Project Activities
Structured Abstract
Setting
Sample
Research design and methods
Control condition
Key measures
Data analytic strategy
People and institutions involved
IES program contact(s)
Products and publications
Products: The expected outcomes from this study include:
Book chapter
Dickinson, D. K., & Darrow, C. (in press). Methodological and practical challenges of broad-gauged language interventions. In T. Shanahan & C. Lonigan (Eds.), Literacy in preschool and kindergarten children: The National Early Literacy Panel and Beyond. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes.
Dickinson, D.K, Freiberg, J.B., and Barnes, E. (2011). Why are so Few Interventions Really Effective? A Call for Fine-Grained Research Methodology. In S.B. Neuman, and D.K. Dickinson (Eds.), Handbook of Early Literacy Research (pp. 337-357). New York: Guilford Press.
Dickinson, D.K. (2012). Approaches to Studying Language in Preschool Classrooms. In E. Hoff (Ed.), Guide to Research Methods in Child Language (pp. 254-270). Oxford, UK: Wiley-Blackwell. doi:10.1002/9781444344035.ch17
Kaiser, A.P. (in press). Practical Assessments of Communication in the Classroom. In M. McLean, M.L. Hemmeter, and P. Snyder (Eds.), Essential Elements for Assessing Infants and Preschoolers With Special Needs. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Publishing Co.
Kaiser, A.P., Roberts, M.Y., and McLeod, R.H. (2010). Young Children With Language Impairments: Challenges in Transition to Reading. In D.K. Dickinson, and S.B. Neuman (Eds.), Handbook of Early Literacy Research, Vol III (pp. 153-174). New York: Guilford Press.
McFarland, D., Diehl, D., and Rawlings, C.M. (2010). Methodological Transactionalism and the Sociology of Education. In M.T. Hallinan (Ed.), Frontiers of the Sociology of Education (pp. 87-110). New York: Springer Publishing.
Journal article, monograph, or newsletter
Castro, D., Paez, M., Dickinson, D., and Frede, E. (2011). Promoting Language and Literacy in Young Language Minority Children: Research, Practice and Policy. Child Development Perspectives, 5(1): 15-20. doi:10.1111/j.1750-8606.2010.00142.x
Dickinson, D.K., Golinkoff, R.M., and Hirsh-Pasek, K.K. (2010). Speaking Out for Language: Why Language Is Central to Reading Development. Educational Researcher, 39(4): 305-310. doi:10.3102/0013189X10370204
Kleeck, A.V., Schwarz, A.L., Fey, M., Kaiser, A.P., Miller, J., and Weitzman, E. (2010). Should we use Telegraphic or Grammatical Input in the Early Stages of Language Development With Children who Have Language Impairments? A Meta-Analysis of the Research and Expert Opinion. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 19: 3-21. doi:10.1044/1058-0360(2009/08-0075)
Supplemental information
- Published reports describing the efficacy of the three programs for improving children's language and literacy skills and behavior and how child, teacher, and classroom factors interact with a program of instruction in producing learning outcomes,
- Presentations on mediating variables that account for differences in intervention groups and provide insight into how individual differences emerge, and
- Presentations on the cost analyses related to these intervention options.
Purpose: The purpose of this project is to examine the differential effects of three approaches to improving language and literacy skills of children who are enrolled in Head Start and have Individualized Education Plans (IEP), very low language, or low language and high problem behaviors. These approaches are: 1) Opening the World of Learning (OWL); 2) OWL + Enhanced Milieu Teaching (EMT); and 3) Creative Curriculum (CC), a general curriculum model which is widely used in Head Start classrooms.
The OWL intervention is a published curriculum designed for use in preschool classrooms to support all aspects of child development. Language and literacy related skills are central to the content of the curriculum. Daily activities are emphasized in large group book reading, thematically related small and large group activities, and teacher-child interactions during center times, meals, and outdoor play. OWL provides teachers with detailed rubrics for teaching in small groups and centers, guidelines for behaviors to observe during activities, and suggestions for ways to adjust activities to meet individual child needs.
The EMT intervention is a hybrid intervention technique that utilizes principles of environmental arrangement, responsive interaction, and incidental teaching to teach language to children with moderate to severe language delays. In everyday conversational interactions with children, adults arrange the environment to provide activities of interest, promote child engagement and communication, and prompt child production of target language in functional contexts.
Questions about this project?
To answer additional questions about this project or provide feedback, please contact the program officer.
