Many educators are required to further their knowledge and skills through professional development initiatives. These programs are affected by numerous elements. A crucial but often overlooked factor is the well-being of teachers. This qualitative case study explores how acknowledging the well-being of two participants and addressing their needs…

In this paper, Emeritus Professor Kevin Wheldall AM, who received the Eminent Researcher Award of this journal in 2023, describes his research over the past five decades, together with his wife and research partner Dr Robyn Wheldall. Following a biographical sketch, selected research is reviewed successively over five decades on language,…

Mind maps are the most effective tools to improve learners' reading comprehension skills, as learners can detect the relationships and connections between ideas, figures, examples and embedded details through these maps. The present study aimed to identify the impact of using mind maps on improving the reading comprehension of eighth grade…

The notion of reading publics has a secure place in the sociology of Literature but its place in the educational literature around curriculum studies is relatively sparse. Here I address the question of reading publics in a curriculum context by examining school subject curricula whose very raisons d'etre are the creation of a reading public, viz.…

Concepts of print are essential, foundational literacy understandings about words in their written, or print form. Concepts include discerning pictures from written words, reading print from top to bottom and left to right with one-to-one correspondence between words read and words in print. Reading aloud from a big book is widely accepted and…

Educators in rural settings experience many unique professional circumstances due to the rural context of their schools; one such unique circumstance is professional development opportunities that are unavailable locally. Rural reading specialists have limited opportunities for local professional development as well as limited opportunities for…

Elementary school students are often placed into groups with peers of similar reading ability for leveled guided reading instruction. Through this practice, students are differentially exposed to reading skills, strategies, and texts that are presumed to match their reading ability. This widespread practice is problematic given that (1) current…

Reading is perhaps the essential practice of modern civilization. For centuries, it has been seen as key to both personal fulfillment and social progress, and millions today depend on it to participate fully in our society. Yet, at its heart, reading is a surprisingly elusive practice. This book tells for the first time the story of how American…

Terminology and language use related to the field of developmental education (DE) has long been discussed by scholars and practitioners to determine the most appropriate forms to use (i.e., developmental vs remedial) to reflect our purposes, our work, and our students (Arendale, 2005; Arendale, et al., 2007; Paulson & Armstrong, 2010; Nist,…

In 3 experiments, I investigated the role of verbal behavior development in reading and spelling sight words. I evaluated effects of different interventions for reading and spelling sight words and establishing the transformation of stimulus function across word reading and spelling. In Experiment 1, I evaluated the effects of 3 interventions on…

Reading proficiency levels among elementary-aged students in the United States have been alarmingly unsatisfactory for decades. The absence of basic foundational reading skills will induce struggles in every other subject area, causing students to feel exhausted, defeated, and fall behind. Intervention can be successful when instruction is…

Teachers in any discipline where reading matters should practice a robust scaffolding pedagogy to teach critical reading, in contrast to the more common but less direct approaches that often leave students to learn or not learn these skills themselves. In this essay, I describe how to adapt established methods for teaching writing (including…

The purpose of this quasi-experimental quantitative study was to analyze the effect of a literacy program on general music students in the fourth grade within an urban public school district in Northeastern Illinois. Two fourth grade classes, instructed by two different licensed music teachers, received the treatment program of one Lyrics2Learn…

The best approach to beginning reading instruction is one that incorporates explicit instruction in five areas: phonological awareness, systematic phonics instruction, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. These are known as the "5 Big Ideas" in beginning reading. While the research is clear on what to teach, figuring out how to teach…

This study compared 2 units of analysis for assessing acquisition mastery during sight word instruction for 3 participants. The unit of analysis refers to the specific performances that criteria are applied to, either sets of stimuli or individual operants. In the Set Analysis condition, we applied the acquisition-performance criterion to the…