Browsing by Subject "Early literacy"

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
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    Examination of the usefulness of the picture naming individual growth and development indicator for preschoolers with disabilities
    (2012-08) Tanabe, Maura Elizabeth Doyle
    Data-based decision making is at the forefront of educational research, policy, and practice (Barnett, Bell, & Barnett, 1999; Barnett, VanDerHeyden, & Witt, 2007; NCLB, 2001). While the practice of using data to make decisions about children with disabilities has been a part of early childhood special education services, there have been limitations to the usefulness and meaningfulness of these data (McConnell, 2000). One aspect of this is the lack of quality tools with which to make decisions. The goal of this study was to further evaluate the potential of one such tool for preschool children with disabilities to assess expressive language growth. The Pre-Elementary Education Longitudinal Study (PEELS), a large national dataset, provided a unique opportunity to further the validity-related evidence and usefulness of the Picture Naming–Individual Growth and Development Indicator (PN–IGDI) for a larger and broader sample of children with disabilities. The purpose of the study was twofold: (1) to examine validity-related evidence (e.g., construct-related validity, predictive-related validity) and usefulness of the PN–IGDI and (2) to determine if disability category (i.e., Autism spectrum disorder, developmental delay, or speech or language impairment) influenced these results. Results provided continued support for the validity-related evidence for the PN–IGDI for children with language-related disabilities. In particular, the predictive-related validity evidence showed a promising relationship between the PN–IGDI and the Dynamic Indicator for Basic Literacy Skills Oral Reading Fluency (DIBELS ORF). Further establishing its usefulness, the PN–IGDI was sensitive enough to detect change over time for children with disabilities. However, evidence from this study did not indicate that there were substantial differences in how well the PN-IGDI measures expressive vocabulary among the disability groups. The merits, limitations, and directions for future research were also discussed.
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    A study of teachers' integration of App affordances and early literacy best practices
    (2014-05) Israelson, Madeleine Heins
    As a variety of learning technologies become increasingly present in early elementary classrooms the question of how to integrate technologies into early literacy teaching and learning is critical. A great deal is known about best practices for early elementary literacy instruction in traditional print-based texts (Pressley, 2006). Additionally, there is much innovative research studying how to effectively integrate learning technologies into secondary and late elementary literacy learning (Beach & O'Brien, 2012; Leu et al., 2007). Given the increasing prevalence of a variety of learning technologies in early elementary classrooms (kindergarten through 3rd grade) there is a pressing need for research to examine and document how teachers approach the integration of new learning technologies, such as handheld devices (e.g., iPod Touch devices, iPads) and apps, with their knowledge of best practices for effective early literacy instruction and the actual affordances of these practices. In this study I sought to describe how early elementary teachers integrate technologies into the teaching of literacy when presented with new handheld devices from upper administration. I also examined how (and if) teachers integrate their knowledge of best practices for early literacy learning with multimodalities, affordances and value added literacy opportunities when reviewing and selecting handheld device apps for early literacy instruction. My goal was to describe what happens when handheld devices are actually used in early literacy instruction, focusing on app affordances. Undergirded by a theoretical framework that blended constructivism, pragmatism and social cognitive and social constructivist theories of learning, I employed naturalistic inquiry (Lincoln and Guba, 1985) and case study methodologies (Yin, 1994). I collected data in two phases. First, I conducted a survey with a selective sample of 25 K-3rd grade teachers. Then, I purposively sampled two information-rich cases of kindergarten teachers, collecting data through interviews, verbal protocol procedures, classroom observations and photographs. Findings indicated that teachers used apps most often for students to independently practice phonics skills, and rarely or never for literacy instructional that required students to engage in higher-order thinking or collaborate with peers. The use of handheld devices and apps yielded a variety of negative affordances that inhibited or detracted from learning, several of these unanticipated by teachers. Teachers' selection of apps to use for instruction was influenced by factors including the cost of apps, student-centered approaches to teaching and beliefs about literacy best practices. The presence of the devices in the learning environment impacted and shaped students social interactions and learning experiences in their kindergarten classrooms, both in both positive and negative ways. This study identified concerns and issues that warrant consideration as handheld devices and apps are integrated into early elementary literacy learning, if teachers hope to use these tools in ways that not only support students' traditional print-based literacy development, but also assure students develop digital literacies strategies and critical 21st century skills.