This qualitative case study examined the contribution a year-long professional development in the science of reading had on 10 first-grade teachers' knowledge of how reading develops and their instructional practices. Data for this research study was collected through a longitudinal interview process, from pre- and post-knowledge inventory…

The importance of effective reading instruction in the primary grades cannot be overstated. Teachers are expected to be qualified and capable literacy teachers to produce proficient readers (Bornfreund, 2012; Walsh et al., 2006). The purpose of this study was to explore Pennsylvania kindergarten, first, and second grade teachers' perceptions,…

The ability to read is fundamental in determining an individual's academic success and social integration, and it is also known to have an impact on other cognitive abilities. A lack of foundational pre-reading skills can accumulate later, causing reading and learning problems. Early diagnosis and development of these skills are therefore…

This quantitative research study of first-grade students in two rural school districts sought to understand the difference, if any, between teachers' professional development training in the science of reading and student achievement. The study also examined the statistical relationship between the science of reading professional development and…

This book introduces the Cycle of Responsibility (COR) model--the next step in the evolution of the Gradual Release of Responsibility model, which has been a conceptual mainstay of literacy education for decades. This new model shifts the current linear model to a cyclical process of multifaceted interactions that better reflect the complexities…

In this manuscript we show how readalouds can significantly enrich student vocabulary and comprehension by demonstrating enhancements that will foster student learning and language development. We anchor our examples to empirical evidence demonstrating that the content of a readaloud (i.e., the what we teach) as well as the quality of the…

Background: Deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) children may experience difficulties in word decoding development. Aims: We aimed to compare and predict the incremental word decoding development in first grade in Dutch DHH and hearing children, as a function of kindergarten reading precursors. Methods and procedures: In this study, 25 DHH, and 41…

The relation of morphological awareness with reading comprehension is well established. For this advance to inform instruction, the push is now on to understand how morphological awareness is related to reading comprehension. We address this question here by examining potential mechanisms. We do so with children in Grade 1, a time at which it is…

The current study examined teachers' perceptions with regard to the Guided Reading (GR) approach in elementary level education. Specifically, this study examined the following research questions: a) What are Alberta teachers' perceptions about the GR approach? b) What are Alberta teachers' perceptions about how they enact GR in the classroom? and…

In this manuscript we show how read alouds can significantly enrich student vocabulary and comprehension by demonstrating enhancements that will foster student learning and language development. We anchor our examples to empirical evidence demonstrating that the content of a read aloud (i.e., the what we teach) as well as the quality of the…

The current study examined the relation between the amount of literacy instruction and student reading achievement (word reading and reading comprehension), using data from 927 students and their 189 teachers from Grades 1 to 3 in the US. Literacy instruction was observed once in the Fall and once in the Spring each year from two projects. We…

Even though small group instruction is a research-based intervention and has many benefits, researchers have shown that many students are reading below grade level and struggle with mastering reading skills, and this may be due to the ineffectiveness of small-group reading instruction. The problem that was addressed in this study was teachers'…

In a study examining the efficacy of Heggerty's Bridge to Reading program during the 2023-2024 school year, LXD Research measured the program's impact on kindergarten and first-grade students' reading outcomes on the NWEA MAP Reading Fluency assessment. Results indicated that first graders using the program demonstrated significantly greater…

This national implementation study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of Tier 2 structured literacy teaching set within a multi-tiered system of support. Case-controlled matching was used to determine the impact of the implementation for 1,265 5-year-old children. One comparison group included 1,265 children who were matched to the experimental…

This dissertation investigated the extent to which five dependent variables were included in the first-grade reading curriculum and whether district size played a role in their inclusion. This study's mixed-methods approach incorporated descriptive statistics, histograms, confidence intervals, and chi-squared analyses to assess curriculum patterns…