Kindergarten Reading Skills Research Articles

Longitudinal relations between behavioral engagement and academic achievement: The moderating roles of socio-economic status and early achievement

This study investigated developmental trajectories of observationally coded engagement across the early elementary years and whether these trajectories were associated with children's academic achievement. Furthermore, we evaluated if these relations varied as a function of children's family socio-economic status and early reading and math skills. Data were collected from 301 children who were studied from kindergarten (Mage = 65.74 months; 49% boys) to 2nd grade. Children's behavioral engagement was observed in kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade. Reading and math skills were assessed via standardized tests in kindergarten and 2nd grade. Growth mixture models identified two classes of behavioral engagement: most children (87.0%) displayed relatively high behavioral engagement in the fall of kindergarten and decreased significantly across time (referred to below as high-decreasing class), and other children (13.0%) exhibited moderate behavioral engagement in the fall of kindergarten that was stable across time (referred to below as moderate-stable class). After controlling for academic skills in kindergarten and demographic variables (i.e., child age, sex, ethnicity, and family socio-economic status), children in the high-decreasing class displayed higher reading skills, but not math skills, than children in the moderate-stable class. Additional analyses revealed that differences in reading skills between the two classes were present only for children from low socio-economic status families or for children low in kindergarten reading skills. The findings suggest that economically or academically at-risk students might benefit more than their peers from high behavioral engagement.

Meningkatkan Kemampuan Mengenal Keaksaraan Awal melalui Permainan Kartu Suku Kata dengan Model Pembelajaran Kooperatif pada Anak Kelompok B TK Dharma Wanita Bansari Temanggung Semester II Tahun 2018/2019

One aspect of language that needs to be prepared and developed for kindergarten age children to face the next level of education is the ability to recognize early literacy. The ability to recognize early literacy is an ability that looks simple, but this ability must be mastered by kindergarten children because the introduction of letters including initial capital has reading skills. To master reading skills in kindergarten, various ways are needed in the learning process in recognizing early literacy, one of which is by using syllable card media so that children are interested in new things so that they are easy to receive information. The aims of this study were: 1) to find out the steps to increase the ability to recognize early literacy through syllable card games with cooperative learning models, 2) to determine the magnitude of the increase in ability to recognize early literacy through syllable card games with cooperative learning models in group children. B TK Dharma Wanita Bansari Temanggung Semester II 2018/2019. The subjects of this study were students of Group B TK Dharma Wanita Bansari totaling 20 children. Data collection methods used are observation, interviews, and documentation. The conclusion of this study is that the ability to recognize early literacy of children in group B of Dharma Wanita Bansari Kindergarten can be improved using syllable card media games with cooperative learning models. In the learning process of the syllable card game, each child holds the syllable card directly and plays it according to the researcher's instructions, namely reading words based on writing, connecting and mentioning simple writing with symbols that symbolize, making scribbles or writing in the form of letters or words. The increase in the ability to recognize early literacy is in the initial condition by 15%, increasing in Cycle I to 30%, and Cycle II increasing to 85%. So, from pre-action to Cycle II, there was an increase of 70%.

Penggunaan Metode Cantol Roudhoh Dalam Meningkatkan Kemampuan Membaca Anak Usia Dini Kelompok A Di Ra Muslimat Nu 013 Islamiyah Ii Sedah

This study aims to determine the application of the Cntol Roudhoh method in improving reading skills in Kindergarten. The research was conducted at RAM Muslimat NU 013 Islamiyah II in Sedah Village, Jenang District, Ponorogo Regency, involving students and teachers. This research is a qualitative research with a case study research type. Data collected by observing, interviewing, then analyzing documents. The data were analyzed using qualitative data analysis techniques. The results of this study indicate the application of the cantol roudhoh method in the RAMNU 013 Islamiyah II Sedah institution, namely the teacher conveys the systematic delivery of packages, namely from the prologue, introducing cantol, lined up, calling, singing, shuffling, lining up, calling, hiding, lining up, calling, arm in arm, line up , hidden and then lined up, explaining the activities and evaluation. After that, students are allowed to come forward one by one to find out whether the students really understand or not. The effectiveness of the cantol roudhoh method at the RAMNU 013 Islamiyah II Sedah institution is very effective, seen from the children being very enthusiastic and interesting every time the teacher delivers and every graduation from the institution is certain to be able to read fluently. The advantages of the cantol roudhoh method in the RAMNU 013 Islamiyah II Sedah institution are that the average child can read quickly and easily. While the drawback is that the shortcomings of the cantol raoudhoh method are only the ineffective time used, because in the institution it is included in the learning material so that hours are very limited with the number of students in the institution

Examining the Influence of Interactions Between Early Reading Skills and Executive Functioning on Second Grade Reading Achievement

Questions still exist about the interplay between foundational literacy components and budding cognitive structures that are thought to influence advanced reading abilities. Understanding interactions between executive functions (EFs) and specific early reading skills could contribute to our understanding of later reading achievement. The present study used multilevel modeling to examine whether EFs (i.e., working memory, cognitive flexibility, and inhibition) moderate the relation between various early reading skills in kindergarten and second grade reading achievement in a sample of 18,174 participants from the ECLS: K-2011 database. Our findings suggested that early teacher-rated reading skills are related to second grade reading abilities. Both working memory and inhibition were important moderators for reading independently in kindergarten and are associated with later reading achievement in second grade. Research implications and the importance of understanding the intersection of cognitive processes and learning in early childhood are discussed.

Assessing Foundational Reading Skills in Kindergarten: A Curriculum-Based Measurement in Spanish

Early identification of learning difficulties is a critical component of the Response to Intervention (RtI) model. In kindergarten, the screening of foundational reading skills can provide a data-based guideline for identifying students requiring a more intensive response-based intervention before starting elementary school. This study examines the classification accuracy and best predictors of a set of Spanish curriculum-based measures administered during kindergarten. The study’s sample included 189 students tested in the fall, winter, and spring. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was conducted. The composite score of the curriculum-based measurement (CBM) revealed area under the ROC curve (AUC) values of 0.83, 0.97, and 0.94 in the fall, winter, and spring, respectively. Phonemic awareness and letter-sound knowledge were the only isolated measures that demonstrated excellent AUC values throughout kindergarten. Logistic regression models showed that, when entered simultaneously, all measures were significant predictors of reading risk at some moment of the school year.

Cognitive Predictors of Kindergarten Achievement in African American Children.

Three aspects of cognition (fluid intelligence, executive functioning, and crystallized intelligence) in pre-K were examined as predictors of math and reading achievement in kindergarten among an economically diverse sample of 198 African American children. From a variable-centered perspective, confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the three aspects of cognition can be distinguished. Subsequent regression analyses indicated that only executive functioning and crystallized intelligence predicted math and reading achievement in kindergarten. From a person-centered perspective, three profiles of cognition were identified: low fluid and crystallized intelligence with average executive functioning, average abilities in all three areas, and high abilities in all three areas, but particularly higher in executive functioning. Children with low fluid and crystallized intelligence during pre-K had the lowest math and reading skills in kindergarten, whereas children with the highest cognitive skills had the highest math and reading skills in kindergarten. Together, the variable-centered and person-centered results suggest that perhaps there should be increased focus on crystallized intelligence in early education programs, policies, and interventions in addition to a focus on executive functioning.

Concentrated poverty in preschools and children's cognitive skills: The mediational role of peers and teachers

Economic inequality and ensuing economic stratification in educational and community contexts are growing in the United States. Given these patterns, it is essential to understand the implications of economic stratification in early education settings. This paper delineates repercussions of the concentration of poor children in preschool programs using lagged structural equation models estimated in two longitudinal studies following 3396 4-year-old children in 486 primarily publicly-funded preschool classrooms through kindergarten entrance. Concentrated poverty in preschool classrooms was associated with lower language and reading skills in kindergarten in part through children's exposure to less cognitively-skilled peers, with teacher instructional quality not serving as a reliable mediator. These associations did not emerge in relation to children's math skills. Results expand conceptual models of peer effects and inform preschool policies which seek to increase quality and equity and enhance children's learning.

Instructional Support and Academic Skills: Impacts of INSIGHTS in Classrooms With Shy Children

ABSTRACTResearch Findings: This study investigated how mean classroom-level shyness scores moderated the impacts of INSIGHTS into Children’s Temperament on instructional support and students’ math and reading skills in kindergarten and 1st-grade classrooms. INSIGHTS is a temperament-based social-emotional learning intervention with teacher, parent, and classroom programs. A total of 22 low-income urban elementary schools, 90 teachers, and 435 children were included in the study. Schools were randomly assigned to INSIGHTS or an attention-control condition. Multilevel modeling demonstrated larger impacts of INSIGHTS on instructional support in 1st-grade classrooms with greater mean classroom-level shyness scores. A further set of multilevel analyses showed larger impacts of INSIGHTS on math skills for students in classrooms with greater mean classroom-level shyness scores. Practice or Policy: Results suggest the importance of considering temperament at the classroom level when deciding how to allocate limited resources to the implementation of temperament-based intervention and/or social-emotional learning programs. Moreover, providing professional development supports to teachers of shy students—who are at risk for poorer instruction and academic skills—should be considered by policymakers and practitioners.

A longitudinal investigation of direct and indirect links between reading skills in kindergarten and reading comprehension in tenth grade

In this study, researchers examined the extent to which several fundamental measures of reading proficiency from kindergarten students (N = 3180) were linked to reading comprehension in tenth grade while controlling for third grade vocabulary and oral reading fluency. Analyses tested the direct and indirect relations between and among kindergarten, third grade, and tenth grade measures. Results showed significant direct effects from kindergarten nonsense word fluency and letter naming fluency to tenth grade reading comprehension, along with significant indirect effects of kindergarten nonsense word fluency and vocabulary to tenth grade reading comprehension. Findings suggest that fundamental precursors maintain strong impact upon reading comprehension into the secondary school years. These findings are discussed along with implications for interventions and ideas for future research.

Lo sviluppo delle abilità inferenziali di lettura nella scuola dell’infanzia con l’utilizzo della LIM: le premesse di una ricerca

The Development of Inferential Reading Skills in Kindergarten by Means of IWB: A Preliminary Research The article describes the communicative and interactive processes in groups of kindergarten children engaged in text reading/understanding tasks through the functional use of IWB. The aim is to use specific methodologies and teaching aids to assess whether and how it is possible to stimulate and facilitate inferential skills development with the learner’s active involvement. In this understanding process, the basic function is carried out by an adult who controls the interaction between peers during the reading step and the way the children are engaged to participate and act. The research project consists of meetings during which children are invited to read animated figures or static picture sequences. The experimental design envisages a control group in which a teacher introduces materials without the aid of IWB, and an experimental group in which children work on the same materials presented through IWB. Moreover, the research aims to show how the use and sharing of soundgraphic texts can enhance the children’s analytical competence and heuristic processes.

Letter knowledge predicts Grade 4 reading fluency and reading comprehension

The present study examined the predictors of fourth graders' reading skills (reading comprehension, text reading and word chain reading). Reading skill antecedents of 158 children of 5–6 years of age were measured at the beginning of kindergarten; students' reading skills were measured in kindergarten and in Grades 1 and 4. The results showed that children's letter knowledge at the beginning of kindergarten was the most powerful predictor of their reading skills at the end of Grade 4. Other predictors were metacognitive awareness, gender, mother's level of education, and visual attention. Phonological awareness at kindergarten affected reading skills at Grade 4 through reading skills in kindergarten and Grade 1.

Predicting English Word Reading Skills for Spanish-Speaking Students in First Grade.

This article describes the word reading skills in English and Spanish for a sample of 244 Spanish-speaking, English-learning (hence, bilingual) students in first grade and presents a predictive model for English word reading skills. The children in the study were assessed at the end of kindergarten and first grade, respectively. Data were gathered with 3 subtests of the Woodcock Language Proficiency Battery and a researcher-developed phonological awareness task. Results showed that, on average, children's English word reading skills were similar to monolingual norms whereas their Spanish word reading skills averaged 1 SD below the mean. English vocabulary, English phonological awareness, and Spanish word reading skills in kindergarten were found to be significant predictors of English word reading skills in first grade. Educational implications for screening language and reading skills and promising areas for targeted instruction for this population are discussed.

Implementing Research-Based Reading Programs in the Fort Worth Independent School District

Within only 2 school years, the Fort Worth Independent School District implemented direct instruction of prereading and early reading skills in kindergarten, first, and second grade for more than 14,000 students in 61 elementary schools. This article describes the reading programs adopted by the district, the implementation activities, and the evaluation. The article first examines the programs selected, the selection process, and the roles of district personnel and external advisors in motivating, legitimizing, and attracting funding for the implementation. The article then reviews the evaluation of the implementation process, including feedback mechanisms, coaching, classroom observations, and district-wide monitoring of lesson progress and mastery. The article evaluates student gains by comparing performance on standardized reading tests with prior year performance and national norms. Finally, the article analyzes variation in reading program effectiveness using a value-added regression framework. The study finds that the reading programs have a positive impact on student reading achievement, especially for disadvantaged students in kindergarten.