Format and original material © John Worthington 2001 ( The Parent, the Teacher and the Tests: Clinical Implications of a Longitudinal Study of the Perceptions of Early-literacy Development Based on findings arising from: A Longitudinal Study of Early Literacy Development and the Changing Perceptions of Parents and Teachers (Thesis submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, April 2001) John Worthington Educational Consultant Dip.T., Grad.Dip.Spec.Ed., Dip.Sch. Couns., B.A., B.Ed.St., M.Ed.St. Available at (Recent publications and conference presentations)

Format and original material © John Worthington 2001 ( ABSTRACT The Parent, the Teacher and the Tests: Clinical Implications of a Longitudinal Study of the Perceptions of Early-literacy Development n High levels of literacy are considered as a positive indicator of the social and economic well being of a western style society. Being literate is widely considered the key indicator of success for the individual in the education system, and not surprisingly parents believe literacy skills are the key reason why children go to school. In the past decade education systems throughout Australia and in many other countries have introduced universal screening to identify children in need, yet the literature suggests that both parents and teachers can make relatively accurate judgments about a wide range of issues surrounding children’s literacy and learning. It has also been proposed that parents and teachers exercise their judgments about literacy differently, teachers focus on the child achieving their personal best while parents focus more on literacy skills as a means of independence and self reliance. n This presentation highlights the outcomes of one part of a longitudinal study undertaken in a range of government and private school and focused on the differences and similarities observed when the perceptions of parents and teachers were compared and the relationships these changing perceptions had to standardized assessment results. The study examined in detail the early literacy experiences of one child in each of 30, with a focus on 8 children. The study spanned four years of development from the start of preschool to end of Year 3. The differences between group results and those of individual children will be considered and presented and considered as theoretical models. The final part of the presentation will consider the implications of the data for the clinician undertaking individual case-work. It will be proposed that how parents perceive and report on their child’s early literacy provides a potent and relevant view of the child which clinicians need to understand and utilize.

Format and original material © John Worthington 2001 ( Overview n The issue leading to the research (questions) n The research questions n An overview of the Study n The results for the group and the issues seen in the case studies n Some clinical implications ( Clinical Use of the Results) –The evolution of parent and teacher perceptions, and expanding the use of parent perceptions in the clinical setting –The multiple assessment model (DLP) –Diagnostic history taking –The significance of developmental trajectories in learning

Format and original material © John Worthington 2001 ( The Research Questions n Question 1.Within the continuum of normal literacy development what is the relationship between literacy activities at home and school? n Question 2.In considering the range of information available on history taking and through assessment, what weighting should be given to parent and teacher information in the context of a clinical assessment? n Question 3.What is the value of a single clinical standardized assessment in the context of normal variation and how can clinicians best consider multiple sources of information? n Question 4.Parents and teachers develop changing perceptions about the children in their care. What is the relationship between the development of these perceptions and are any differences reflected in the results of standardized assessments? n Question 5. What consequences flow from the changes that children encounter in their schooling experiences and how can the effects of change be acknowledged and minimized? The issue leading to the research (questions) How did parents view the literacy development of their children such that they held concerns to a degree that would lead them to seek advice beyond that which was provided by the child’s teacher?

Format and original material © John Worthington 2001 ( An Overview of the Study n A search of the literature suggested that there was little detailed local information about what literacy-related activities young children were undertaking at home and how parents and teachers perceived the associated early literacy development over the critical period from pre- formal schooling until the end of Year 2. n The study sought to examine in detail the early literacy experiences of one child in each of 30 families. The focus of the study was on the observable literacy behaviours of children and of the changes over time in parent and teacher perceptions. The conceptual process underlying the selection of what should be observed and how the data could be analyzed was derived after the examination of the literature and of practical issues arising from the decision to use a longitudinal design.

Format and original material © John Worthington 2001 ( n Figure 6.1. Model of conceptualization of data in the discussion. Structure and Method

Format and original material © John Worthington 2001 ( The results for the group and the issues seen in the case studies n The results of the study described and confirmed that there were different ways and different rates at which children gain their early literacy skills. n The patterns of what happened at home has help provide a view of the variety that is part of ‘normal’ and also which differences signal to the classroom teacher and to the clinician that all may not be well. n How parents perceive and report on their child’s early literacy provides a potent and relevant view of the child. Teachers who can understand, value and make use of that information will be better teachers and be better prepared to support children who are different. n Teachers and parents who share open and detailed portfolios about children will be in a better position to support learning and maintain continuity when inevitable and unexpected changes occur.

Format and original material © John Worthington 2001 ( Clinical Use of the Results n Clinicians who support parents and teachers need to be aware of the different patterns of home literacy activities, of the learning trajectories of different students and of how those trajectories are reflected in the changing perceptions of teachers and parents. n The multiple assessment model (DLP n Expanding the use of parent perceptions in the clinical setting –The clinical use of parent perception of their child’s intelligence –Diagnostic history taking

Format and original material © John Worthington 2001 (

Figure 6.2. Theoretical model of the how the average perceptions of parents and teachers change over time.

Format and original material © John Worthington 2001 ( Figure 6.6. Theoretical model of how perceptions of individual parents and different teachers change over time.

Format and original material © John Worthington 2001 ( Developmental Learning Profile (DLP) The multiple assessment model (DLP)

Format and original material © John Worthington 2001 ( Developmental Learning profile (DLP)