Despite the importance of academic reading in higher education, the current literature lacks a va... more Despite the importance of academic reading in higher education, the current literature lacks a valid instrument comprising different components of academic reading at a gradu- ate level. This article reports on the development of an academic reading instrument for (Iranian) MA students of applied linguistics. To this end, based on a thorough review of the relevant literature and interviews with experts, a preliminary theoretical framework was proposed and an instrument with 50 items was developed. The instrument was validated through conducting exploratory factor analysis (EFA) with 345 participants and a fur- ther confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) with 207 participants. The results of the EFA and CFA led to the emergence of an 8-component instrument with 37 items. The components include reading strategies, English language proficiency, content knowledge, statistical lit- eracy, genre awareness, information literacy, interaction with teaches and peers (interactive reading), and critical reading. The implications are discussed.
Argues for the doing of practice-embedded educational research ; gives examples of this approach ... more Argues for the doing of practice-embedded educational research ; gives examples of this approach and discusses adjustments and research agendas needed
Page 87. Why Routines Are Different: Toward a Multiple-Factors Model of the Relation between Inpu... more Page 87. Why Routines Are Different: Toward a Multiple-Factors Model of the Relation between Input and Language Acquisition Catherine E. Snow Rivka Perlmann Debra Nathan Harvard University What features of the social ...
Abstract Research-practice partnerships (RPPs) share a common overarching purpose of using resear... more Abstract Research-practice partnerships (RPPs) share a common overarching purpose of using research knowledge and techniques to improve practice. But their specific goals vary along three dimensions: purpose (a commitment to generating usable knowledge versus specific solutions), locus (work inside partner districts versus work from a distance), and audience (a focus on local versus broad impact). These dimensions define a three-dimensional space in which various RPPs can be located. We argue that RPPs located at different points in this space differ in their: a) affordances, b) constraints, c) criteria for success, and d) contributors to success. We illustrate these features for one problem-solving RPP that defines problems locally but with a commitment to designing for scale. We describe how that RPP worked locally to develop one solution—the Word Generation program—that has been widely adapted and adopted, offering hypotheses regarding the contributors to success that others might contest, confirm, or extend.
Lasting impacts: Making research robust and relevant Lessons gleaned from educational research be... more Lasting impacts: Making research robust and relevant Lessons gleaned from educational research become sustainable only if incorporated into standard practice, institutionalized by being integrated into pedagogical approaches and teacher preparation, and recognized as the default way of doing things. The rarity with which research findings have had this sort of consequence in the field of education constitutes a major challenge to the field. One approach to bridging this research-practice gap is the mechanism of research-practice partnerships (RPPs), designed to ensure optimal relevance of research to problems of practice. This paper describes SERP (Strategic Education Research Partnership), one of the earliest-established RPPs in the U.S. and, more specifically, Word Generation, a program that addresses the literacy needs of middle school students. This example demonstrates the affordances of the RPP-model.
Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness, 2016
ABSTRACT Deep reading comprehension refers to the process required to succeed at tasks defined by... more ABSTRACT Deep reading comprehension refers to the process required to succeed at tasks defined by the Common Core State Literacy Standards, as well as to achieve proficiency on the more challenging reading tasks in the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) framework. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that three skill domains not frequently attended to in instruction or in theories of reading comprehension—academic language, perspective taking, and complex reasoning—predict outcomes on an assessment of deep reading comprehension. The Global Integrated Scenario-based Assessment (GISA; O'Reilly, Weeks, Sabatini, Halderman, & Steinberg, 2014) is designed to reflect students' abilities to evaluate texts, integrate information from an array of texts, and use textual evidence to formulate a position, all features of deep reading comprehension. We tested the role of academic language, perspective taking, and complex reasoning in explaining variance in end-of-year GISA scores, controlling for beginning-of-year scores and student demographics. All three predictors explained small, but significant, amounts of additional variance. We suggest that these three skill domains deserve greater attention in theories of reading comprehension and in instruction.
Educational policies that impact second language (L2) learners—a rapidly-growing group—are often ... more Educational policies that impact second language (L2) learners—a rapidly-growing group—are often enacted without consulting relevant research. This review synthesized research regarding optimal conditions for L2 acquisition, facilitative L2 learner and teacher characteristics, and speed of L2 acquisition, from four bodies of work—foreign language education, child language research, sociocultural studies, and psycholinguistics—often overlooked by educators. Seventy-one peer-reviewed journal articles studying PK-12 L2 learners met inclusion criteria. Findings included: 1) Optimal conditions for L2 learners immersed in a majority-L2 society include strong home literacy practices, opportunities to use the L2 informally, well-implemented specially-designed L2 educational programs, and sufficient time devoted to L2 literacy instruction, whereas L2 learners with little L2 exposure require explicit instruction to master grammar; 2) L2 learners with strong L2 aptitude, motivation, and first ...
The relationship between quality of and behavior problems in preschool in a high-risk sample. Mon... more The relationship between quality of and behavior problems in preschool in a high-risk sample. Monographs of the society for research in child development, 50, 147-166. International Reading Association & National Association for the Education of Young Children. (1998). Learning to read and write: Developmentally appropriate practices for young children. Reading Teacher, 52, 193-216.
Despite the importance of academic reading in higher education, the current literature lacks a va... more Despite the importance of academic reading in higher education, the current literature lacks a valid instrument comprising different components of academic reading at a gradu- ate level. This article reports on the development of an academic reading instrument for (Iranian) MA students of applied linguistics. To this end, based on a thorough review of the relevant literature and interviews with experts, a preliminary theoretical framework was proposed and an instrument with 50 items was developed. The instrument was validated through conducting exploratory factor analysis (EFA) with 345 participants and a fur- ther confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) with 207 participants. The results of the EFA and CFA led to the emergence of an 8-component instrument with 37 items. The components include reading strategies, English language proficiency, content knowledge, statistical lit- eracy, genre awareness, information literacy, interaction with teaches and peers (interactive reading), and critical reading. The implications are discussed.
Argues for the doing of practice-embedded educational research ; gives examples of this approach ... more Argues for the doing of practice-embedded educational research ; gives examples of this approach and discusses adjustments and research agendas needed
Page 87. Why Routines Are Different: Toward a Multiple-Factors Model of the Relation between Inpu... more Page 87. Why Routines Are Different: Toward a Multiple-Factors Model of the Relation between Input and Language Acquisition Catherine E. Snow Rivka Perlmann Debra Nathan Harvard University What features of the social ...
Abstract Research-practice partnerships (RPPs) share a common overarching purpose of using resear... more Abstract Research-practice partnerships (RPPs) share a common overarching purpose of using research knowledge and techniques to improve practice. But their specific goals vary along three dimensions: purpose (a commitment to generating usable knowledge versus specific solutions), locus (work inside partner districts versus work from a distance), and audience (a focus on local versus broad impact). These dimensions define a three-dimensional space in which various RPPs can be located. We argue that RPPs located at different points in this space differ in their: a) affordances, b) constraints, c) criteria for success, and d) contributors to success. We illustrate these features for one problem-solving RPP that defines problems locally but with a commitment to designing for scale. We describe how that RPP worked locally to develop one solution—the Word Generation program—that has been widely adapted and adopted, offering hypotheses regarding the contributors to success that others might contest, confirm, or extend.
Lasting impacts: Making research robust and relevant Lessons gleaned from educational research be... more Lasting impacts: Making research robust and relevant Lessons gleaned from educational research become sustainable only if incorporated into standard practice, institutionalized by being integrated into pedagogical approaches and teacher preparation, and recognized as the default way of doing things. The rarity with which research findings have had this sort of consequence in the field of education constitutes a major challenge to the field. One approach to bridging this research-practice gap is the mechanism of research-practice partnerships (RPPs), designed to ensure optimal relevance of research to problems of practice. This paper describes SERP (Strategic Education Research Partnership), one of the earliest-established RPPs in the U.S. and, more specifically, Word Generation, a program that addresses the literacy needs of middle school students. This example demonstrates the affordances of the RPP-model.
Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness, 2016
ABSTRACT Deep reading comprehension refers to the process required to succeed at tasks defined by... more ABSTRACT Deep reading comprehension refers to the process required to succeed at tasks defined by the Common Core State Literacy Standards, as well as to achieve proficiency on the more challenging reading tasks in the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) framework. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that three skill domains not frequently attended to in instruction or in theories of reading comprehension—academic language, perspective taking, and complex reasoning—predict outcomes on an assessment of deep reading comprehension. The Global Integrated Scenario-based Assessment (GISA; O'Reilly, Weeks, Sabatini, Halderman, & Steinberg, 2014) is designed to reflect students' abilities to evaluate texts, integrate information from an array of texts, and use textual evidence to formulate a position, all features of deep reading comprehension. We tested the role of academic language, perspective taking, and complex reasoning in explaining variance in end-of-year GISA scores, controlling for beginning-of-year scores and student demographics. All three predictors explained small, but significant, amounts of additional variance. We suggest that these three skill domains deserve greater attention in theories of reading comprehension and in instruction.
Educational policies that impact second language (L2) learners—a rapidly-growing group—are often ... more Educational policies that impact second language (L2) learners—a rapidly-growing group—are often enacted without consulting relevant research. This review synthesized research regarding optimal conditions for L2 acquisition, facilitative L2 learner and teacher characteristics, and speed of L2 acquisition, from four bodies of work—foreign language education, child language research, sociocultural studies, and psycholinguistics—often overlooked by educators. Seventy-one peer-reviewed journal articles studying PK-12 L2 learners met inclusion criteria. Findings included: 1) Optimal conditions for L2 learners immersed in a majority-L2 society include strong home literacy practices, opportunities to use the L2 informally, well-implemented specially-designed L2 educational programs, and sufficient time devoted to L2 literacy instruction, whereas L2 learners with little L2 exposure require explicit instruction to master grammar; 2) L2 learners with strong L2 aptitude, motivation, and first ...
The relationship between quality of and behavior problems in preschool in a high-risk sample. Mon... more The relationship between quality of and behavior problems in preschool in a high-risk sample. Monographs of the society for research in child development, 50, 147-166. International Reading Association & National Association for the Education of Young Children. (1998). Learning to read and write: Developmentally appropriate practices for young children. Reading Teacher, 52, 193-216.
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