Improved language and literacy skills in state primary schools in Western Australia
Corbitt, C., Hutchinson, B., Hutchinson, C., Parsons, L., & Pickford, T. (2015). Open Science Journal of Education, 3(5), 32-37.
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examining137Students, gradesK-7
Grant Competition
Review Details
Reviewed: December 2024
- Grant Competition (findings for Fast ForWord®)
- Randomized Controlled Trial
- Meets WWC standards without reservations because it is a randomized controlled trial with low attrition.
This review may not reflect the full body of research evidence for this intervention.
Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.
Findings
|
Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Queensland University Inventory of Literacy (QUIL) |
Fast ForWord® vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Full sample;
|
8.49 |
7.93 |
No |
-- |
|
Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals – 4th Edition – Australian Standardised Edition, Expressive Language Index |
Fast ForWord® vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Full sample;
|
88.00 |
85.00 |
No |
-- | |
|
Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals – 4th Edition – Australian Standardised Edition, Receptive Language Index |
Fast ForWord® vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Full sample;
|
91.00 |
88.40 |
No |
-- |
Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.
Sample Characteristics
Characteristics of study sample as reported by study author.
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Female: 30%
Male: 70% -
Suburban, Urban
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International
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Race Other or unknown 100% -
Ethnicity Other or unknown 100% -
Eligible for Free and Reduced Price Lunch Other or unknown 100%
Study Details
Setting
The study took place in four public primary schools in the Perth metropolitan area, located in Western Australia, representing a range of socioeconomic conditions. The schools were government-funded schools with optional fees.
Study sample
Students in the study were identified by classroom teachers as having difficulties in literacy, language, auditory processing, behavior, and/or attention. The randomized sample included 144 students (half in each study condition). The analytic sample included 137 students (68 in the intervention group and 69 in the comparison group). Students in the randomized sample had a median age of 9 years. Seventy percent were male, and 30 percent were female.
Intervention Group
Fast ForWord is a suite of computer-based intervention programs focused on developing skills that are necessary for reading and learning – for example, auditory processing, memory, attention, and language comprehension. The Fast ForWord Language program is geared toward younger students in year four and below, while Fast ForWord Middle & High School is geared toward older students. These programs help to develop oral language and listening skills. The third program, Fast ForWord Language to Reading, continues to build more complex oral language skills, and incorporates sound-symbol correspondence. Most students participated in Fast ForWord during class time, generally in place of their language-arts lesson, while some students participated in the intervention before school or during recess. Each program was implemented for 48 to 50 minutes per day, 5 days per week. The intervention is intended to be implemented over an 8- to 12-week period, although the intervention was delivered over a 7- to 11-week period in the study. Fast ForWord sessions were monitored by trained parent volunteers, under the supervision of the school’s Fast ForWord Coordinator.
Comparison Group
Students in the comparison condition received the standard curriculum provided by their schools. This included access to any reading recovery programs, extra classroom assistance, or small group work with an educational assistant. The comparison group received the intervention during a later school term after the study was completed.
Support for implementation
A private clinical practice with expertise in the Fast ForWord programs provided training to each school’s Fast ForWord Coordinator and volunteer parent coaches. Training included techniques on how to implement the program effectively, such as how to motivate students and monitor students’ progress.
An indicator of the effect of the intervention, the improvement index can be interpreted as the expected change in percentile rank for an average comparison group student if that student had received the intervention.
For more, please see the WWC Glossary entry for improvement index.
An outcome is the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that are attained as a result of an activity. An outcome measures is an instrument, device, or method that provides data on the outcome.
A finding that is included in the effectiveness rating. Excluded findings may include subgroups and subscales.
The sample on which the analysis was conducted.
The group to which the intervention group is compared, which may include a different intervention, business as usual, or no services.
The timing of the post-intervention outcome measure.
The number of students included in the analysis.
The mean score of students in the intervention group.
The mean score of students in the comparison group.
The WWC considers a finding to be statistically significant if the likelihood that the finding is due to chance alone, rather than a real difference, is less than five percent.
The WWC reviews studies for WWC products, Department of Education grant competitions, and IES performance measures.
The name and version of the document used to guide the review of the study.
The version of the WWC design standards used to guide the review of the study.
The result of the WWC assessment of the study. The rating is based on the strength of evidence of the effectiveness of the intervention. Studies are given a rating of Meets WWC Design Standards without Reservations, Meets WWC Design Standards with Reservations, or >Does Not Meet WWC Design Standards.
A related publication that was reviewed alongside the main study of interest.
Study findings for this report.
Based on the direction, magnitude, and statistical significance of the findings within a domain, the WWC characterizes the findings from a study as one of the following: statistically significant positive effects, substantively important positive effects, indeterminate effects, substantively important negative effects, and statistically significant negative effects. For more, please see the WWC Handbook.
The WWC may review studies for multiple purposes, including different reports and re-reviews using updated standards. Each WWC review of this study is listed in the dropdown. Details on any review may be accessed by making a selection from the drop down list.
Tier 1 Strong indicates strong evidence of effectiveness,
Tier 2 Moderate indicates moderate evidence of effectiveness, and
Tier 3 Promising indicates promising evidence of effectiveness,
as defined in the
non-regulatory guidance for ESSA
and the regulations for ED discretionary grants (EDGAR Part 77).