, H. J., & Connor, C. M. (2005). Improving literacy in America: guidelines from research. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
Nelson, J. R., Benner, G. J., & Gonzalez, J. (2003). Learner characteristics that influence treatment effectiveness of early literacy interventions: a meta-analytic review. Learning Disabilities Research and Practice, 18(4), 255–267.
NICHD-ECCRN. (2002). Child-care structure – process – outcome: direct and indirect effects of child-care quality on young children’s development. Psychological Science, 13(2), 199–206.
NICHD-ECCRN. (2005). Pathways to reading: the role of oral language in the transition to reading. Developmental Psychology, 41(2), 428–442.
Pelligrini, A. D., & Galda, L. (1993). Ten years after: a reexamination of symbolic play and literate research. Reading Research Quarterly, 28(2), 162–175.
Pianta, R. C. (2007). Editorial. Journal of School Psychology, 45(6), 587–588.
Pianta, R. C., La Paro, K. M., Payne, C., Cox, M. J., & Bradley, R. H. (2002). The relation of kindergarten classroom environment to teacher, family, and school characteristics and child outcomes. Elementary School Journal, 102(3), 225–238.
Rayner, K., Foorman, B. R., Perfetti, C. A., Pesetsky, D., & Seidenberg, M. S. (2001). How psychological science informs the teaching of reading. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 2, 31–74.
Reynolds, A. J., Ou, S.-R., & Topitzes, J. W. (2004). Paths of effects of early childhood intervention on educational attainment and delinquency: a confirmatory analysis of the Chicago child-parent centers. Child Development, 75(5), 1299–1328.
Reynolds, A. J., Temple, J. A., & Ou, S. R. (2003). School-based early intervention and child well-being in the Chicago longitudinal study. Child Welfare, 82, 633–656.
Robbins, C., & Ehri, L. C. (1994). Reading storybooks to kindergartners helps them learn new vocabulary words. Journal of Educational Psychology, 86, 54–64.
Scarborough, H. S. (1998). Early identification of children at risk for reading disabilities: phonological awareness and some other promising predictors. In B. K. Shapiro, P. J. Accardo & A. J. Capute (Eds.), Specific reading disability: a view of the spectrum (pp. 75–119). Timonium MD: York Press, Inc.
Scarborough, H. S. (2001). Connecting early language and literacy to later reading (dis)abilities: evidence, theory, and practice. In S. B. Neuman & D. K. Dickinson (Eds.), Handbook of early literacy research (pp. 97–110). New York: Guilford Press.
Schweinhart, L. J., & Weikart, D. P. (1988). Education for young children living in poverty: child-initiated learning or teacher-directed instruction. Elementary School Journal, 89(2), 213–225.
Senechal, M., LeFevre, J.-A., Thomas, E. M., & Daley, K. E. (1998). Differential effects of home literacy experiences on the development of oral and written language. Reading Research Quarterly, 33(1), 96–116.
Shonkoff, J. P., & Phillips, D. A. (eds). (2000). From neurons to neighborhoods: the science of early childhood development. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
Smith, M. W., & Dickinson, D. K. (1994). Describing oral language opportunities and environments in Head Start and other preschool classrooms. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 9(3–4), 345–366.
Snow, C. E., Burns, M. S., & Griffin, P. (eds). (1998). Preventing reading difficulties in young children. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
Stipek, D. (2006). No child left behind comes to preschool. The Elementary School Journal, 106(5), 455–465.
Stipek, D., Feiler, R., Daniels, D., & Milburn, S. (1995). Effects of different instructional approaches on young children’s achievement and motivation. Child Development, 66(1), 209–223.
Storch, S. A., & Whitehurst, G. J. (2002). Oral language and code-related precursors to reading: evidence from a longitudinal structural model. Developmental Psychology, 38(6), 934–947.
Whitehurst, G. J., Arnold, D. S., Epstein, J. N., Angell, A. L., Smith, M., & Fischel, J. E. (1994). A picture book reading intervention in day care and home for children from low-income families. Developmental Psychology, 30(5), 679–689.
Whitehurst, G. J., Epstein, J. N., Angell, A. L., Payne, A. C., Crone, D. A., & Fischel, J. E. (1994). Outcomes of emergent literacy intervention in Head Start. Journal of Educational Psychology, 86, 542–555.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2010 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Morrison, F.J., Connor, C.M., Hindman, A. (2010). Early Schooling and Growth of Literacy in the Transition to School. In: Aram, D., Korat, O. (eds) Literacy Development and Enhancement Across Orthographies and Cultures. Literacy Studies, vol 2. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-0834-6_11
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-0834-6_11
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-1-4419-0833-9
Online ISBN: 978-1-4419-0834-6
eBook Packages: Humanities, Social Sciences and LawEducation (R0)