1. Kattia Muñoz, M. Francisca Valenzuela, Pelusa Orellana, PhD.
Phonological Awareness Instruction: A Program Training Design for Low-Income Children
Kattia Muñoz, M. Francisca Valenzuela, Pelusa Orellana, PhD.
BACKGROUND AND RATIONALE
FINDINGS
CONCLUSIONS
Importance of phonological awareness development in the early childhood years (Lundenberg, Larman, & Strid, 2012; Phillips, Clancy-Menchetti, & Lonigan, 2008).
Lack of experience hearing and manipulating sounds in words impacts reading comprehension well into the middle and high school years (Melby-Lervag, Lyser, & Hulme, 2012). Children with instruction on phonological awareness show stronger results on reading achievement (Ehri, Nunes, Willows, Schuster, Yaghoub-Zadeh, & Shanahan, 2001)
Evidence about the benefits of useful coaching practice when feedback is provided (Hattie & Timperley, 2007; Ramdsen, 2003) Observation, coaching, and reflective practice impact instruction (Darling-Hammond, 2010; Park, Takahashi, & White, 2014).
Chilean teachers devote less than 2% of instructional time to phonological awareness activities (Strasser, Lissi, & Silva, 2009).
Research Question 1:
All groups increased their PA scores from fall to spring.
The experimental group obtained higher overall PA scores as well as higher scores on individual skills.
Differences between pre and post scores for experimental group were statistically significant
rhyming: F(1, 176) = p=0.000
blending: F(1,176) = 4.966, p = 0.02
segmentation F(1,176) = , p =
Research Question 2:
PA aspects that were intentionally stressed through direct instruction by teachers were the ones with greatest increase.
Segmentation scores more than doubled for the experimental group.
Teachers valued planning and feedback as the major contribution from the intervention.
Teacher saw “knowledge improvement” and “making changes” as the major challenges in their teaching career.
An intervention that includes effective coaching practices can have positive impact on students and teachers.
Observations and immediate feedback were key elements for teachers to achieve changes in their practices.
Using students’ scores as information to adapt instructional practices and contents facilitated the acquisition of specific phonological skills (e.g., segmentation).
Giving teachers evidence of student outcomes validated the feedback and suggestions offered by coaches. Data was used as a “mirror” of what was going on in the classroom, not a threat (Dickinson, Freiberg, & Barnes, 2011).
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
Does a guided, sequential teacher intervention in PA instruction contribute to a significant improvement of Kindergarten children’s metalinguistic phonological skills?
How does feedback provision help teachers organize instruction and monitor student growth?
RESULTS
References
METHODS
Design: Quasi-experimental with pre- and post- intervention assessments of childrens’ PA skills.
Participants: 162 children, low-income Kindergarten (81 per group), 3 groups per site, 1 teacher and 1 aide in each group . Two schools with similar demographic characteristics, semi-rural context.
Data sources: Student scores (pre-and post-intervention) on Dialect’s PA tasks (Orellana, Melo, & Fitzgerald, 2015):
Blending
Rhyming
Identifying initial sounds
Segmenting sounds
Intervention:
Diagnosis of pedagogical strengths and needs (Ehri et al, 2001)
Observation and feedback to acknowledge classroom reality: 8 sessions
Using data about children’s progress as a tool to guide instruction (1 session)
Strengthening professional development: teacher reflection and conversations (8, following each observation).
Strengthening professional development (3 three-hour sessions prior to children’s pre-assessment)
This study was funded by CORFO Grant VIIE Gobierno de Chile
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