Utah State University

Computational thinking (CT) has emerged as a major topic of interest in K-12 education, with widespread efforts to support students in developing this competency in multiple content areas (e.g., Next Generation Science Standards) without specifically tying it to learning coding or computer science. However, many facets of computational thinking are not clearly defined or understood, including (1) the extent to which it can be assessed independent of coding and (2) its relationship to other m...

The Principal Investigator (PI) will conduct a program of research for improving outcomes among young dual language learners (DLLs) with language delays, while participating in mentoring and training activities to develop knowledge and skills related to this population, methods for developing and evaluating interventions, and writing and dissemination. Early language skills are critical for later reading and school achievement, yet little is known about effective language interventions for y...

In this project, the researchers rigorously evaluated the Supporting Knowledge of Language and Literacy (SKILL), an intervention they had developed in a previous IES grant to teach students about story structure and higher level aspects of academic language. Through this efficacy study, they aimed to determine whether training in oral narration impacted the use of higher level language, reading comprehension, and written language. Narration has been shown to be a foundational skill for liter...

Oral language development provides the foundation for learning, reading, and academic success in early childhood. Children with language impairments (LI) and English language learners (ELLs) who are at-risk for oral language deficits are at a disadvantage in educational and social settings. The purpose of this project is to develop a robust program to foster oral language proficiency through instruction in story comprehension and storytelling (narration).

In this project, the researchers propsed to develop and pilot a reliable, comprehensive, and practical primary-grade measure called the Evidence-based Reading/Writing Teacher Knowledge Assessment System (ERWTKAS). ERWTKAS was intended to measure teachers' knowledge about effective, evidence-based reading and writing instruction. By the end of this project, the researchers aimed to have completed the development of ERWTKAS as well as validated the measure against students' reading and writing...