ERIC Number: EJ1010582
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2013
Pages: 27
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1040-9289
EISSN: N/A
Effects of a Brief Tiered Language Intervention for Prekindergartners at Risk
Zucker, Tricia A.; Solari, Emily J.; Landry, Susan H.; Swank, Paul R.
Early Education and Development, v24 n3 p366-392 2013
Research Findings: Multitiered instructional frameworks are becoming a recommended approach for enhancing prevention and intervention efforts targeting early literacy and language skills. However, few studies to date have studied the feasibility of tiered oral language interventions before kindergarten; therefore, this pilot study explored the effectiveness of such an approach in prekindergarten. Teachers in 39 classrooms were randomly assigned to an experimental or comparison condition that contrasted the implementation of an intervention that had both Tier 1 (whole group) and Tier 2 (small group for at-risk children) components. The pilot study included only 4 weeks of teacher-administered intervention. Despite this short duration, a significant and large effect size ("d" = 0.81) was observed for the experimental group on a receptive target vocabulary assessment. No significant changes were found on measures of vocabulary fluency, expressive target vocabulary, or listening comprehension. It is important to note that teachers' fidelity in implementing the intervention as designed was a significant predictor of children's learning. Practice or Policy: These findings suggest the potential promise of the multitiered instructional framework, especially when teachers can be supported in ways that ensure adequate fidelity of implementation. Implications for use in prekindergarten response-to-intervention models are discussed. (Contains 3 tables and 1 figure.)
Descriptors: Intervention, Prevention, Oral Language, Vocabulary Development, Effect Size, Experimental Groups, Receptive Language, Teaching Methods, Expressive Language, Measures (Individuals), Listening Comprehension, Predictor Variables, Models, Response to Intervention, At Risk Students, Inferences, Reading Achievement, Teacher Attitudes, Literacy Education, Language Tests, Statistical Analysis, Pretests Posttests, Questionnaires
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Preschool Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Texas
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A