ERIC Number: ED638864
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2023-Dec
Pages: 85
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Time to Transfer: Long-Term Effects of a Sustained and Spiraled Content Literacy Intervention in the Elementary Grades. EdWorkingPaper No. 23-769
James S. Kim; Joshua B. Gilbert; Jackie E. Relyea; Patrick Rich; Ethan Scherer; Mary A. Burkhauser; Johanna N. Tvedt
Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University
We investigated the effectiveness of a sustained and spiraled content literacy intervention that emphasizes building domain and topic knowledge schemas and vocabulary for elementary-grade students. The Model of Reading Engagement (MORE) intervention underscores thematic lessons that provide an intellectual structure for helping students connect new learning to a general schema in Grade 1 (animal survival), Grade 2 (scientific investigation of past events like dinosaur mass extinctions), and Grade 3 (scientific investigation of living systems). A total of 30 elementary schools (N = 2,870 students) were randomized to a treatment or control condition. In the treatment condition (i.e., full spiral curriculum), students participated in content literacy lessons from Grades 1 to 3 during the school year and wide reading of thematically related informational texts in the summer following Grades 1 and 2. In the control condition (i.e., partial spiral curriculum), students participated in lessons in only Grade 3. The Grade 3 lessons for both conditions were implemented online during the COVID-19 pandemic school year. Results reveal that treatment students outperformed control students on science vocabulary knowledge across all three grades. Furthermore, intent-to-treat analyses revealed positive transfer effects on Grade 3 science reading (ES = 0.14), domain-general reading comprehension (ES = 0.11), and mathematics achievement (ES = 0.12). Treatment impacts were sustained at 14-month follow-up on Grade 4 reading comprehension (ES = 0.12) and mathematics achievement (ES = 0.16). Findings indicate that a content literacy intervention that spirals topics and vocabulary across grades can improve students' long-term academic achievement outcomes.
Descriptors: Elementary School Students, Grade 1, Grade 2, Grade 3, Literacy Education, Intervention, Transfer of Training, Reading Comprehension, Content Area Reading, Science Education, Vocabulary Development, Mathematics Achievement, Academic Achievement, Knowledge Level
Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University. Brown University Box 1985, Providence, RI 02912. Tel: 401-863-7990; Fax: 401-863-1290; e-mail: AISR_Info@brown.edu; Web site: http://www.annenberginstitute.org
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education; Early Childhood Education; Grade 1; Primary Education; Grade 2; Grade 3
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Chan Zuckerberg Initiative
Authoring Institution: Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A