English Literacy Development Research Articles

An Exploration of Spoken English Strategies in Secondary Vocational Schools from the Perspective of Core Literacy

The core literacy of student development is an important content of promoting education reform and has an important effect on adapting the strategy of developing English talents in the future in our country. The cultivation of English core literacy depends on the innovation of teaching methods, the improvement of teachers' professional ability and the application of information technology, which is integrated into the training of listening, speaking, reading and writing skills. At present, the emphasis of English teaching is mainly placed on reading and writing, ignoring the cultivation of students' oral English, and students' awareness of oral communication is very weak, which is not conducive to the comprehensive development of students' core English literacy. English teachers should start from the concept of core literacy, develop targeted oral learning strategies for students, broaden the learning channels for students, and promote the improvement of students' oral English ability. This paper analyzes the present situation of oral English teaching and discusses the strategies to improve the oral English of secondary vocational students under the concept of core literacy.

The Impact of Digital Technologies on English Literacy Development Among Undergraduate Students

This research explores the extensive have an effect on of virtual generation on the improvement of English literacy in university college students. The effect of digital systems on literacy abilities is becoming an important discipline of studies as they keep to dominate conversation and getting to know environments. It examines how digital technology might enhance literacy via interactive and multimodal getting to know tools, in addition to the problems they pose, such as the growth in casual language use associated diversions. Data become collected from semester four through qualitative method which includes surveys, interviews and observation, to evaluate alterations in reading and writing competencies. The outcomes show that digital tools can decorate reading comprehension with personalized and attractive content material, however they also can promote fragmented reading habits and casual writing patterns. The article explores the consequences of these findings for instructional practices proposing a properly-rounded use of digital generation in literacy practice to maximize their benefits at the same time as minimizing their negative aspects. This has a look at provides to the discussion on generation’s role in education, emphasizing the importance of implementing techniques that effectively combine virtual gear into literacy programs.

Foundational English literacy development in India: a randomised-control trial using phonics instruction and GraphoLearn

AbstractFoundational literacy is a key lever for achieving higher levels of learning and societal wellbeing. However, with an enrolment of over 250 million children in schools, India is currently challenged by learning deprivation. Growing uptake of English-medium education along with less-than-optimal English literacy instruction practices present an urgent need for improving classroom instruction. Further evidence is required on the efficacy of computer-assisted game-based learning and phonics instruction over the alphabet-spelling method in literacy learning. The current intervention study examined whether classroom phonics instruction combined with GraphoLearn, a computer-assisted reading tool, supports the English phonological awareness and reading skills better than phonics instruction alone. Participants were 6–7 year-old, Grade 2 students (N = 54) attending an English-medium public school in India. All students were non-native English speakers and received phonics instruction in their classroom for 35 min thrice a week. In addition, students were randomly allocated to play either GraphoLearn-Rime (n = 28) or a math control game (n = 26) for 15–20 min every day. Both the GraphoLearn-Rime and the math control group made significant improvement in English literacy skills over the period of intervention and the amount of exposure to phonics classroom instruction predicted gains in phonological awareness skills. The GraphoLearn-Rime group gained more than the math control group in the in-game measures. In the oral-and paper-based measures, both groups showed skill development, but the groups were not significantly different in the gains (d = .04 − .29). Overall, the study indicated the potential in the integrated approach and thus the need for more research on the effects of integrating classroom phonics instruction and GraphoLearn for supporting struggling readers of English.

Empowering E-Learning for English Literacy Development: Insights from Lecturers

The integration of e-learning platforms in university settings has experienced notable growth, especially with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. This qualitative case study explored university lecturers' perceptions regarding the use of e-learning for teaching English literacy skills, specifically reading and writing. Semi-structured interviews were utilized for data collection with six lecturers from the English Department at Universitas Sulawesi Barat, Indonesia, who taught literacy courses during the 2022/2023 academic year. The findings revealed a spectrum of lecturers' experiences, beliefs, and attitudes toward e-learning-based literacy instruction. While initial challenges were encountered during the transition to online learning, the lecturers recognized benefits such as flexibility, efficient material sharing, and enabling remote assignments. However, connectivity issues, difficulties monitoring student progress, and the need for robust technological skills were identified as significant challenges. The lecturers advocated learner-centered, multimodal pedagogical approaches and emphasized the importance of balanced, blended learning that integrates both traditional classroom and online elements. The study highlights the potential of e-learning for enhancing English literacy education while underscoring the need to address infrastructural and pedagogical barriers.

Teaching Design of the Junior High School English Reading for Deep Learning

English reading holds a pivotal position in junior high school English teaching, constituting an integral component of the entire educational process. Nowadays, it is imperative for English teachers to transcend the conventional, superficial reading instruction models and adopt a deep learning framework to fashion a profound reading classroom for students. This approach allows students to engage in inductive integration, application evaluation, and internalization and transfer, enabling them to delve into seemingly intricate and challenging texts, exploring them from multiple dimensions, including content, structure, and cultural implications. Ultimately, this fosters the development of students' comprehensive reading abilities and English core literacy. This paper, drawing from the perspective of deep learning and incorporating specific case studies, aims to devise a junior high school English reading instruction design that is both academically rigorous and emotionally engaging, with a focus on enhancing students' English core literacy and overall reading proficiency.
 Key Words: junior high school English reading instruction, deep learning, English core literacy

Integrating Digital Storytelling into STEAM Teaching: Examining Young Language Learners’ Development of Self-regulation and English Literacy

As an innovative pedagogical approach, STEAM Education uses science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics to spark students’ learning motivation, problem-solving skills, and cognitive development. Despite widespread literature on STEAM pedagogy, evidence on the benefit of integrating STEAM with technology-enhanced language learning at elementary levels is insufficient. This study thus inspects the impact of incorporating digital storytelling (DST) into STEAM teaching on young language learners' development of self-regulation and English literacy. Thirty-three schoolchildren participated in the study as the experimental and control groups. Their English literacy and self-regulation were examined before and after the study. Both groups received STEAM instructional content in English for one semester. The DST group worked with the online platform StoryJumper to make digital books for their projects; meanwhile, the control group prepared their projects by reports and presentations. At the end of the experiment, the DST group’s academic self-regulation improved significantly which was the result of their enhanced introjected and external regulation. Also, the DST group outperformed the control group in English literacy. Due to the key role of STEAM education in making students interested in STEAM disciplines at elementary levels, planning and implementing best practices of STEAM pedagogy for schoolchildren is recommended.

Strategies for Improving Middle School Students’ English Reading Ability in the Era of Educational Informatization 2.0

Reading is a crucial component of second language acquisition and it significantly influences students’ English literacy development. In the era of educational informatization 2.0 in China, information technology has become essential tool for modernizing education. English reading instruction today aims to improve students’ English reading abilities and meets the demands of the times. Teachers must integrate information technology and English curriculum effectively. This paper examines how to use information technology to enhance students’ English reading memory ability, comprehension ability, and reading speed. We found that most English teachers can use information technology to improve students’ English reading ability by using computers, mobile phones, and interactive all-in-one computers, and various information software such as questionnaire stars, Tencent documents, etc. English textbooks and English magazine articles can be used as reading materials. The results indicate that students’ mastery of text language knowledge has improved, and they can choose different reading strategies to find the required information, grasp the author’s writing intention, and share their own opinions. The average number of English words read by students per minute has also increased. Finally, this paper proposes some effective strategies that can promote middle school students’ English reading ability. For instance, teachers can use micro-videos and online reading tasks to improve students’ memory ability, group online text analysis to enhance students’ understanding ability, and online time-limited reading training to improve students’ English reading speed.

The unique and compensatory effects of home and classroom learning activities on Migrant and Seasonal Head Start children's Spanish and English emergent literacy skills.

Children of migrant and seasonal farmworkers (MSFW) are among the most underprivileged, underserved groups in the United States. The current study examined how home and classroom language and literacy experiences uniquely and interactively contributed to MSFW children's emergent literacy skills in English and Spanish. Participants were 255 Spanish-English dual language learning children (M age = 49 mon; 98.3% Latino/Hispanic) and their parents and 47 teachers, drawn from the Migrant and Seasonal Head Start (MSHS) Study. Parents reported how often the target children engaged in language and literacy activities (i.e., teaching letters, words, or numbers, book-reading, singing, and storytelling) with their family members. Teachers reported how often the target children engaged in classroom language and literacy activities (e.g., book-reading, learning letters, retelling stories, etc.). Children's emergent literacy skills in English and Spanish were assessed by standard tests. After controlling for demographic variables, home and classroom language and literacy activities uniquely predicted children's emergent literacy skills in Spanish, but not in English. Additionally, home and classroom activities compensated one another in supporting children's English and Spanish emergent literacy development. That is, language and literacy activities in one context showed a stronger effect for children who experienced less frequent activities in the other context. Together, these findings shed light on ways to support MSFW children's emergent literacy skills and reveal the importance of integrating and connecting home and school learning experiences.

Impacts of the COVID-19 disruption on the language and literacy development of monolingual and heritage bilingual children in the United States.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11145-022-10388-x.

Specific Challenges in the Development of English Literacy for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Students

Specific Challenges in the Development of English Literacy for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Students

Deaf Children's ASL Vocabulary and ASL Syntax Knowledge Supports English Knowledge.

The current study contributes empirical data to our understanding of how knowledge of American Sign Language (ASL) syntax aids reading print English for deaf children who are bilingual and bimodal in ASL and English print. The first analysis, a conceptual replication of Hoffmeister ( 2000), showed that performance on the American Sign Language Assessment Instrument correlated with the Sanford Achievement Test-Reading Comprehension (SAT-RC) and the Rhode Island Test of Language Structures (RITLS, Engen & Engen, 1983). The second analysis was a quantile regression using ASL assessments to predict English print abilities. Different ASL skills were important for English reading comprehension (SAT-RC) versus understanding English syntax (RITLS); the relationship between ASL skills and English print performance also varied for students at different English print ability levels. Strikingly, knowledge of ASL syntax was robustly correlated with knowledge of English syntax at all ability levels. Our findings provide novel and strong evidence for the impact of ASL on the development of English literacy.

Parents’ Perceptions of Their Young Children’s English Literacy Acquisition: A Narrative Inquiry

The purpose of this study is to explore the families’ perceptions of their contribution in promoting their young children’s early English literacy acquisition. The researchers used questionnaires and interview to collect the data. The researchers applied an in-depth open-ended interview to two families who have a role in promoting their children’s English literacy development. The researchers also applied questionnaires to support the data. The researchers used a survey to apply the questionnaire to the respondents. The result showed that most of the parents in Indonesia hadn’t given their awareness of their children’s early English literacy acquisition. Since English was categorized as the foreign language of Indonesian people, most of the families did their mother language (L1) at home with their children. Thus, there are two implications of this study. The first implication of this study is to increase the parents’ awareness of the benefit of implementing children’s early English literacy. The other implication for English Language Teaching is to help the teacher and school institution to have collaborated with the parents to increase the development of children’s early English literacy. Thus, the teacher can teach English easier and may achieve the learning goals which are very useful for all parties (parents, children, and teachers) in the future.
 

Leveraging a Spanish Literacy Intervention to Support Outcomes of English Learners

Over 11 million students enter school speaking a language other than English. Due to their emerging English proficiency, many English Learners (ELs) struggle with English literacy, which impacts their overall achievement in school. However, there is evidence that ELs who have solid skills in their native language are able to apply their understanding to their learning in English. Thus, it is critical to understand how Spanish literacy interventions used in schools affect the English literacy outcomes of struggling ELs. The purpose of this study was to determine how a Spanish phonics-based literacy intervention, used during Tier 2 of a multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS), affects ELs’ literacy skills in Spanish and English. Overall, a positive growth trend was noted on all literacy measures in both languages, while statistically significant results were obtained for Spanish and English phonics. Given the positive impact on students’ Spanish and English literacy development, native language instruction and interventions should be provided to struggling ELs. Other implications include the need for teacher preparation in the area of bilingual education as well as the implementation of culturally responsive reading interventions in the students’ native language to assist them in bridging the literacy achievement gap.

Foreign-born TESOL Instructors Assisting Adult Immigrant Learners to Develop Civic Literacy Skills: A Pen Pal Project

This article discusses the contributions of foreign-born TESOL instructors helping adult language learners develop literacy skills through a pen pal project, which lasted 10 weeks and consisted of writing letters back and forth weekly. The project provided adult immigrant learners with an opportunity to practice meaningful writing to support their English literacy development. The research questions include how do foreign-born TESOL instructors support adult immigrant learners develop literacy through a pen pal project? and what components of the pen pal project promote the development of civic literacy skills? Data for this article come from 159 letters product of the writing exchange between instructors and learners, and individual conversational interviews with the instructors. Study findings are presented through four themes: teachers as cultural informants, emotional connection, life and learning advice, and adult ESL learners’ linguistic competence. Study findings add to the body of literature focusing on the powerful contributions of foreign-born TESOL instructors to the education and language-culture acquisition of adult immigrant English learners.

A Brief Commentary on the Greene-Woods/Nielsen, Luetke, and Stryker Exchange.

A Brief Commentary on the Greene-Woods/Nielsen, Luetke, and Stryker Exchange Peter V. Paul, Editor It is important to provide a few comments on the article by Greene-Woods and the response by Nielsen, Luetke, and Stryker in the present issue of the Annals. Ashley Greene-Woods submitted her manuscript to me, and I conducted an evaluation. Subsequently, I informed her that I needed to secure a willingness to respond from the authors of the published Annals article (Nielsen et al., 2016) she had critiqued. My goal was to publish both manuscripts in the same issue. I was pleased that Diane Corcoran Nielsen, Barbara Luetke, and Deborah Sue Stryker agreed to compose a response, and I thank them and Ashley Greene-Woods for engaging in this exchange. I appreciate their attempts to be professional and to be focused on specific statements for their critiques. As I mentioned in the editorial in this issue, it is critical to focus on the ideas or points in manuscripts, not on the authors themselves. Whether the authors of these articles were sensitive and were also aware of challenges such as confirmation bias is something I will leave up to the readers to decide. In my view, they passed these tests, even if I disagree with a few of the interpretations or, rather, think there needs to be some elaboration and clarification. It is clear that the role played by the structure of the English language (e.g., phonology, morphology, syntax) in the development of English literacy for a number of d/Deaf and hard of hearing (d/Dhh) students is still shrouded in controversy. Much of the dissension has evolved around the role of English phonology. In my view, this controversy stems from the question Vicki Hanson (1989) raised more than 30 years ago: "Is reading different for deaf individuals?" (p. 85). Here's another way to ask this question: Is the development of English literacy for d/Dhh children and adolescents similar to that of native literacy learners of English, regardless of whether English is the home or first language of d/Dhh individuals? Although Hanson (1989) proposed a dual response, yes and no, it is the no part that she offered that is contentious—namely, her finding that that the better d/Deaf readers have engaged in phonological processing based on English (see discussion of related research in Paul et al., 2013). Several articles on this topic have been published in the Annals (e.g., Allen et al., 2009; Paul et al., 2009; Wang et al., 2008) and elsewhere (e.g., Mayberry et al., 2011; Miller & Clark, 2011). In addition, there have been two special issues of the Annals devoted to a version of Hanson's question (Wang & Andrews, 2014, 2015). In short, the debate continues. Although phonology is necessary, it is not sufficient for the development of English literacy skills. [End Page 453] In her introduction, Greene-Woods seems to couch the approach of the investigation by Nielsen et al. within a standard epistemology in research on d/Dhh children that has emphasized constructs, purportedly not successful, such as verbal English, speechreading, and hearing-based behavior. In critiquing the quality indicators of the Nielsen et al. article, Greene-Woods also claims that studies on the effects of American Sign Language (ASL) on the development of English literacy were not included in the Nielsen et al. study. Nevertheless, Nielsen et al. actually focused on the need to develop English morphological awareness (i.e., morphology and syntax). There was no inclusion of research on the use of oral methods or even the use of ASL—mainly because these areas were not part of their research thrust. I am certain readers will find the discussion in both articles informative and, perhaps, provocative. I certainly found the exchange between Greene-Woods and Nielsen et al. on the role of phonology interesting. As mentioned previously, this issue has been addressed in much detail (e.g., Paul et al., 2013; Wang & Andrews, 2014, 2015). It might be, however, that the debate on phonology has morphed into a different thrust: the role of a sound phonology versus the role of a phonology based on a signed...

Conclusion: Perspectives on Language, Literacy, and Deafness

As indicated in this Special Issue, there has been much debate on the development of English language and literacy in d/Deaf and hard of hearing (d/Dhh) students. Questions remain on the nature of the first language and the relation of this language to the development of English literacy. There is also considerable controversy on the role of English phonology. Adding to the complexity is the increase of d/Dhh children for whom English is not the home language and the ongoing challenge of addressing the needs of those with disabilities or additional disabilities. After describing English literacy and the need for documenting desirable research characteristics, the authors of this conclusion article utilize a construct named the Qualitative Similarity Hypothesis (QSH) as the guiding framework for addressing issues such as the role of phonology and the nature of the through-the-air form of the language of print. The QSH asserts that d/Dhh students need to master the same set of fundamentals as typical English literacy learners. These fundamentals include code-related, language-related, and comprehension-related skills. One major assertion is that proficiency in the through-the-air form of English is essential for achieving proficiency in conventional English literacy skills. It is argued that the importance of English language proficiency has been emphasized in literacy models that delineate the strong connections among language, reading, and writing, even for second language learners of English or English learners. Another major assertion is that proficiency in English phonology is necessary (albeit not sufficient) for the development of emerging decoding skills. The use of English phonology facilitates the early and advanced literacy comprehension skills. The article concludes with recommendations for additional research, including the understanding of the visual representation of the structure of English, the development of comprehensive English language assessments, and the exploration of literacy-related skills such as decoding and comprehension. Finally, the validity of the QSH also needs to be further investigated.

Language and Literacy: Issues and Considerations

This article provides background on the major perspectives involving the development of English language and literacy with respect to the evolving demography of d/Deaf and hard-of-hearing children and adolescents. It synthesizes research and controversies on the developmental similarity hypothesis—that is, whether the acquisition of English language and literacy of d/Deaf and hard-of-hearing students is developmentally similar to that of typical language/literacy learners. The outcomes of this discussion have instructional implications and proffer guidelines for teacher preparation programs. The article concludes with directions for further research.

A systematic review of language and literacy interventions in children and adolescents with English as an additional language (EAL)

ABSTRACT This systematic review presents a synthesis of evidence regarding the effectiveness of language and literacy interventions targeting children with EAL. It updates the systematic review by Murphy and Unthiah [2015. A systematic review of intervention research examining English language and literacy development in children with English as an additional language (EAL). http://www.naldic.org.uk/Resources/NALDIC/Research and Information/Documents/eal-systematic-review-prof-v-murphy.pdf.], using the same methodology. Four databases were searched resulting in 2217 records identified. After screening 25 interventions, found in 26 studies, were eligible for inclusion. The results provide collective evidence that explicit vocabulary instruction and targeted oral language practice yield language gains for EAL learners, with a tendency for larger intervention gains in learners with the lowest initial pre-test scores. Shared reading interventions show positive effects when combined with the pre-teaching of vocabulary, embedded definitions into the text, or post-reading reinforcement activities. The review also highlights the paucity of interventions in the UK and in particular, a lack of interventions for adolescents, especially those in upper secondary school (ages 14-18).

Critical Cosmopolitan Citizenship Education and the Ontario Curriculum

Critical cosmopolitan citizenship education is a transformational approach to education that empowers students to become global citizens through active involvement in the local, national and global communities while seeking to build a better world. This study’s objective was to inquire about how Ontario’s official curriculum guides educators to prepare secondary students (Canadian born and those new to Canada) to become effective citizens of the 21st century. A critical discourse analysis was conducted to investigate the Ontario Ministry of Education’s (OME) approach to citizenship education within the frameworks of critical pedagogy and cosmopolitan citizenship education that encourage educators and students to respect human rights and become active citizens who strive towards peace and sustainability. The discourse analysis included two curriculum documents: (1) The Ontario curriculum grades 9 and 10: Canadian and World Studies (OME, 2018), which addresses civic education, and (2) The Ontario Curriculum Grades 9 to 12: English as a Second Language and English Literacy Development (OME, 2007), which prepares newcomers to improve their English proficiency. The findings confirm that the discourse produced by these documents aims to develop students’ understanding of the global world, but does not necessarily prepare them to act for the betterment of the planet. The findings further indicate that citizenship education in the 21st century should dissociate from a nation-centered approach and focus on preparing students for global citizenry.

Effects of Book-Making Activity of Literacy Teaching Methods on Preschooler’s English Literacy Development and Learning Motivation

Effects of Book-Making Activity of Literacy Teaching Methods on Preschooler’s English Literacy Development and Learning Motivation