ERIC Number: EJ1019082
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2014-Feb
Pages: 15
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0265-6590
EISSN: N/A
Promotion of Syntactical Development and Oral Comprehension: Development and Initial Evaluation of a Small-Group Intervention
Phillips, Beth M.
Child Language Teaching and Therapy, v30 n1 p63-77 Feb 2014
This article reports on the development and preliminary implementation trials of a modular small-group intervention targeting syntax and vocabulary for children at high risk for reading comprehension difficulties in grades prekindergarten through first. The intervention, delivered by trained paraprofessionals, included 12 weeks of 20-minute lessons that included hands-on activities promoting receptive and expressive acquisition of grade-specific targeted syntax and semantic features such as prepositions, passive sentence structure, and adverbial clauses. Children ("n" = 354) ranging in age from 4-101 months were screened for inclusion on several standardized language measures and those included in the intervention (64-68 per grade, scoring below the 30th percentile on several measures) were assessed on two proximal measures of intervention-linked syntax and listening-comprehension. Results from the repeated implementation trials in each grade indicate that the intervention shows substantial promise as a method of supporting syntax growth and ultimately improving comprehension skills in young children.
Descriptors: Syntax, Vocabulary, Reading Comprehension, At Risk Students, Preschool Children, Elementary School Students, Small Group Instruction, Intervention, Receptive Language, Expressive Language, Language Acquisition, Listening Comprehension, Instructional Effectiveness, Kindergarten, Grade 1, Preschool Education, Elementary Education, Feasibility Studies, Effect Size, Pretests Posttests
SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:3866/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Early Childhood Education; Preschool Education; Kindergarten; Grade 1; Primary Education; Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Oral and Written Language Scales
IES Funded: Yes
Grant or Contract Numbers: R305F100027