A small-scale, feasibility study of academic language time in primary grade language arts

Abstract

ABSTRACTA small-scale feasibility study was conducted to explore the implementation of academic language time (ALT) in primary grade classrooms with and without access to digital devices. Academic language time is a structural change that dedicates a portion of language arts instructional time to direct vocabulary instruction using evidence-based techniques. Over a 6-week period, teachers and students in eight urban primary grade classrooms participated in the study. Fidelity of implementation and students’ pre- and post-vocabulary performance were used to gauge the ease and effectiveness of implementation as indicators of feasibility. Results showed that a majority of classrooms, print and digital-enriched, met fidelity benchmarks, suggesting ease of implementation. All classrooms showed pre/post-gains in students’ vocabulary learning, indicating effectiveness of implementation. The wide range of fidelity across classrooms, however, suggests that a more nuanced analysis of fidelity may be required to improve the implementation effectiveness of ALT for purposes of replication.