Project Activities
Quasi-experimental and qualitative designs will be used to develop and refine the instructional materials and evaluate the promise of the intervention package. Evaluation of the feasibility, utility, and promise of the intervention will include multiple literacy outcome measures, as well as contextual data to assess the influence of mental health, school structure, and student behavior on the implementation of literacy instruction in a juvenile justice facility. Finally, researchers will utilize student and facility personnel focus groups and classroom observations to determine intervention implementation and intervention components that need to be refined.
Structured Abstract
Setting
The intervention will be implemented within the juvenile justice system in Florida.
Sample
Participants will be approximately 400 incarcerated male students over a 3-year period residing in a juvenile justice facility. The facility serves students who are mostly 12 to18 years old. The average stay in the facility is 10 months.
Intervention
The intervention package will include the READ 180 program, other supplemental computer -based literacy programs, and teacher delivered lessons. All students will receive the intervention during their set literacy block, which is 110 minutes of intervention daily, five days a week. READ 180 is the primary component of the intervention package. READ 180 provides instruction in reading, writing, and vocabulary. It includes software that adapts to each student's progress and workbooks, paperback books, and audiobooks that target comprehension and independent reading. Supplemental computer-programs commonly used with READ 180 will be used. In addition, the research team will develop or adapt instruction materials to be utilized class wide and to provide students with explicit literacy instruction based on a behavioral approach to learning.
Research design and methods
Quasi-experimental and qualitative research methods are proposed to develop and refine the intervention package to meet the unique needs of a juvenile justice setting. A quasi-experimental design will be used to evaluate its feasibility, utility, and promise compared to standard literacy instruction provided by the juvenile justice system. To determine intervention use and fidelity of implementation, focus groups will be conducted with student and personnel and the researcher team will conduct classroom observations.
Control condition
Students in the comparison condition will receive standard literacy instruction from the juvenile justice system. The standard literacy instruction is provided during the set literacy block for 110 minutes daily, five days a week.
Key measures
Standardized teacher and student measures will be used. Student cognitive ability will be measured using the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence. Student achievement and progress measures include measures of letter-word identification, comprehension, decoding, sight word efficiency, fluency, spelling, writing, and vocabulary. Motivation, behavior, social skills, and mental health will also be assessed. The researchers will also use teacher focus groups and classroom observations focusing on teacher practices and fidelity and instructional quality to inform revisions to the intervention. Contextual data will be collected to assess the influence of mental health, school structure, and student behavior on the implementation of literacy instruction in a juvenile justice facility.
Data analytic strategy
Differences in growth rates between the treatment and control conditions will be compared for each outcome measure using hierarchical linear modeling. Constant comparative analyses with qualitative data from focus groups and classroom observations will be used to refine the intervention package.
People and institutions involved
IES program contact(s)
Products and publications
Products: The products of this project include evidence regarding the feasibility, usability, teachers' acceptance of the intervention package, and promise of the intervention package in a juvenile justice facility. Published reports and presentations will be provided.
Journal article, monograph, or newsletter
Gagnon, J.C., Houchins, D.E., and Murphy, K.M. (2012). Current Juvenile Corrections Professional Development Practices and Future Directions. Teacher Education and Special Education: The Journal of the Teacher Education Division of the Council for Exceptional Children, 35(4): 333-344. doi:10.1177/0888406411434602
Houchins, D.E., Jolivette, K., Shippen, M.E., and Lambert, R. (2010). Advancing High-Quality Literacy Research in Juvenile Justice: Methodological and Practical Considerations. Behavioral Disorders, 36(1): 61-69.
Houchins, D.E., Shippen, M.E., and Murphy, K. (2012). Evidence-Based Professional Development Considerations Along the School-to-Prison Pipeline. Teacher Education and Special Education: The Journal of the Teacher Education Division of the Council for Exceptional Children, 35(4): 271-283. doi:10.1177/0888406411412396
Houchins, D.E., Shippen, M.E., and Murphy, K. (in press). Professional Development Considerations Along the School to Prison Pipeline. Teacher Education and Special Education.
Questions about this project?
To answer additional questions about this project or provide feedback, please contact the program officer.
