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Improving Reading Comprehension for Struggling Readers: Understanding the Roles of Vocabulary Development, Guided Strategy Use, and Spanish Language Supports in a Digital Reading Environment

Year: 2005
Name of Institution:
Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST)
Goal: Development and Innovation
Principal Investigator:
Dalton, Bridget
Award Amount: $1,499,185
Award Period: 3 years
Award Number: R305G050029

Description:

Co-Principal Investigator(s): Proctor, Patrick; Snow, Catherine

Purpose: The purpose of this project was to develop and test a technology-based instructional approach to improving reading comprehension among diverse struggling fifth-grade readers, including English language learners (ELLs). Over 3 years, the researchers planned to conduct 3 studies that developed and refined a digital reading environment called a universal learning edition (ULE), which has strong, embedded supports for reading strategies and active vocabulary learning. At the end of this project, the researchers' goal was to have a final version of the ULE prototype, teacher guide materials, and preliminary data on the potential effectiveness of this intervention to improve reading comprehension among struggling readers and ELLs. The results of this work may contribute to a larger understanding of how to design and implement digital reading environments that are customized to the needs of diverse readers.

Structured Abstract

THE FOLLOWING CONTENT DESCRIBES THE PROJECT AT THE TIME OF FUNDING

Setting: The studies are being conducted in fifth-grade urban/semi-urban classrooms in the northeast of the United States.

Sample: The students participating in this research project include both typical and struggling readers, as well as students for whom English is a first language. Over 3 years, approximately 320 grade 5 students are participating. In addition, 14 teachers are participating in the research project.

Intervention: The digital reading environment being developed is called universal learning editions (ULE). ULE embeds vocabulary and reading strategy instruction in interactive scaffolded digital versions of narrative and informational texts.

Research Design and Methods: In phase 1, the research team is developing a ULE with interactive vocabulary supports. This ULE is being formatively evaluated with 40 students in 2 classrooms. To assess the relative contribution of vocabulary versus reading strategy supports to reading achievement, a small evaluation to obtain evidence of the potential efficacy of this intervention is being conducted in phase 2, with 6 classrooms randomly assigned to condition, and a total of 120 students participating. The three conditions being compared are (1) ULE with vocabulary supports, (2) ULE with reading strategy supports, and (3) ULE with both vocabulary and strategy supports. In phase 3, the research team is randomly assigning 8 classrooms either to a full ULE treatment with both vocabulary and strategy supports or a control condition. Approximately 160 students will participate in the phase 3 experiment.

Control Condition: In phase 3, students in the control condition read the same digital texts with only text-to-speech capacity and a glossary.

Key Measures: Measures include pre/post standardized and researcher-developed reading comprehension and vocabulary tests, student ULE worklogs, event-usage tracking data, and field notes. Both quantitative and qualitative methodologies are being used to assess reading outcomes and gain insights on students' ULE use and teachers' implementation.

Data Analytic Strategy: For the quasi-experimental studies, the researchers are using multiple regression techniques to determine differential effects of each condition on vocabulary and comprehension outcomes, for struggling readers and for ELL students. The researchers are also examining the relationship among students' use of ULE supports, student characteristics, and reading outcomes. This development project is intended only to obtain evidence of the potential effectiveness of the intervention; the study is under-powered for analysis at the unit of random assignment (classroom) and will be analyzed at the level of the student.

Products and Publications

ERIC Citations: Find available citations in ERIC for this award here.

WWC Review: Proctor, C. P., Dalton, B., Uccelli, P., Biancarosa, G., Mo, E., Snow, C., & Neugebauer, S. (2011). Improving Comprehension Online: Effects of Deep Vocabulary Instruction With Bilingual and Monolingual Fifth Graders. Reading and Writing: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 24(5): 517–544. [WWC Review]

Select Publications

Book chapters

Dalton, B., and Proctor, C.P. (2007). Reading as Thinking: Integrating Strategy Instruction in a Universally Designed Digital Literacy Environment. In D.S. McNamara (Ed.), Reading Comprehension Strategies: Theories, Interventions, and Technologies (pp. 421–440). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum Publishers.

Uccelli, P., and Snow, C.E. (2008). A Research Agenda for Educational Linguistics. In B. Spolsky, F. M. Hult (Ed.), The Handbook of Educational Linguistics (pp. 626–642). Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing.

Journal articles

Dalton, B., Proctor, C.P., Uccelli, P., Mo, E., and Snow, C.E. (2011). Designing for Diversity: The Role of Reading Strategies and Interactive Vocabulary in a Digital Reading Environment for Fifth-Grade Monolingual English and Bilingual Students. Journal of Literacy Research, 43(1): 68–100.

Proctor, C.P., Dalton, B., Uccelli, P., Biancaros, G. Mo, E., Snow, C.E., and Neugebauer, S. (2009). Improving Comprehension Online: Effects of Deep Vocabulary Instruction With Bilingual and Monolingual Fifth Graders. Reading and Writing: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 24(5): 517–544.

Proctor, C. P., Uccelli, P., Dalton, B., and Snow, C.E. (2009). Understanding Depth of Vocabulary Online With Bilingual and Monolingual Children. Reading and Writing Quarterly, 25(4): 311–333.