Primary Reading Instruction Research Articles

Evaluation of Primary Reading Teaching in Multigrade Classes According to Teachers' Views

Multigrade classes which are at least two or more grade’s students are brought together in the same classroom and educational activities are carried out simultaneously by a single teacher. The main purpose of this study is how this practice, closely related to many teachers, students and parents, is evaluated by teachers. The aim of this study is to reveal how teachers explain this experience, its positive and negative aspects, and the difficulties experienced during sound-based sentence teaching. Semi-structured interviews were held with 7 teachers in order to evaluate primary reading instruction in multigrade classes according to teachers' opinions. The data regarding the participants selected by the criterion sampling method were transferred to the word environment on the computer and descriptive analysis was performed. The analyses were evaluated and interpreted. Teachers stated that teaching in multigrade classrooms is quite different from teaching in independent classrooms. They stated that this experience provides greater satisfaction at the teaching profession and increases the sense of belonging to the school. They also stated that it is important to step in the role of community leadership and to reside in the village. Among the positive aspects of teaching in multigrade classes; supporting students’ social and emotional development; supporting cognitive development by more effective usage of peer teaching, and the small class member number. Among the negative aspects, there are time constraints, emotional difficulties experienced by teachers, insufficient readiness of students, upper classes to make fun of lower classes, physical limitations and material deficiencies. It has been mentioned that some teachers changed the order of the letters during the teaching reading, that the region where the school is located is a place with intense dialect, making the process difficult, and the difficulties of performing some sound recognition activities. In order to allocate more resources to the relevant schools in order to overcome the difficulties experienced in the multigrade classrooms and to enable the teachers to start the process more ready, it is recommended that the education courses in the multi-grade classrooms conducted at the university should be more practice-based. The participants in this study are teachers. A study can be conducted that addresses the students' perspective.

Implementation of Early Reading Games to Teach English Using Integrated Sound Word Method for Preschoolers

In teaching English reading skills to preschoolers, two primary reading instruction approaches have been established: the Phonics Approach and the Whole Language Approach. However, no evidence was found in the past studies to support these methods in the Malaysian setting. This study examines the effects of early reading games on teaching English among second language learners in preschools using the Integrated Sound Word Method using 60 preschoolers aged six years old in the district of Kuala Lumpur as samples. Two groups were formed to be assigned as the control group and intervention group. Pre-test, post-test, and post-test 2 were administered to the control and intervention groups before and after the quasi-experimental study. The Integrated Sound Word Method incorporated early reading games as an intervention for the intervention group. This study used one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) as well as the learning outcomes of the experimental study to measure its significance. The findings showed that the intervention group performed better in improving early reading proficiency through games as compared to the control group at each level. The participants in the intervention group are able to grasp early reading proficiency after learning through early reading games using the Integrated Sound Word Method. This study has several implications for educators and policymakers in developing effective reading programs for second language learners, emphasizing the significance of a balanced approach to achieving the objectives of the Malaysia Education Blueprint (2013–2025).

Theory, policy, and practice: bridging the gap between teacher training and classroom practice in language of instruction in Zambia

This participatory action research project conducted through the USAID-funded Transforming Teacher Education activity examined how two pre-service teacher education programs in Zambia prepared teachers for primary reading instruction. College and university lecturers and in-service primary grade teachers participated in focus groups and interviews. We identified gaps between training and practice within the framework of Zambia’s language of instruction policy. We find that pre-service teacher preparation was generally theoretical and not practical. Opportunities for practice were limited, leading to teachers lacking required competencies and using outdated approaches in schools. We suggest strategies to improve the alignment of pre-service teacher education and classroom instruction.

Developing new reading assessments to promote beginning reading in Singapore

Effective reading instruction and intervention are rooted in effective assessments of children’s developing skills in reading. The article aims to describe the development of new reading assessments to help promote beginning reading in Singapore primary schools. We begin with an introduction to the educational landscape and policies before articulating the need for developing the new reading assessments to enhance teachers’ capacity in assessing children’s beginning reading for formative purposes. A detailed description of the reading assessments is included in the article as we hope that the innovation can shed some light on primary reading instruction and assessment in the Asia Pacific region. We conclude the article by discussing the implications of the new reading assessments on the teaching and learning of beginning reading.

Guided Field Observations: Variables Related to Preservice Teachers' Knowledge about Effective Primary Reading Instruction*

Relations between preservice teachers' guided field observations of primary literacy instruction and knowledge about effective beginning reading practices were explored. Preservice teachers (n = 48) participated in a Directed Field Experience course including instruction on and observations of exemplary teaching practices promoting student engagement and literacy achievement. Correlations, calculated between the quantity of exemplary reading instruction practices observed by preservice teachers and the accuracy of observations with their knowledge about effective beginning literacy instruction, suggest guided field observations of exemplary practices may positively impact preservice teachers' knowledge of effective early literacy instruction. Observing more exemplary practices was associated with preservice teachers' knowledge acquisition represented in concept maps (r = .368; p = .015). Practices promoting a generally motivating classroom atmosphere were more readily understood by preservice teachers than intricate subtleties of motivating literacy instruction.

Use of Evidence-Based, Small-Group Reading Instruction for English Language Learners in Elementary Grades: Secondary-Tier Intervention

This experimental/comparison study of secondary-level, small-group instruction included 318 first- and second-grade students (170 ELL and 148 English-only) from six elementary schools. All schools served high numbers of ELL students with varying school SES in urban and suburban communities. Experimental schools implemented a three-tier model of intervention. In addition to primary-tier reading instruction, the second-tier, small-group experimental interventions included use of (a) evidence-based direct instruction reading curricula that explicitly targeted skills such as phonological/phonemic awareness, letter-sound recognition, alphabetic decoding, fluency building and comprehension skills; and (b) small groups of 3 to 6 students. Students at comparison schools were not exposed to a three-tier reading program but received (a) an ESL intervention using balanced literacy instruction with a focus on word study, group and individual story reading, and writing activities; and (b) small groups of 6 to 15 students. The ESL/balanced literacy intervention was generally in addition to primary reading instruction. Results indicated generally higher gains for ELL students enrolled in direct instruction interventions. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Evaluation of Oral Reading Rate as a Curriculum-Based Measure Within Literature-Based Curriculum

This study investigated the utility of oral reading rate as a metric in monitoring students’ progress over time when instruction was occurring in a literature-based curriculum. Participants included 28 second-grade and 30 fifth-grade students who were currently receiving their primary reading instruction in a literature-based series. Curriculum-based measurement (CBM) probes were administered to these students twice a week over a 10-week period to monitor their progress in reading. Resulting data suggests that the CBM oral reading rate is an effective metric for use with students who are being instructed in a literature-based reading series.

A Reply to Robert Emans' 'Reaction to the Summary of the Second-Grade Phase of the Cooperative Research Program in Primary Reading Instruction'

Robert Emans (1969), in his reaction to the Summary of the Second-Grade Phase of the Cooperative Research Program in Primary Reading Instruction (Dykstra, 1968), took issue with Dykstra's interpretation of the implications of the study. He suggested that 1] Dykstra downgraded the importance of the findings regarding the relative effectiveness of various methods and materials, and that 2] Dykstra's suggestion that future research should focus on elements of the total learning situation rather than methods and materials was unwarranted.

A Reaction to 'Summary of the Second-Grade Phase of the Cooperative Research Program in Primary Reading Instruction' by Robert Dykstra

A Reaction to 'Summary of the Second-Grade Phase of the Cooperative Research Program in Primary Reading Instruction' by Robert Dykstra

The Effectiveness of Language Arts and Basic Reader Approaches to First-Grade Reading Instruction--Extended into Third Grade

INVESTIGATES WHETHER there is a significant difference between the Language Arts approach and the Basic Reader approach to primary reading instruction, carried over to the third-grade level. The sample consisted of 22 third-grade classrooms in three towns. Twelve classes used the Language Arts approach, 10 used the Basic Reader approach. Results indicated that the Language Arts population achieved significantly higher scores on the Stanford Achievement tests of Science, Social Studies Concepts, and Spelling as well as on the Accuracy and Rate sub-tests of the Gilmore Oral Reading Test. The Language Arts group also achieved significantly better on the two individually administered tests of word recognition and on measures of creative writing such as Writing Mechanics, Spelling, Number of Running Words and Different Words, and Number of Polysyllablic Words.

Summary of the Second-Grade Phase of the Cooperative Research Program in Primary Reading Instruction

SUMMARIZES the report of the Coordinating Center following the second-grade phase of the Cooperative Research Program in primary reading instruction. Data used in the study were collected from fifteen projects which conducted follow-up studies. The Coordinating Center was interested in three basic questions during the second-grade phase of the study: 1] To what extent are various readiness characteristics of beginning first-grade pupils related to pupil achievement in reading, spelling, and language skills at the end of the second grade? 2] How do linguistic, initial teaching alphabet, language experience, and phonic/linguistic programs compare in effectiveness with conventional basal programs at the end of the second grade? 3] What is the relative influence on second-grade achievement of the project (in most cases a school system) in which a pupil learns to read and the method and/or materials which comprise the instructional program? Results of the correlation analysis revealed that knowledge of letter names, intelligence, and auditory discrimination measured at the beginning of first grade were the best predictors of the various measures of achievement at the end of two years of instruction. The correlation coefficients between readiness