Literacy Instruction Research Articles

Tackling the Challenges of Plagiarism in the Age of Information Overload by LIS Professionals in Nigerian Academic Institutions

The advancement in information and communication technologies (ICTs) has increased the generation and dissemination of information. This has created a remarkable shift from the previous promulgation of information explosion to the concept of information overload in this age, which seems to be characterised by the ease of intellectual theft in various forms. The sophistication of ICTs and the overwhelming availability of information have subjected many research outputs to the affliction of ‘copy-and-paste’ syndrome and copyright abuse; and there appears to be a dearth of literature on efforts being made by LIS professionals to tackle the challenges in Nigerian academic institutions. This study, therefore, sought to draw attention to how the challenges of plagiarism are tackled by LIS professionals in the age of information overload in Nigerian academic institutions. The study adopted the phenomenological research design of qualitative methodology, using semi-structured written interview that was developed by the researchers and sent electronically to the respondents. The data were presented textually with the insertion of verbatim quotations where necessary while the research findings were analysed using thematic analysis. Findings from the 45 respondents across the six geopolitical zones in Nigeria revealed a high level of plagiarism and a moderate level of engagement in curbing the menace by LIS professionals. The study recommends a multifaceted approach to curb plagiarism; comprising information literacy instructions in academic institutions, institutionalised adoption and access to plagiarism detection software and advocacy programmes that promote ethical writing and ICT skills for LIS professionals.

“Understanding the World”

A central mandate of the teacher librarian (TL) is the development of information literatestudents who can locate and use information responsibly and ethically as learners and citizens(Australian Library and Information Association, 2016; International Federation of LibraryAssociations and Institutions, 2021). Therefore, it is vital that TLs are supported in theirendeavours to deliver high quality information literacy instruction, which reflects thechanging nature of information and the information landscape.

Centering justice/decentering whiteness: the case for abolition in information literacy pedagogical praxis

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to make visible the field's propensity to center whiteness even in engaging inclusive practices in information literacy classrooms. This paper offers abolitionist pedagogy as a means to understand and address these concerns.Design/methodology/approachThis paper uses interdisciplinary research methods in the fields of education, library science, feminist studies, Black studies and abolition studies to examine and provide an analysis of current information literacy practices by using abolitionist pedagogy to articulate how it is possible to expand information literacy instruction practices.FindingsCurrent information literacy practices and methods that seek to create inclusive learning environments for racialized and minoritized learners rely on a set of institutionalized practices such as critical information literacy and culturally sustaining pedagogies. An examination of these practices through an abolitionist pedagogical lens reveals how the field has engaged in reductive and uncritical engagement with these methods despite employing them to create inclusive spaces. Using abolitionist pedagogy as a lens, this critical essay examines the field's foundations in whiteness and illustrates pathways for transformative educational justice.Originality/valueThere has been much work on inclusive teaching practices that discusses challenging information literacy structures' reliance on dominant culture.? To date, there has been little to no scholarship on how information literacy practices could engage in abolitionist pedagogical praxis.

Planting Seeds for Curricular Change: Bridging Culturally Sustaining Pedagogies and Intertextuality for IRW

ABSTRACT The time investment that literacy curriculum design requires, if it is to be truly meaningful to students, is considerable. Crafting an organizing curricular model, identifying appropriate and relevant texts, and purposefully scaffolding instruction can take more time than teaching the class itself. And, given the current legislative policy reform movements within higher education and more directly within developmental education (where most postsecondary literacy instruction is housed), this work becomes even more intense. With these realizations in mind, we set out to begin work on curriculum design for IRW (and other literacy contexts) that takes its energy from a Culturally Sustaining Pedagogies approach and an intertextuality-based approach. This manuscript provides the seeds of that model.

Correction: Explicit and evidence-based literacy instruction in middle school: an observation study

Correction: Explicit and evidence-based literacy instruction in middle school: an observation study

Expanding Shared Reading: Integrating Expansive Literacy and Translanguaging Strategies to Support Multilingual Learners Who Communicate Using AAC

Multilingual learners (MLs) who communicate via alternative and augmentative communication (AAC) experience many barriers to accessing inclusive literacy instruction with same-age and multilingual peers. Educators can support MLs who use AAC by designing shared reading instruction that incorporates expansive literacy and translanguaging strategies. After reading this article, three key takeaways for educators of ML who use AAC are: (a) expansive literacy learning is a socio-cultural practice that is guided by communication and connection, (b) inclusive shared reading instruction develops language and literacy skills, and (c) research-based strategies like dialogic reading, teaching vocabulary through text, and discussion-oriented comprehension instruction with peers can be adapted to support linguistically and expressively diverse learners. Practitioners can plan inclusive shared reading instruction by using these expansive literacy approaches and research-based strategies to support ML who communicate using AAC.

Queering Elementary Literacy Curriculum

Using narrative inquiry and field observations, the authors investigated how elementary preservice teachers’ identities related to and informed their attempts to queer literacy instruction.

Effect of Information Literacy on Academic Performance of Business Students in Pakistan

Abstract The present research investigated the effect of information literacy on the academic performance of business students enrolled at the top seven business education institutions from urban Sindh, Pakistan. A quantitative research approach using a cross-sectional survey was used to conduct this investigation. The data were collected from 385 business students enrolled in different degree programs using a questionnaire. The recruitment of the participants was done through proportionate stratified simple random and systematic sampling techniques, with the results indicating that business students are information literate. In addition, the information literacy of business students appeared as a positive predictor of their academic performance. These results may inform policy and practice to improve business education and might be useful for business educators, policymakers, librarians, and business accrediting bodies (e.g., National Business Education Accreditation Council and Higher Education Commission) in designing a needs-based information literacy instruction program and curriculum for business students of all levels for better human-information interaction. This study contributed to the existing literature on the effectiveness of information literacy in academia, particularly on business students’ academic performance, as no such research was available in the existing literature at the time of writing this article, specifically from the South-Asian region.

Literacy teacher preparation for technology integration: A design experiment

Using formative design experiment, we engaged in iterative rounds of data collection, analysis, and redesign across three rounds to explore and hone 41 preservice-teachers’ (PTs’) preparation for selecting and integrating digital texts/tools in literacy instruction. Each PT submitted about two videos of literacy tutoring sessions (88 total). These were scored for quality using the DigiLit Framework rubric criteria. Multilevel regression modeling was used to explore potential changes in the quality across three rounds. Findings showed that shifts in literacy professor’s pedagogy (sharing model videos of digital texts/tools integration) resulted in improved PT’s practices (modeling literacy practices, modeling and guiding digital tool use, transformativeness). Further, findings underscore the importance of design experiments to uncover more effective teacher educator practices.

Vocabulary Instruction to Support Reading: A Clinician's Guide to Evidence-Based Practice

Purpose: The purposes of this tutorial are to (a) summarize the relationships between vocabulary and reading, in order to provide a justification for including vocabulary as part of literacy instruction and intervention; (b) outline ways to identify children with vocabulary deficits; (c) provide an overview of treatment for vocabulary intervention, which address the goals of developing word-specific knowledge, increasing awareness of the effect of context on word meaning, and developing the ability to infer the meaning of new words; and (d) outline evidence for a range of service delivery models for vocabulary intervention. Method: This tutorial includes a review of research related to vocabulary and reading development, strategies for identifying students who struggle with vocabulary learning, and intervention strategies that support vocabulary growth and reading development and role of the speech-language pathologist in vocabulary instruction and intervention. Conclusions: Vocabulary knowledge is critical to reading at all developmental phases. This tutorial outlines key information about vocabulary that speech-language pathologists can use to plan assessment and effective intervention for this foundational skill in written language.

In word and deed: Embodying early literacy learning in gestures and postures

Background: The context of this research is reading literacy instruction in Foundation Phase classrooms in South Africa. Although large-scale studies have researched learner performance, little is known of the nuances of teachers’ practice, particularly in the non-verbal realm. This research seeks to address that gap.Aim: This research investigated teachers’ gestural and postural enactments during reading literacy instruction in the Foundation Phase. It identified and described these enactments to understand their function.Setting: The research sites comprised three Grade One classrooms in suburban government schools. The research focused on the Foundation Phase speech event ‘Reading on the Mat’, a variation of Group Guided Reading.Methods: This article presents a strand of a linguistic micro-ethnography. An analysis of the forms and styles of communication showed the salience of gestures and postures in teachers’ practices. The research used an established framework to analyse non-verbal communication and also generated a framework to analyse postural communication.Results: These teachers deployed gestures and postures to enact their instruction. Learners embodied their learning by copying gestures and using them in recall. Postures were used to provide signals to learners and visitors related to the function of activities on the Mat.Conclusion: The article concluded that gestures and postures can be deliberately employed in the service of literacy teaching in the Foundation Phase. Their analysis can also reveal the function of enactment practices to researchers.Contribution: This article adds to the understandings of embodied practices. It presents original categories that may be useful in similar research into teachers’ practices.

Scaling up a Technology-Based Literacy Innovation: Evolution of the Teacher Professional Development Course

Good teachers are a major predictor of students’ success in school and beyond it. Finding ways to increase the quality of teaching has been a concern for educational systems across various income contexts and, particularly, in the Global South. This paper discusses the iterative design of an online teacher professional development program geared to improving teachers’ English language instruction by means of implementing early literacy software. The program was implemented in various modes (face-to-face, blended and online) with early primary teachers scattered throughout Kenya during the pandemic school closures and after reopening. Relying on the blended learning approach, a potentially effective technology-driven TPD offers multifaceted content, has adaptive and flexible design, and is ongoing until mastery of core concepts is achieved. Further, such solution develops motivational dispositions of teachers about teaching with early literacy software so that its perceived value and the likelihood of success are high, and the benefits outweigh the costs of implementation. The next step of this research is to learn about the specific outcomes of the blended TPD, including changes in literacy instruction and subsequent improvements in student literacy skills.

Drama Queens: applying dramaturgy as an inclusive pedagogy within the one shot

PurposeTo illuminate the experience of working with students using the innovative pedagogical approach of dramaturgy, this pedagogy can more effectively address systemic bias within academia.Design/methodology/approachThis paper is rooted in dramaturgical theory which suggests that how a person's identity or background is being constantly reshaped by their interactions with one another and the world around them. Within a classroom setting, it applies to contexts where group activities have a required performative aspect.FindingsThe authors found that taking a dramaturgical approach can be a very effective active learning technique within a one-shot information literacy instruction context.Originality/valueCreative approaches to information literacy instruction often remain untried, and the combination of this work and the consideration of dramaturgical theory within the framework of inclusive pedagogy is a distinct contribution to the field.

Making Thinking Explicit: A Skill Continuum of Preservice Teacher Use of Strategic Think-Alouds in Literacy Instruction

ABSTRACT Teachers understand the importance of think-alouds, yet research shows that think-alouds may be used ineffectively in practice. Often, this results from the difficulty of explicitly sharing the inner thought processes of competent readers and writers in transferable ways for students. To our knowledge, a tool for helping preservice teachers develop their competencies in rehearsing think-alouds for future instruction does not exist. Thus, the present study presents a Skill Continuum of Literacy Think-Aloud Practice demonstrated in preservice teachers’ (PSTs) articulation of metacognitive processes in modeled think-alouds during reading and writing instruction. Using qualitative content analysis, we explored how 55 PSTs applied metacognitive processes within online discussion forums for rehearsed think-alouds of reading and writing to create a skill continuum. This Skill Continuum of Literacy Think-Aloud Practice illustrates novice to more expert articulation of metacognitive processes within literacy think-alouds. Our findings reveal that integrating the metacognitive elements, rather than presenting them as discrete elements, reflects a more refined use of think-alouds in literacy instruction. Additionally, our findings highlight that integration of literacy strategies and skills shows a more refined level of implementation of modeling and explaining one’s thinking during reading and writing.

Teachers’ perspectives on the role and scope of practice of speech-language pathologists working to support literacy in the early years of school

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the views of teachers in early year levels about the role and scope for speech-language pathologists (SLPs) to work on literacy support in schools. Method: Sixty-one teachers from mainstream government schools across Victoria, Australia, completed an anonymous, online survey. Result: Although many respondents reported knowing that SLPs support the literacy learning of some students in their school, they had limited awareness of the scope of speech-language pathology practice in literacy instruction and intervention. Conclusion: Limited awareness of SLPs’ expertise and scope of practice may be leading to missed opportunities for collaborative practices. In order to capitalise on SLPs’ skill set for the benefit of students, the speech-language pathology profession should better promote and raise awareness of the various ways in which SLPs can collaborate within interprofessional literacy teams in schools.

Measuring outcomes: Information literacy instruction assessment in a cross-institutional study

Measuring the impact of information literacy instruction in higher education is essential to support teaching and learning and demonstrate the value of information literacy instruction. This article reports on the findings from a cross-institutional study using resources from the Association of College & Research Libraries' (ACRL) Project Outcome Toolkit. A survey from the toolkit was implemented to measure student perceptions across four outcomes: increased knowledge, increased confidence, application of new knowledge/skills, and increased awareness of resources. The data provides insight on what students value from library instruction sessions at both a research university and state college. Students at both institutions indicated that they value information literacy instruction, as demonstrated by the similar ratings across the four outcomes.

Reading Comprehension and the COVID‐19 Pandemic: What Happened and What Can We Do About It?

AbstractCovid‐19‐related school closures worldwide had an enormous impact on literacy instruction and learning. In this article, we share an overview of what research tells us about what happened to elementary learners' reading comprehension during these school closures and what reading comprehension instruction looked like in homes and schools during this time. We also provide recommendations for the path forward on the road to revitalizing reading comprehension achievement.

Elementary teachers’ experiences in online professional development for literacy-focused computer science instruction for all learners

ABSTRACT Background & Context This research focused on an online professional development (PD), the Inclusive Computer Science Model of PD, to support integrating computer science and computational thinking for all learners into K-5 literacy instruction. Objective This research was conducted to understand elementary teachers’ perceptions of the PD. Method We used a qualitative case study methodology to collect multiple sources of perception-focused data from 10 purposefully selected participants in the PD and used a general inductive approach to data analysis. Findings Three themes emerged that focus on teachers’ perceptions, with multiple considerations for how teachers viewed the concept of computer science, the potential for students with disabilities to participate in computer science instruction, and how they considered UDL in this instruction Implications Findings have implications for the potential of computer science integration into elementary literacy instruction and how teachers may independently use computer science instruction that supports all learners in their future teaching.

Costa Rica & the United States: A transnational early literacy study

ABSTRACT This transnational comparative study between Costa Rica and the United States provides an in-depth understanding of the similarities and differences of the early literacy practices of educators in the Pre-Kindergarten to Kindergarten classroom settings. Drawing upon Costa Rica’s curricular approach to Early Childhood Education, based upon the Ministerio de Educación Pública, this study positions the learner as the center of the schooling process and considers the teacher as a facilitator, mediator who knows the learners and their families. The main conceptual framework which has guided this research project is the National Reading Panel six pillars of literacy instruction. Specific findings include similarities in early literacy practices for both Costa Rica and the United States include role-playing, hands-on activities, and visual aids. General findings revealed that Costa Rica’s approach to early literacy practices was more holistic and integrated, in comparison to the United States with a more focused and analytical approach.

“Our Teaching Transcends a Subject Matter”: Learning From Black Women Educators’ Beliefs about Literacy Instruction During Extraordinary Times

Background: The Covid-19 pandemic, the United States’ racial reckoning, and nationwide educational “anti-woke” legislation—along with long-standing accountability policies—acutely constrained teachers’ experiences and have solidified public portrayals of educators as mistrustful and docile. Yet research suggests that, in the face of school and societal constraints, Black women educators develop and enact beliefs about teaching that challenge prevailing opinion to provide equitable and just learning experiences for their students. The 2020–2021 school year, an extraordinary moment in the United States, provided an important context to understand Black women educators’ developing beliefs about teaching secondary literacy, a politicized and contested subject. Purpose: This study builds off of historical and contemporary research on Black women educators to understand how two teachers developed their beliefs about teaching literacy in a middle school with a diverse student population during the Covid-19 pandemic and in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement. Drawing on Black feminist theory and asset-based pedagogies, it also sought to understand what individual and collective meaning they made out of their teaching experience. Research Design: The qualitative study centered on two Black women educators who taught seventh-grade English language arts and history during the 2020–2021 school year. The two teachers worked at a suburban middle school serving a racially diverse student population. The study involved three interviews with each participant and seven group discussions with both participants throughout the year. I employed grounded theory methodology to analyze the data and to develop themes about how the teachers developed their beliefs about teaching literacy. Findings: During an extraordinary moment in the United States—characterized by the Covid-19 pandemic, hybrid instruction, and a countrywide racial reckoning—the participants felt empowered to call out the deficit ideologies that their colleagues voiced. Calling out deficit ideologies informed three beliefs about teaching literacy: upholding students’ humanity, elevating classroom discussion, and teaching a complex narrative of people of Color. These findings affirm the mutuality between action and beliefs and emphasize a more socially and politically oriented conceptualization of literacy pedagogy. Recommendations: This study informs how educational leaders can support Black women educators with professional learning that positions culturally affirming school expectations and critical self-reflection as a precedent to the empowering literacy instruction teachers could enact in classrooms. Future research can examine school-level and social factors shaping teachers’ knowledge, beliefs, and practices.