Short and Long-Term Effects on Academic Performance of a School-Based Training in Self-Regulation Learning: A Three-Level Experimental Study

An experimental study was designed to analyze the effect of school-based training in self-regulation learning strategies on academic performance (Mathematics, Sciences, Language, and English). Class-level variables (i.e., gender, the teacher's teaching experience, class size) were considered and the effects of the intervention were measured at the end of the intervention and 3 months later. A sample of 761 students from 3rd and 4th grades (356 in the control condition and 405 in the experimental condition), from 14 schools, participated in the study. Data were analyzed using three-level analysis with within-student measurements at level 1, between-students within-classes at level 2, and between-classes at level 3. Data showed a positive effect of the intervention on student performance, both at post-test (d = 0.25) and at follow-up (d = 0.33) considering the four school subjects together. However, the effect was significant just at follow-up when subjects were considered separately. Student performance was significantly related to the students' variables (i.e., gender, level of reading comprehension) and the context (teacher gender and class size). Finally, students' gender and level of reading comprehension, as well as the teacher's gender, were found to moderate the effect of the intervention on students' academic performance. Two conclusions were highlighted: first, data emphasize the importance of considering time while conducting intervention studies. Second, more teaching experience does not necessarily translate into improvements in the quality of students' instruction.

Self-regulation for learning intervention in reading comprehension: an integrative review

Abstract This integrative review aimed to investigate the structure of successful interventions in the development of self-regulation for learning to optimize reading comprehension of Basic Education students. The search for articles was carried out in five databases, and by the method of searching for quotes. Of the 137 items retrieved, 13 were eligible. The samples of the reported interventions were composed of students from the 3rdto 6thgrade, from American, German, and Slovenian schools. The interventions were of an instructional type, focusing on developing self-regulatory strategies to develop reading comprehension. The studies indicated that participation in the interventions increased the students' performance in this cognitive-linguistic skill. It is assumed that this review can assist psychologists and educators in preparing, applying, and monitoring the results of intervention programs to develop students' self-regulation in carrying out tasks that involve reading comprehension.

SELF-REGULATION IN QUR’AN LEARNING

Purpose – The emergence of academic anxiety and poor learning outcomes among Indonesian first-year students at higher education institutions emphasized the need to measure the level of self-regulated learning (SRL). This study was part of a larger SRL research project in the area of ​​learning Qur’an recitation, where we attempted to explore further on how students applied SRL. By using a new perspective of SRL as a social process that emphasized interaction, we investigated how the situated environment influenced learning.   Method – Quantitative and qualitative approaches were applied. A set of questionnaires generated from the adaptation process was successfully validated through rigorous psychometric testing. A total of 420 first-year students responded to the questionnaire. Then semi-structured observations and interviews were conducted among eight students. Finally, data obtained from observation checklists and interviews were triangulated.   Findings – The SRL level for first-year students in learning Qur’an recitation was insufficient, with a score of 3.37 out of 5.00. The highest score on the Meta-Affective dimension was M = 3.64, and the lowest score on the Sociocultural-Interactive dimension was M = 2.98. These results indicated that although anxiety was not a serious problem, yet it was still an obstacle for some students with low SRL to achieve targeted learning goals. Furthermore, these students did not have the awareness to seek help for their learning difficulties. This situation was further aggravated by the lack of assistance from instructors in creating conducive learning environments for students to interact with each other.   Significance – The standard deviations on all SRL dimensions identified in this study were high, showing a large gap between students who had high and low SRL. This condition requires instructors to provide significant assistance. We suggest heterogeneous grouping to enable more intensive interactions between students to increase the sociocultural-interactive dimension. We believe that seamless interaction is the most tangible support for promoting SRL.

Promoting Middle School Students' Science Text Comprehension via Two Self-Generated "Linking" Questioning Methods

This quasi-experimental study examined training in two types of reading strategies: self-generated questions either connecting to prior knowledge (Extra-Text) or connecting between the text’s parts (Within-Text). Immediate and long-term effects were assessed on ninth graders’ science text comprehension, versus an untrained control group. The three student groups (N = 193) received the same study unit of scientific texts and accompanying tasks, either with/without training in self-generated questioning. PISA-based science literacy assessments (phenomenon identification, scientific explanation, and evidence utilization) were collected at baseline, immediately after intervention, and at 4-month follow-up. Results from both short- and long-term assessments indicated that those learners trained to generate questions about within-text connections reached significantly higher science text comprehension achievements than the other two groups – students trained to generate questions connecting to their prior knowledge and control students who received no support for generating questions. Findings may contribute to the design of support methods and teaching strategies for promoting literacy in general and scientific literacy in particular.

Supplementing teacher knowledge using web-based Intelligent Tutoring System for the Text Structure Strategy to improve content area reading comprehension with fourth- and fifth-grade struggling readers

The effects of teaching the text structure strategy using a web-based Intelligent Tutoring System for the Text Structure Strategy (ITSS) were examined with fourth- and fifth-grade children scoring below the 25th percentile on comprehension measures using the Gray Silent Reading Test (GSRT) and researcher designed assessment from 130 fourth-grade and 130 fifth-grade classrooms. The ITSS was designed to teach students how to select and encode strategic memory from expository texts. The system provides modelling, practice, assessment, scaffolding, and feedback to learners on identifying signalling words, summarizing, making inferences, generating elaborations, and monitoring comprehension. A large scale randomized controlled trial was conducted with 130 fourth-grade and 130 fifth-grade classrooms. Students completed GSRT- and researcher-designed measures of reading comprehension at pretest and posttests. An analysis of fourth-grade students using ITSS who scores less than the 25th percentile on the GSRT pretest showed small but meaningful effect sized on the posttests. The fifth-grade students in ITSS, who scored less than the 25% percentile on the GSRT pretest, showed the highest effect sizes (moderate to large effects) on the standardized test scores on the posttests.

Is the Student-Centered Learning Style More Effective Than the Teacher-Student Double-Centered Learning Style in Improving Reading Performance?

Appropriate learning styles enhance the academic performance of students. This research compares and contrasts the popular effect of teacher-student double centered learning style (TSDCLS) and student-centered learning style (SCLS) on one's reading, including reading comprehension, inference, main idea abstraction, and reading anxiety. One hundred and fifty one students in grade 4 from three groups (two experimental groups and one control group) participated in the experiment with 18 weeks' reading comprehension training. The results showed that, first, both learning styles contributed to students' reading comprehension, inference, main idea abstraction, and reading anxiety. Second, the TSDCLS contributed more to reading anxiety, and the SCLS contributed more to reading comprehension. Both learning styles had similar effects on inference and main idea abstraction. From the correlation test, excluding the correlation between SCLS and reading anxiety which was not significant, all other effects were significant. These findings are discussed along with implications and ideas for future research.

The Effects of a Paraphrasing and Text Structure Intervention on the Main Idea Generation and Reading Comprehension of Students with Reading Disabilities in Grades 4 and 5

This study examined the effects of a small group intervention targeting paraphrasing and text structure instruction on the main idea generation and reading comprehension of students with reading disabilities in Grades 4 and 5. Students (N = 62) were randomly assigned to receive the Tier 2-type intervention or business-as-usual instruction. Students in the intervention received 25, 40-minute lessons focused on paraphrasing sections of text by identifying the main topic and the most important idea about that topic. Students utilized the text structure organization to inform their main idea generation. Results yielded statistically significant, positive effects in favor of the intervention group on near-transfer and mid-transfer measures of text structure identification (g = 0.75) and main idea generation (g = 0.70), but no statistically significant effect on a far-transfer measure of reading comprehension. These findings provide initial support for utilizing this instruction to improve students' main idea generation on taught and untaught structures.

Oral vocabulary training program for Spanish third-graders with low socio-economic status: A randomized controlled trial

Although the importance of vocabulary training in English speaking countries is well recognized and has been extensively studied, the same is not true for Spanish–few evidence based vocabulary studies for Spanish-speaking children have been reported. Here, two rich oral vocabulary training programs (definition and context), based on literature about vocabulary instruction for English-speaking children, were developed and applied in a sample of 100 Spanish elementary school third-graders recruited from areas of predominantly low socio-economic status (SES). Compared to an alternative read-aloud method which served as the control, both explicit methods were more effective in teaching word meanings when assessed immediately after the intervention. Nevertheless, five months later, only the definition group continued to demonstrate significant vocabulary knowledge gains. The definition method was more effective in specifically teaching children word meanings and, more broadly, in helping children organize and express knowledge of words. We recommend the explicit and rich vocabulary instruction as a means to fostering vocabulary knowledge in low SES children.

Considering the needs of English language learner populations: an examination of the population validity of reading intervention research

This article synthesizes reading intervention research studies intended for use with struggling or at-risk students to determine which studies adequately address population validity, particularly in regard to the diverse reading needs of English language learners. An extensive search of the professional literature between 2001 and 2010 yielded a total of 67 reading intervention studies targeting at-risk elementary students. Findings revealed that many current research studies fail to adequately describe the sample, including the accessible and target populations, and to disaggregate their findings based on demographic characteristics. When population validity issues are not addressed, researchers cannot generalize findings to other populations of students, and it becomes unclear what intervention strategies work, especially with English language learner student populations. However, 25 studies did specifically recognize and address the needs of English language learners, indicating more researchers are taking into consideration the diverse needs of other struggling student populations.

"An adjective is a word hanging down from a noun": learning to write and students with learning disabilities

By the upper elementary grades, writing becomes an essential tool both for learning and for showing what you know. Students who struggle significantly with writing are at a terrible disadvantage. Data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress indicate that only 25% of students can be classified as competent writers; students with learning disabilities (LD) have even greater problems with writing than their normally achieving peers and frequently demonstrate a deteriorating attitude toward writing after the primary grades. In this article, we focus on composing and the writing process, and examine the knowledge base about writing development and instruction among students with LD. We address what research tells us about skilled writers and the development of writing knowledge, strategies, skill, and the will to write, and how this relates to students with LD. Next, we summarize what has been learned from research on writing development, effective instruction, and the writing abilities of students with LD in terms of effective instruction for these students. Finally, we indicate critical areas for future research.

Expository Discourse Intervention for Adolescents With Language Disorders

Speech-language pathologists play a crucial role in helping adolescents with language disorders improve their ability to comprehend and produce the language of the curriculum (i.e., expository discourse) and, thus, enhance their potential for academic success. The purpose of this article is to present numerous treatment techniques and strategies for increasing both spoken and written expository discourse skills in this population.

Multiple-component remediation for developmental reading disabilities: IQ, socioeconomic status, and race as factors in remedial outcome

Results from a controlled evaluation of remedial reading interventions are reported: 279 young disabled readers were randomly assigned to a program according to a 2 × 2 × 2 factorial design (IQ, socioeconomic status [SES], and race). The effectiveness of two multiple-component intervention programs for children with reading disabilities (PHAB + RAVE-O; PHAB + WIST) was evaluated against alternate (CSS, MATH) and phonological control programs. Interventions were taught an hour daily for 70 days on a 1:4 ratio at three different sites. Multiple-component programs showed significant improvements relative to control programs on all basic reading skills after 70 hours and at 1-year follow-up. Equivalent gains were observed for different racial, SES, and IQ groups. These factors did not systematically interact with program. Differential outcomes for word identification, fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary were found between the multidimensional programs, although equivalent long-term outcomes and equal continued growth confirmed that different pathways exist to effective reading remediation.

Evaluating the efficacy of remediation for struggling readers in high school

Preliminary efficacy data are reported for a research-based reading intervention designed for struggling readers in high school. PHAST PACES teaches (a) word identification strategies, (b) knowledge of text structures, and (c) reading comprehension strategies. In a quasi-experimental design, 268 intervention and 83 waiting list control students meeting criteria for reading disability were assessed before and after their semester. After 60 to 70 hours of PHAST PACES instruction, struggling readers demonstrated significant gains on standardized tests of word attack, word reading, and passage comprehension and on experimental measures of letter-sound knowledge and multisyllabic word identification relative to control students. An average effect size of .68 was revealed across these outcome measures. One year follow-up data on 197 PHAST PACES students revealed an average trend to decelerated growth after the intervention, except for passage comprehension outcomes that demonstrated continued growth over follow-up.

Effects of a Tier 2 Supplemental Reading Intervention for At-Risk Fourth Grade Students

This study investigated a Tier 2 intervention in the context of a Response to Intervention (RTI) model for 123 fourth grade students who were identified as having a high probability of reading failure. A randomized control trial was used to evaluate the effects of a 24 session multi-component supplemental intervention targeting fluency and expository comprehension of science texts. Intervention students performed significantly higher on comprehension strategy knowledge and use and science knowledge, but not on word reading, fluency, or other measures of reading comprehension. Moderators of intervention effects were also examined; children at higher risk in the intervention condition appeared to benefit more in comparison to lower probability children in intervention and compared to higher probability children in the control condition.

The state of educational intervention research as viewed through the lens of literacy intervention

The characteristics of educational intervention research are reviewed: Educational intervention research is inspired by diverse theories, targeted at a variety of simple to very complex interventions, and includes a variety of methods and measurements. Some interventions have been studied much more than others, with the more studied ones often summarized in meta-analyses and other integrative reviews. The study of some of the more complex interventions pose new ethical challenges. Although some intervention research impacts educational practice and policy, much more could and probably should.

Reading interventions for struggling readers in the upper elementary grades: a synthesis of 20 years of research

A synthesis of the extant research on reading interventions for students with reading difficulties and disabilities in fourth and fifth grade (ages 9-11) is presented. Thirteen studies with treatment/comparison study designs and eleven single group or single subject studies were located and synthesized. Findings from the 24 studies revealed high effects for comprehension interventions on researcher-developed comprehension measures. Word recognition interventions yielded small to moderate effects on a range of reading outcomes. Few studies were located implementing vocabulary and multi-component interventions.

Impacts of comprehensive reading instruction on diverse outcomes of low- and high-achieving readers

Low-achieving readers in Grade 5 often lack comprehension strategies, domain knowledge, word recognition skills, fluency, and motivation to read. Students with such multiple reading needs seem likely to benefit from instruction that supports each of these reading processes. The authors tested this expectation experimentally by comparing the effects of Concept-Oriented Reading Instruction (CORI) with traditional instruction (TI) on several outcomes in a 12-week intervention for low achievers and high achievers. Low achievers in the CORI group were afforded explicit instruction, leveled texts, and motivation support. Compared with TI students, CORI students scored higher on posttest measures of word recognition speed, reading comprehension on the Gates-MacGinitie Reading Test, and ecological knowledge. CORI was equally effective for lower achievers and higher achievers. Explicitly supporting multiple aspects of reading simultaneously appeared to benefit diverse learners on a range of reading outcomes.

Making a Broader Case for the Narrow View: Where to Begin?

Purpose

This final article covering the topic of the interplay between decoding, comprehension, and content versus structure knowledge describes a set of language initiatives that are focused toward content area learning. Inspired by the work of their colleagues from diverse fields and their own work, the authors offer suggestions to clinicians who are interested in creating and delivering curriculum-relevant and strategic-based language intervention to school-age students with language learning disabilities (LLD).

Method

The discussion covers selected topics that form the foundation for an evolving intervention framework, including (a) understanding the content and structural requirements of textbooks, (b) integrating metacognitive and metalinguistic techniques into intervention goals and objectives, and (c) emphasizing meaning-based activities that cut across connected discourse (macrostructure levels) and sentence/word components (microstructure levels) of spoken and written language.

Conclusion

Starting with ways to find clues about “what to do” with students by looking in their textbooks, the authors continue with examples that integrate content and structure knowledge using social studies and science as backdrops for language intervention. The article ends with a reminder to clinicians to consider ways that preschool language intervention can be more effective in helping children prepare for the academic demands of the future.