ERIC Number: EJ1124170
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016-Dec
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1092-4388
EISSN: N/A
Literate Language Intervention with High-Need Prekindergarten Children: A Randomized Trial
Phillips, Beth M.; Tabulda, Galiya; Ingrole, Smriti A.; Webb Burris, Pam; Sedgwick, T. Kayla; Chen, Shiyi
Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, v59 n6 p1409-1420 Dec 2016
Purpose: The present article reports on the implementation and results of a randomized intervention trial targeting the literate language skills of prekindergarten children without identified language disorders but with low oral language skills. Method: Children (N = 82; 45 boys and 37 girls) were screened-in and randomized to a business-as-usual control or to the pull-out treatment groups in which they received 4 instructional units addressing different sentence-level syntactic and semantic features: prepositions, conjunctions, adverbs, and negations. The intervention was delivered by paraprofessionals in small groups in the form of 20-min lessons 4 times a week for 12 weeks. Results: Overall, children receiving the supplemental instruction showed educationally meaningful gains in their oral language skills, relative to children in the control group. Significant group differences were found on researcher-designed oral language measures, with moderate to large effect sizes ranging from 0.44 to 0.88 on these measures. Conclusions: The intervention holds the potential to positively affect understanding and production of syntax and semantic features, such as prepositions and conjunctions, in young children with weak oral language skills.
Descriptors: Intervention, Semantics, Units of Study, Control Groups, Literacy, Language Skills, Preschool Children, Sentences, Syntax, Form Classes (Languages), Achievement Gains, Teaching Methods, Oral Language, Measures (Individuals), Instructional Effectiveness, Special Needs Students, Screening Tests, Randomized Controlled Trials, Preschool Education
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. 2200 Research Blvd #250, Rockville, MD 20850. Tel: 301-296-5700; Fax: 301-296-8580; e-mail: slhr@asha.org; Web site: http://jslhr.pubs.asha.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Early Childhood Education; Preschool Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Institute of Education Sciences (ED)
Authoring Institution: N/A
IES Funded: Yes
Grant or Contract Numbers: R305F100027
What Works Clearinghouse Reviewed: Meets Evidence Standards without Reservations
WWC Study Page: https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/Study/85558