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- Title
- Can a Multiple Intervention Approach Improve College Students' Persistence, GPA, and Credits Earned?.
- Creator
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Guillemette, Joshua, Sivo, Stephen, Swan, Bonnie, Hahs-Vaughn, Debbie, Vitale, Thomas, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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The research conducted tested a theory based on work by Tinto (1999), Astin (1984), and the Center for Community College Student Engagement (CCCSE, 2012) that multiple interventions are needed to significantly improve graduation rates at community colleges. The literature says little about this approach for community college students; therefore, this dissertation contributes to the knowledge base for educational programs.A first-year program at a large, diverse community college using...
Show moreThe research conducted tested a theory based on work by Tinto (1999), Astin (1984), and the Center for Community College Student Engagement (CCCSE, 2012) that multiple interventions are needed to significantly improve graduation rates at community colleges. The literature says little about this approach for community college students; therefore, this dissertation contributes to the knowledge base for educational programs.A first-year program at a large, diverse community college using multiple interventions assisted in determining the validity of the theory. The interventions built into the first-year program included learning communities, a student success course (SSC), proactive advising, and experiential learning. The CCCSE and others identified these components as high-impact practices for improving student achievement. A common theme and faculty tied interventions together across the first year of the program. The small sample (n = 21) and the fact this was the pilot year represent the most critical limitations in ascertaining the efficacy of the theory.The program's outcomes were evaluated using propensity score matching (PSM). Updates in statistical software continue to make the method easier to implement and evaluate. Consequently, this method is increasing in popularity in education to determine causality where random assignment is not feasible. Hence, the dissertation spends some time describing the method, so others can benefit from the method in their research. The author compared the program group to matched students from the same campus in the fall and spring terms. Characteristics of the match were chosen based on a careful search of the literature and historical data of the institution to ensure that students in the match group would be comparable. Differences in persistence, grade point average (GPA), and credits earned served to determine the effectiveness of the theory in this pilot.The program did not show a statistically significant increase (p (>) .1) in persistence, GPA, or credits earned over the matched group. Yet, a small effect was measured for GPA (d = 0.51, fall and d = 0.12, spring), credits earned (d = 0.17, fall and d = 0.13, spring), and persistence (OR = 1.28, fall and OR = 1.25, spring). The positive finding encourages more research into the theory of multiple interventions for community college students.In conclusion, future research should include following up with the participants in year two to determine how long the intervention effect persists. Also, increasing the sample size by including other first-year programs run by the institution improves the ability to detect differences and improve confidence. Finally, multiple interventions need to be tried on many different types of students to determine who benefits most.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2017
- Identifier
- CFE0006879, ucf:51717
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006879
- Title
- Effects of a Mixed-Mode Instructional Program on the Communicative Turns of Preschoolers with Down syndrome who use Augmentative and Alternative Communication.
- Creator
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Nicsinger, Erika, Kent-Walsh, Jennifer, Schwartz, Jamie, Hahs-Vaughn, Debbie, Binger, Cathy, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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Children with Down syndrome are at increased risk for a variety of deficits, including those in the area of speech, language, and literacy. Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) have historically focused on building children's verbal and signed vocabulary, but these efforts do not always result in significant changes in children's functional communication. Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems and interventions have been recommended by the American Speech-Language-Hearing...
Show moreChildren with Down syndrome are at increased risk for a variety of deficits, including those in the area of speech, language, and literacy. Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) have historically focused on building children's verbal and signed vocabulary, but these efforts do not always result in significant changes in children's functional communication. Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems and interventions have been recommended by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association as appropriate options for facilitating functional communication skills with children with Down syndrome ([American Speech-Language-Hearing Association [ASHA], 2010; New York State Department of Health [NYSDOH], 2006). In spite of these recommendations, there exists a critical shortage of SLPs who are clinically competent in providing necessary AAC services to children with Down syndrome (Edgar (&) Rosa-Lugo, 2007; Light, McNaughton, Drager, Roberts, (&) Wilson, 2004). As a result, families of children with varying disabilities, including Down syndrome report high levels of stress related to accessing important professional expertise and intervention for their children (Dabrowska (&) Pisula, 2010). Researchers and clinicians alike must consider alternative treatment delivery options that are responsive to the needs of families and children with complex communication needs (Cirrin et al., 2010; Light (&) McNaughton, 2015). A telepractice service delivery model has been documented to ease burdens felt by families when attempting to access rehabilitative services (Gladden, 2013). Telepractice involves the use of technology to connect clinicians and clients at a distance for the purposes of assessment, intervention, or consultation (Theodoros, 2011). An expanding body of research promotes the use of telepractice service delivery within AAC to address the needs of both children and families. One evidence-based AAC intervention of interest is communication partner instruction. Communication partner instruction, even in small doses, has been proven to be an effective method for providing parents and children with complex communication needs, specifically children with Down syndrome, access to necessary intervention (Kent-Walsh, Murza, Malani, (&) Binger, 2015). Partner instruction involves educating those critical stakeholders who surround the child most frequently (e.g., parents, educators, educational assistants) to recognize and respond to children's communicative signals and to create opportunities for children to participate in the conversation (Pennington, Goldbart, (&) Marshall, 2004). Despite the evidence supporting the use of communication partner instruction, SLPs continue to struggle with implementation in billable contexts (Ogletree, 2013). SLPs in the United States often operate in a billable context, where the client must be actively involved in the therapy session in order for practitioners to receive reimbursement from insurance companies for time spent with clients. This issue has served as a barrier to use of communication partner instruction, as currently accepted research-validated models use introductory parent sessions independent of the children's learning to teach partner skills. Therefore, the current investigation examined the effects of a communication partner instruction using a mixed-mode service delivery model, which incorporated face-to-face and telepractice sessions, as well as a billable context. The focus of the protocol was on educating parents in one aided language strategy using a communication partner instruction program incorporating continuous child involvement and a mixed-mode service-delivery model, including both face-to-face and telepractice intervention components (e.g., Skype/FaceTime), to address the need for interventions which consider stressors faced by families when attempting to access evidence-based AAC intervention. The study utilized a single-case, multiple-probe experimental design across three parent-child dyads. Baseline, intervention, generalization, and maintenance phases were used to investigate the efficacy of the nine-session intervention. Visual analysis and Improvement Rate Difference (IRD) analyses indicated that the intervention was highly effective in increasing parents' use of the target strategy and children's communicative turntaking during shared storybook reading. One-hundred percent of parent participants increased their performance from baseline to post-intervention (IRD = 1.0), and all parents maintained these levels of achievement during the maintenance phase (IRD = 1.0). Similarly, children increased their frequency of communicative turns from baseline to post-intervention (IRD = 1.0), and all children participants maintained these levels of turntaking during the maintenance phase (IRD = 1.0), as well as during a novel book series (IRD = 1.0). These findings suggest that the mixed-mode service delivery model, which includes both face-to-face and telepractice sessions, as well as continuous child involvement is an effective method for increasing parents' use of a target strategy and children's frequency of multimodal communicative turns. Clinical and professional implications, as well as future directions for research are discussed.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2016
- Identifier
- CFE0006542, ucf:51327
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006542
- Title
- Effects of Collaboration Between Speech-Language Pathologists and Third-Grade Teachers on Student Vocabulary Outcomes.
- Creator
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Mitchell, Mary, Ehren, Barbara, Towson, Jacqueline, Zygouris-Coe, Vassiliki, Hahs-Vaughn, Debbie, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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A persistent literacy crisis continues to be reflected in international (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development [OECD], 2013), national (National Center for Education Statistics [NCES], 2015), and local literacy outcome data. Educators, including speech-language pathologists (SLPs), are called upon to collaborate to support students who struggle with academic language/literacy. However, few studies have operationally defined collaboration and investigated the effects of...
Show moreA persistent literacy crisis continues to be reflected in international (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development [OECD], 2013), national (National Center for Education Statistics [NCES], 2015), and local literacy outcome data. Educators, including speech-language pathologists (SLPs), are called upon to collaborate to support students who struggle with academic language/literacy. However, few studies have operationally defined collaboration and investigated the effects of collaboration on student achievement. As a result, there is insufficient guidance for educators about ways to design, implement, and assess the effectiveness of collaboration models, defined in terms of their effects on student outcomes.There were two main objectives of this research. The first objective was to investigate whether literacy partnerships between SLPs and third-grade general education teachers, who used a systematic collaboration protocol, yielded better vocabulary outcomes for students than teachers instructing without collaborating with SLPs. The second objective of the study was to examine collaborators' progress toward adopting the collaboration protocol. The quasi-experimental design involved a collaboration treatment condition (n = 2 collaborative pairs; n = 34 students) and a comparison condition (n = 2 non-collaboration teachers; n = 34 students). In both conditions, similar versions of a specific vocabulary technique were implemented over seven weeks. Students' vocabulary knowledge was measured at pretest and posttest using three researcher-created vocabulary assessments adapted from previous measures in vocabulary research. A two-factor split-plot analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed a statistically significant interaction effect on the Words-in-Context measure. The significant effect from pretest to posttest within the entire matched group changed as a result of condition; the group mean increase in the students' scores from pretest to posttest was higher in the collaboration condition than the comparison condition. Additional key findings were: (a) a statistically significant increase in group mean scores from pretest to posttest on all three measures within the entire matched group (n = 68) and (b) non-significant interactions between the collaboration and comparison groups on two of the vocabulary measures (Synonyms and Non-Examples). When Cohen's d effect sizes were calculated within each condition, there were large effects for all three tasks in the collaboration condition. In the comparison condition, there were large effects for the Synonyms task, and medium effects for the Words-in-Context and Non-Example tasks. The findings of this study also revealed that collaborators achieved high fidelity of the collaboration protocol within a seven-week collaboration segment. Collaborators demonstrated Routine use of a specific collaboration protocol according to the tools of the Concerns Based Adoption Model (Hall (&) Hord, 2015); however, they expressed concerns around managing the task demands of the collaboration protocol. Taken as a whole, these findings are promising. Collaboration between SLPs and third-grade general education teachers using a systematic collaboration protocol with a specific vocabulary technique resulted in student vocabulary gains; on one measure, the gains were significantly larger than those made by students in classrooms where teachers did not collaborate with SLPs. The findings have potential to inform a research and practice agenda for SLPs and other educators in schools. Clinical implications and specific research directions are discussed.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2017
- Identifier
- CFE0006767, ucf:51870
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006767
- Title
- The Relationship Of Participation In A Summer Transition Program For At-Risk Ninth Grade Students And Their Progress Towards On-Time Graduation.
- Creator
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Harper, Joseph, Taylor, Rosemarye, Doherty, Walter, Baldwin, Gordon, Hahs-Vaughn, Debbie, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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The primary purpose of the study was to identify whether or not relationships exist between at-risk students in the transition program of a local Central Florida public school district and their on-track graduation progress during high school. Data were also used to describe student demographics of at-risk students and compare those demographics to the school demographic profile. On-track status is a major metric since students have not formally completed the program nor have they graduated....
Show moreThe primary purpose of the study was to identify whether or not relationships exist between at-risk students in the transition program of a local Central Florida public school district and their on-track graduation progress during high school. Data were also used to describe student demographics of at-risk students and compare those demographics to the school demographic profile. On-track status is a major metric since students have not formally completed the program nor have they graduated. This study adds to the district's understanding of the effectiveness of its transition program. The study's findings will inform the district in its efforts to accurately define its return-on-investment in the transition program.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2013
- Identifier
- CFE0004859, ucf:49708
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004859
- Title
- Improving on-time graduation for at-risk students: Perceptions of interventions to improve on-time graduation in one Florida school district.
- Creator
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Griffin, Walter, Taylor, Rosemarye, Doherty, Walter, Baldwin, Gordon, Hahs-Vaughn, Debbie, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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Students dropping out of high school has resulted in a national, state and local crisis. With the national graduation rate at 77%, there are thousands of students leaving school each year without the skills necessary for post-secondary career or college readiness (Scheel et al., 2009). This study provided fundamental insight into the factors that students perceive as important in keeping them on a positive trajectory towards graduation. The study added value to the knowledge regarding...
Show moreStudents dropping out of high school has resulted in a national, state and local crisis. With the national graduation rate at 77%, there are thousands of students leaving school each year without the skills necessary for post-secondary career or college readiness (Scheel et al., 2009). This study provided fundamental insight into the factors that students perceive as important in keeping them on a positive trajectory towards graduation. The study added value to the knowledge regarding students' perceptions of major mitigating factors in high school as compared to middle school that engaged them in school. The interventions that appear to have importance in assisting promise students in getting on track towards high school graduation were identified for replication in other programs throughout the target district.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2013
- Identifier
- CFE0004854, ucf:49704
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004854
- Title
- An Analysis of the School Board of Brevard County Instructional Personnel Performance Appraisal Instrument and the Validity of its Components.
- Creator
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Mela, Carol, Murray, Barbara, Murray, Kenneth, Taylor, Rosemarye, Hahs-Vaughn, Debbie, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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This study examined the relationship between the professional practices components of the School Board of Brevard County Instructional Personnel Performance Appraisal System Instrument and student achievement as measured by a teacher's value-added measurement score. A Pearson Product-Moment Correlation was the statistical test used to analyze the data. The population included Brevard Public School instructional personnel assigned to Grades 4-10 who taught reading and/or mathematics measured...
Show moreThis study examined the relationship between the professional practices components of the School Board of Brevard County Instructional Personnel Performance Appraisal System Instrument and student achievement as measured by a teacher's value-added measurement score. A Pearson Product-Moment Correlation was the statistical test used to analyze the data. The population included Brevard Public School instructional personnel assigned to Grades 4-10 who taught reading and/or mathematics measured by the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test during the 2011-2012 school year and who received teacher aggregated value-added measurement scores.Findings indicated that there was a small to moderate statistically significant, positive relationship between all eight professional practices component variables and value-added measurement scores. Correlation coefficients ranged from .089 for collaborative inquiry to .218 for quality of instruction. All of the components combined had a correlation of .231, confirming the strength of multiple evaluation measures.Recommendations were provided for future research aimed at further data analysis in Brevard Public Schools as well as other school districts in order to identify the combination of evaluation components that most accurately reflect teaching effectiveness resulting in student learning as well as to pinpoint weaknesses upon which additional training could be based and the fidelity of implementation improved.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2013
- Identifier
- CFE0004719, ucf:49810
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004719
- Title
- The Relationship of Participation in a Summer Transition Program for At-risk Ninth Grade Students and their Performance in Algebra I.
- Creator
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Sanchez, Jose, Taylor, Rosemarye, Doherty, Walter, Baldwin, Gordon, Hahs-Vaughn, Debbie, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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This study examined the Summer Transition Program in a large suburban school district.(&)nbsp; One of the common concerns of education leaders is the number of students who choose to dropout of high school.(&)nbsp; The eighth to ninth grade Summer Transition Program has been implemented to address the high school dropout issue and was the focus of this study.(&)nbsp; The researcher examined if participation in the Summer Transition Program could be predicted by student subgroup, to what...
Show moreThis study examined the Summer Transition Program in a large suburban school district.(&)nbsp; One of the common concerns of education leaders is the number of students who choose to dropout of high school.(&)nbsp; The eighth to ninth grade Summer Transition Program has been implemented to address the high school dropout issue and was the focus of this study.(&)nbsp; The researcher examined if participation in the Summer Transition Program could be predicted by student subgroup, to what extent, if any, participation in the Summer Transition Program had on the academic success in Algebra I, and if there is a relationship with academic success in Algebra I and at-risk factors.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2013
- Identifier
- CFE0004928, ucf:49635
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004928
- Title
- An Exploration of Communication Perceptions Between Elementary School Staff and the Parents of the Children They Serve.
- Creator
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Gardner, Cynthia, Hahs-Vaughn, Debbie, Taylor, Rosemarye, Pawlas, George, Hastings, Sally, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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The purpose of this quantitative research study was to explore the perceived school communication between elementary school staff and the parents of the children they serve. Staff members and parents, from a central Florida public school district, in both Title I and Non-Title I schools completed an online survey regarding (1) timely school communication, (2) school's website being informative and easy to use, and (3) staff members knowing what is going on in schools. Researchers have long...
Show moreThe purpose of this quantitative research study was to explore the perceived school communication between elementary school staff and the parents of the children they serve. Staff members and parents, from a central Florida public school district, in both Title I and Non-Title I schools completed an online survey regarding (1) timely school communication, (2) school's website being informative and easy to use, and (3) staff members knowing what is going on in schools. Researchers have long explored the importance of family involvement in children's academic success, communication between home and school is an important link in the process. The exploration of possible relationships were addressed using the chi-square test of association. It was anticipated that there would be a difference between the responses of staff and parents of children from Title I and those from Non-Title I schools.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2014
- Identifier
- CFE0005335, ucf:50516
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005335
- Title
- Evaluating the effectiveness of culturally relevant substance abuse prevention in Ukraine.
- Creator
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Gewin, Anne, Hoffman, Bobby, Allen, Kay, Hahs-Vaughn, Debbie, Cook, Ida, Corzine, Harold, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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The International School Project (ISP) developed a culturally-relevant intervention entitled The Future Begins Today (FBT) to address the need for school-based substance abuse prevention in Ukraine. Using a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest with control group design, this study evaluated the effectiveness of this intervention in regards to impact on attitudes and refusal self-efficacy. The study hypothesized that exposure to the FBT intervention would significantly increase adolescents'...
Show moreThe International School Project (ISP) developed a culturally-relevant intervention entitled The Future Begins Today (FBT) to address the need for school-based substance abuse prevention in Ukraine. Using a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest with control group design, this study evaluated the effectiveness of this intervention in regards to impact on attitudes and refusal self-efficacy. The study hypothesized that exposure to the FBT intervention would significantly increase adolescents' perceived harm of substance use and perceived ability to refuse drug offers. Students from three schools in Drohobych (N = 173) participated in the study between September and December 2013, with seven classes (n = 124) enrolled in the FBT course and three classes (n = 49) in the control group. Both groups were tested in September and December. ANOVA results suggested that between September and December, students in the FBT program statistically significantly increased their perceived harm of occasional substance use and perceived ability to refuse drug offers. There was no significant change in students' perceived harm of frequent use. Moreover, the extent to which FBT supplementary materials were incorporated also related positively with program outcomes. Qualitative data from follow-up written interviews supported these findings. Regression analyses showed that older students were less likely to perceive substance use as harmful. There were no significant relationships between program outcomes and gender, positive family influence, or negative peer influence. Relevance to the existing literature and recommendations for future research are discussed.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2014
- Identifier
- CFE0005170, ucf:50659
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005170
- Title
- The Relationship Between Comprehension of Descriptive and Sequential Expository Texts and Reader Characteristics in Typically Developing Kindergarten Children.
- Creator
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Zadroga, Cheran, Schwartz, Jamie, Kent-Walsh, Jennifer, Nye, Chad, Lieberman, Rita, Hahs-Vaughn, Debbie, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Researchers have found that children need to be proficient in reading and writing expository text to succeed academically as well as in their future careers. More than ever before, children in primary grade classrooms are being exposed to and expected to comprehend a variety expository text types. However, empirical evidence to support the use of expository texts in kindergarten classrooms, in particular, is sorely lacking. To begin to fill this gap, this study was conducted to investigate...
Show moreResearchers have found that children need to be proficient in reading and writing expository text to succeed academically as well as in their future careers. More than ever before, children in primary grade classrooms are being exposed to and expected to comprehend a variety expository text types. However, empirical evidence to support the use of expository texts in kindergarten classrooms, in particular, is sorely lacking. To begin to fill this gap, this study was conducted to investigate kindergarten children's comprehension of two types of expository text structures (i.e., descriptive and sequential) commonly found in kindergarten classrooms. Specifically, the aims of the study were three fold: (1) to investigate if there is a relationship between prior knowledge and the comprehension of descriptive or sequential expository text; (2) to determine if the comprehension of descriptive and sequential expository text are important predictors of performance on the Token Test for Children-2 (TTFC-2) and the Assessment of Literacy and Language (ALL); and (3) to determine if there is a correlation between the descriptive and sequential expository text comprehension measures (i.e., retelling of expository text and answering comprehension questions) on the researcher created Expository Text Protocol.The sample included 45 typically developing kindergarten children (ages 5 years, 8 months to 6 years, 10 months). All children passed a vision and a hearing screening; were enrolled in kindergarten for the first time (no history of retention); scored within the normal range on a non-verbal intelligence screener; and, were not receiving services in the English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) program or the Exceptional Student Education (ESE) program. Each child participated in two, one-hour, assessment sessions on two separate days. During the sessions, children were administered formal (i.e., TTFC-2 (&) ALL) and informal (i.e., Expository Text Protocol) assessments, counter balanced across the sessions. The standardized tests were administered in the prescribed manner. During administration of the researcher created Expository Text Protocol children listened first to either an illustrated descriptive expository text or an illustrated sequential expository text read aloud by a researcher. After the reading, the children either first retold the text without the use of the corresponding expository text or answered a set of 12 comprehension questions for each type of expository text (i.e., descriptive and sequential). The order of the retelling and comprehension questions were counter balanced across children. Simple linear regressions, multiple linear regressions, and partial correlational analyses were used to assess the data obtained in this study. The research findings indicated that a statistically significant relationship exists between the comprehension of expository text and the following reader characteristics: listening comprehension ability, language ability, and literacy ability. However, a statistically significant relationship was not found between the comprehension of the expository text types and prior knowledge. In addition, a statistically significant relationship was found between each of the two types of comprehension measures: retelling of descriptive and sequential expository texts and answering comprehension questions related to each type of text.This investigation revealed that the incorporation of descriptive and sequential expository text structures into the kindergarten curricula is appropriate and the exposure to expository texts may facilitate language and literacy growth and build upon kindergarten children's existing prior knowledge. In turn, exposure to expository texts also may be beneficial in expanding children's use of expository language found in these types of texts. Future research is needed to examine kindergarten children's comprehension of other types of expository text structures found in kindergarten classrooms.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2016
- Identifier
- CFE0006426, ucf:51479
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0006426
- Title
- Comprehension of Science Text by African American Fifth and Sixth Grade Students: The Effects of a Metalinguistic Approach.
- Creator
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Davis, Karen, Rosa-Lugo, Linda, Kent-Walsh, Jennifer, Ehren, Barbara, Hahs-Vaughn, Debbie, Rivers, Kenyatta, Crevecoeur, Edwidge, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
Scientific literacy has been at the forefront of science education reform for the past 20 years, particularly for students from culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) backgrounds (Lee et. al., 2005; Pearson, Moje (&) Greenleaf, 2010). The ability to extract meaning from text is an important skill. Yet many students struggle with effectively comprehending what they read, particularly in content areas of science, math and history. According to the National Assessment Educational Progress ...
Show moreScientific literacy has been at the forefront of science education reform for the past 20 years, particularly for students from culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) backgrounds (Lee et. al., 2005; Pearson, Moje (&) Greenleaf, 2010). The ability to extract meaning from text is an important skill. Yet many students struggle with effectively comprehending what they read, particularly in content areas of science, math and history. According to the National Assessment Educational Progress (NAEP, 2013) report, adolescents are not acquiring advanced literacy skills needed to succeed in the workplace and academic setting. Literacy experts have called for the use of disciplinary literacy approaches to engage learners with the content in ways that mirror what scientists, historians and mathematicians do to gain understanding in their disciplines (Moje, 2006; Shanahan (&) Shanahan, 2008). Although disciplinary literacy instruction is promising, there is limited empirical research on the effectiveness of discipline-specific literacy approaches. The present study examined the effects of a metalinguistic approach on the comprehension of science text among African American 5 and 6th grade students. The focus of the instructional protocol was to explicitly teach adverbial clauses and assist students to unpack adverbial clauses through the use of a graphic organizer. The process of unpacking complex sentences aimed to facilitate comprehension of science text by engaging the participants in analysis and discussion of the meaning obtained from the adverbial clauses. This study employed an experimental single-case multiple-probe across participants design. Visual Analysis (VA) and the Improvement Rate Difference (IRD) were used to analyze the data. The results of VA and IRD indicated that all participants demonstrated progress between baseline and treatment phases. Overall, the results of the investigation suggest that it is possible for 5th and 6th grade African American students to benefit from instruction that closely analyzes language. Clinical implications and future research directions are discussed.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2014
- Identifier
- CFE0005322, ucf:50525
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005322
