Project Activities
Research plan
The PI explored and compared the effects of two different approaches to teaching complex word reading (SFV training and morphological training) on students' proximal and distal word reading outcomes. This was accomplished through two experiments: (1) a within-subject design exploring the impact of the SFV training and (2) a within- and between-subject design exploring the impact of SFV and morphological training on complex word reading. Approximately 158 students in grades 3-5 with dyslexia were recruited over the course of the project to participate in a short-duration design experiment. In experiment 1, 25 students received SFV training. In experiment 2, 133 students were randomly assigned to receive SFV or morphological training. SFV training encouraged students to engage with mispronunciations/decoded forms of complex words in a variety of ways. Morphological training directly targeted the spelling and meaning of words and was based on morphological interventions that have demonstrated positive effects in the literature. Students completed a battery of reading and cognitive measures prior to and after the instructional period. The PI conducted within-treatment analyses to determine the strength of the response to instruction from pre-test to post-test on the trained words and between-treatment analyses to compare the effects of the three approaches on the untaught transfer words. In addition, differential effects based on student skills (such as general word reading skill, morphological awareness, and phonological awareness) and word characteristics (such as frequency, length, and number of morphemes) were examined.
Career plan
Through a career development plan, the PI built (1) knowledge of dyslexia, reading interventions, and reading theory; (2) skills and knowledge related to item-level statistical analyses and randomized controlled trials; and (3) grant-writing skills. To accomplish these goals, the PI received guidance from mentors (including those with content and methodological expertise), participated in workshops related to randomized controlled trials and item response theory, attended conferences on reading and other research, and participated in grant-writing workshops.
Key outcomes
The main findings of this project, as reported by the PI, are as follows:
- There was no overall difference in polymorphemic word reading of trained words across conditions when there is engagement with the printed form a polymorphemic word.
- At the item level, students were more likely to read items that contained components that were directly emphasized in their training.
- Students who received oral language SFV training increased their item-level performance on trained, but not untrained, items.
People and institutions involved
IES program contact(s)
Project contributors
Products and publications
ERIC Citations: Find available citations in ERIC for this award here.
Questions about this project?
To answer additional questions about this project or provide feedback, please contact the program officer.
