Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston University / The purpose of this study is the construction of ear training exercises to improve the auditory discrimination of children in beginning reading. It is an effort to provide training in seeing the formation of sounds on the lips, kinesthetic training in feeling the sounds as they are spoken, in addition to auditory training in distinguishing word elements.

The problem of this study is to determine, by actual classroom experiment, the most advantageous method of teaching reading to beginners. In the accomplishment of this purpose, the writer made an intensive study of various methods and techniques of teaching beginning reading, a summary of which appears in the second chapter of this thesis, and applied some of the fundamental principles of each method to the actual teaching of beginning reading to her first-grade pupils in the elementary school of Valley View, Texas.

Many children in the United States cannot read on level by fourth grade. Traditionally, teachers have delayed reading instruction until first grade. However, involving children sooner in literary activities may provide skills needed to enable them to read on grade level. The purpose for this study was to determine the extent to which daily writing in kindergarten influences the development of invented spelling and learning to read. Five teachers modeled writing with 78 kindergarten children who wrote every day or almost every day for 20 weeks. There were 51 children in an experimental group, and 27 in a control group who were given a pretest and a posttest using the Observation Study (Clay, 1993). Results from a mixed model ANOVA indicated a significant difference between the control group and the experimental group on the Dictation Task F (1, 76) = 11.76, P≤ .001 and the Writing Test F (1, 76) = 4.33, P≤ .01. Results from a z-Test of dependent proportions indicated there were significant differences in the reading levels of the control group from the pretest to the posttest (z = 7.51, P ≥ .05) because (z = 7.51, Zcv = 1.96). The experimental group results from pretest to posttest were also statistically significant (z = 6.48, P ≥ .05) because (z = 6.48, Zcv = 1.96). At the end of kindergarten 82.35% of the experimental group was reading, while only 48.15% of the control group was reading. This research indicates that if kindergarten children are encouraged to write daily and use invented spelling there is a greater possibility they will enter first grade reading.

The aims of this thesis were to examine the utilisation of various linguistic levels in the oral reading of running texts among Swedish beginning readers, and specifically to question the supposedly predominant role of lower (i.e. sub-lexical) linguistic levels by also examining possible evidence of the utilisation of information at the syntactic or semantic levels, as well as textual context. The investigation is based on a corpus constructed from the oral reading of running texts and includes a number of studies using both quantitative and qualitative error analyses. The analyses confirm that other linguistic levels than the sub-lexical have an impact on reading. This was shown both in the linguistic acceptability of errors and the extent to which errors were corrected depending on linguistic acceptability. Although the natural point of departure seemed to be the graphemic level, analyses revealed that graphemic complexity or word transparency alone could not explain error frequencies. In quite a few cases, qualitative analyses revealed, for instance, that higher linguistic levels or knowledge of the world could explain both why words did and did not result in reading errors. However, phonological quantity appeared to be a major difficulty throughout the study, which is clearly related to the graphemic or phonological level. Some differences regarding the developmental perspective were observed. One study indicated that the readers might develop stepwise regarding their utilisation of various linguistic levels, in the sense that they appeared to rely mainly on lower linguistic levels early in reading development. Later they seemed to be dependent on higher linguistic levels, and ultimately they seemed to be sensitive to, rather than dependent on, higher linguistic levels. An interesting result was that the readers seemed to use different strategies for different kinds of words throughout the investigation, using a direct decoding strategy for frequent words, but using a letter-by-letter decoding strategy for less frequent or graphemically complex words.

This self-study explores my experience as a beginning reading teacher over a span of more than 30 years. It includes a brief look at theoretical models of reading and philosophical movements that impacted my experience as a classroom teacher and then lays my classroom experience and practice against the literature and historical background related to beginning reading instruction. The question studied is "How did the district-mandated curriculum in each era shape me as a literacy teacher and literacy instruction in my school context?" The purpose of the study is to unearth the impact of educational policies on my classroom practice. The methodology of self-study was employed to explore the tensions brought about as changes occurred. The study focuses on seven areas of educational change that influenced my practice in beginning reading instruction over three eras, the first being the late 1970s, the second the late 1990s, and the third beginning about 2008. The areas discussed include embedded beliefs about student achievement, mechanisms driving instruction, instructional approaches employed, reading program characteristics, assessment, professional development, and collaboration. All three eras contained experiences of personal and professional growth. In the first era, autonomy was a characteristic of almost every theme. The second era was characterized by the purposeful focus on professional development and support of student growth. The third era featured an increase in assessment and oversight of the mandated program implementation. Teacher capacity built in the second era enhanced my use of the commercial reading program mandated in the third era. While my current context seems similar to the first era, because of the richness of my experience, I am not right back where I started.

Across the country, there is growing awareness of the dividends of early reading success and the stark consequences of early reading failure. A number of assessment studies in recent years have shown that the educational achievement of learners in South African schools is unacceptably poor. The 2011 Annual National Assessment results indicate a 35% literacy rate for South African learners in Grade 3 and a 30% literacy rate for learners in the North West Province of South Africa. According to Kanjee (2008), there is a growing trend in South Africa towards the use of assessment to improve learning. The aim of this study is to develop a school-wide progress monitoring assessment system for early literacy skills. In beginning literacy the development of this school-wide progress monitoring assessment system will be based on the premise that useful assessment of learner progress should be formative in its instructional effects and that it needs to focus teacher attention on data representing the results of their efforts. The development of a school-wide progress monitoring assessment system can help identify and strategically intervene before learners become part of the low South African literacy rate statistic. It is generally recognized that reading is developmental and acquired over time. From the convergence of more than 30 years of scientific research, researchers now have a solid scientific understanding of the core foundational skills in beginning reading. Foundational skills are prerequisite and fundamental to later success in a content area or domain. These skills differentiate successful from less successful readers and most important are amenable to change through instruction. One example of a comprehensive assessment system designed to assess these key foundational skills of early literacy for young learners is the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS). DIBELS measures, by design, are indicators of each of the Basic Early Literacy Skills. In this study, the aim is to collaborate with subject specialists (district level), school management teams (school level), and teachers (classroom level), in order to obtain an in depth understanding of assessment practices in general, and specifically progress monitoring assessment as well as the assessment support needs of teachers and learners. The collaborative aim is to establish a school-wide progress monitoring assessment system that will not only enhance the assessment practices of teachers, but also the system-wide decisions that need to take place so that effective instructional decisions can be made at all levels, and most importantly at the classroom level. In this study I chose to conduct a 16 month action research project in one primary school (i.e., the Happy Valley School) in one specific district (i.e., the Cloudy District) in the North West Province. From the data it is clear that ANA dominates conversations related to assessment, especially in foundation phase. Both at district and school level there is no clear indication that the information generated from assessments is key evidence to continuous improvement in teaching and learning. The data also indicates that the government documents play a crucial role in guiding the actions of the stakeholders. The data indicates that progress monitoring relates specifically to “showing” or “proving” improved learning in language/literacy as measured by ANA. In addition to ANA, and at classroom level, teachers monitor progress fairly “randomly”; they can decide what to ‘look’ for, usually by using their summative assessment marks, when deciding whether a learner is making progress or not. It is possible, therefore, that no two teachers will look at the same foundational literacy skill when deciding whether the learner is making progress in a particular skill. There is also no guideline for teachers in terms of what to aim for in order to ensure that learners make progress in core foundational literacy skills that evidence-based research has shown to have a major effect on reading achievement. In this study, I used a metaphor to illustrate the core components of a progress monitoring assessment and support rocket system. The aim of the rocket is to ensure that all learners achieve “lift off” and hit the identified targets, at all grade levels, on the way to reading success. In order to ensure that the rocket is launched effectively, all stakeholders have to fulfil essential tasks or roles. The assessment and support rocket system implemented in this study was developed to provide a prevention-oriented, assessment and support decision-making system to pre-empt early reading difficulty and ensure progress step-bystep toward outcomes that result in reading achievement for all children. / PhD (Curriculum Development Innovation and Evaluation), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Across the country, there is growing awareness of the dividends of early reading success and the stark consequences of early reading failure. A number of assessment studies in recent years have shown that the educational achievement of learners in South African schools is unacceptably poor. The 2011 Annual National Assessment results indicate a 35% literacy rate for South African learners in Grade 3 and a 30% literacy rate for learners in the North West Province of South Africa. According to Kanjee (2008), there is a growing trend in South Africa towards the use of assessment to improve learning. The aim of this study is to develop a school-wide progress monitoring assessment system for early literacy skills. In beginning literacy the development of this school-wide progress monitoring assessment system will be based on the premise that useful assessment of learner progress should be formative in its instructional effects and that it needs to focus teacher attention on data representing the results of their efforts. The development of a school-wide progress monitoring assessment system can help identify and strategically intervene before learners become part of the low South African literacy rate statistic. It is generally recognized that reading is developmental and acquired over time. From the convergence of more than 30 years of scientific research, researchers now have a solid scientific understanding of the core foundational skills in beginning reading. Foundational skills are prerequisite and fundamental to later success in a content area or domain. These skills differentiate successful from less successful readers and most important are amenable to change through instruction. One example of a comprehensive assessment system designed to assess these key foundational skills of early literacy for young learners is the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS). DIBELS measures, by design, are indicators of each of the Basic Early Literacy Skills. In this study, the aim is to collaborate with subject specialists (district level), school management teams (school level), and teachers (classroom level), in order to obtain an in depth understanding of assessment practices in general, and specifically progress monitoring assessment as well as the assessment support needs of teachers and learners. The collaborative aim is to establish a school-wide progress monitoring assessment system that will not only enhance the assessment practices of teachers, but also the system-wide decisions that need to take place so that effective instructional decisions can be made at all levels, and most importantly at the classroom level. In this study I chose to conduct a 16 month action research project in one primary school (i.e., the Happy Valley School) in one specific district (i.e., the Cloudy District) in the North West Province. From the data it is clear that ANA dominates conversations related to assessment, especially in foundation phase. Both at district and school level there is no clear indication that the information generated from assessments is key evidence to continuous improvement in teaching and learning. The data also indicates that the government documents play a crucial role in guiding the actions of the stakeholders. The data indicates that progress monitoring relates specifically to “showing” or “proving” improved learning in language/literacy as measured by ANA. In addition to ANA, and at classroom level, teachers monitor progress fairly “randomly”; they can decide what to ‘look’ for, usually by using their summative assessment marks, when deciding whether a learner is making progress or not. It is possible, therefore, that no two teachers will look at the same foundational literacy skill when deciding whether the learner is making progress in a particular skill. There is also no guideline for teachers in terms of what to aim for in order to ensure that learners make progress in core foundational literacy skills that evidence-based research has shown to have a major effect on reading achievement. In this study, I used a metaphor to illustrate the core components of a progress monitoring assessment and support rocket system. The aim of the rocket is to ensure that all learners achieve “lift off” and hit the identified targets, at all grade levels, on the way to reading success. In order to ensure that the rocket is launched effectively, all stakeholders have to fulfil essential tasks or roles. The assessment and support rocket system implemented in this study was developed to provide a prevention-oriented, assessment and support decision-making system to pre-empt early reading difficulty and ensure progress step-bystep toward outcomes that result in reading achievement for all children. / PhD (Curriculum Development Innovation and Evaluation), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

This research is inserted in Curriculum, Teaching and School Practices line at Postgraduate Program in Education from UFSM. It had as purpose to know the ideas from teachers about admission of children, aged six, to obligatory school and its implications in the organization of beginning reading and writing teaching process. Studies from Ferreiro and Teberosky (1999), Ferreiro (1993, 2001, 2002), Bolzan (2001, 2002, 2007), Vygotski (1994, 1995), among others, were utilized as theoretical basis to develop this investigation. This research was carried out in Municipal System of Teaching from Santa Maria/RS, between April and December, 2007. The participants were twelve teachers, who developed their profession at first grade groups of Elementary School. The investigation was done through a qualitative narrative study, which focused on the teachers speeches/voices/narratives. The data search was carried out through some semi-structured interviews. The teachers, expressing their understanding about the children admission to school, allowed the construction of three categories: conceptions of childhood and children, conceptions of reading and writing and conceptions of pedagogical organization. In the elaboration of these categories, two movements arose: a retrospective movement and a prospective movement. In the retrospective movement, the teaching enlargement is thought in a retrospective view, from what the students do not know, and, thus, the teaching processes are organized, not considering the childhood as a period of development, what makes occur, in this way, the educational formalization. In the prospective movement, it was noticed that the organization of this first grade addresses to think of producing the childhood and of formalizing the education processes in a prospective way. We realized, thus, an educational construction movement directed to the students possibilities. In this way, it was pointed out that there are two realities being produced inside schools; on the one hand, the practice has been the motivator for of a wide children development and, on the other hand, the practice addresses to the existence of activities which ignore the children sociocultural nature. At last, the research allowed to perceive that to think, prospective or retrospectively, makes part of the own school production movement, which needs to be, constantly, reviewed and questioned in the institution as a whole. / Esta pesquisa insere-se na linha de Currículo, Ensino e Práticas Escolares do Programa de Pós-Graduação em Educação da UFSM. O estudo teve como objetivo conhecer as idéias de professoras sobre o ingresso da criança, aos seis anos de idade, na escolaridade obrigatória e sua implicação na organização do processo de ensino da leitura e da escrita iniciais. Os estudos de Ferreiro e Teberosky (1999), Ferreiro (1993, 2001, 2002), Bolzan (2001, 2002, 2007); Vygotski (1994, 1995), entre outros, foram utilizados como aportes teóricos para o desenvolvimento dessa investigação. A pesquisa foi realizada no Sistema Municipal de Ensino de Santa Maria/RS, entre abril e dezembro de 2007. As participantes foram doze professoras que desenvolviam seus trabalhos com turmas do primeiro ano do Ensino Fundamental. A investigação foi feita através de um estudo qualitativo narrativo, tendo por foco as falas/vozes/narrativas das professoras. A busca dos dados foi realizada por meio de entrevistas semi-estruturadas. As professoras, ao expressarem seus entendimentos sobre o ingresso da criança na escola, permitiram a construção de três categorias: concepções sobre infância e criança, concepções sobre leitura e escrita e concepção sobre organização pedagógica. Nesse processo de elaboração das categorias, emergiram dois movimentos: um movimento retrospectivo e um movimento prospectivo. No movimento retrospectivo, a ampliação do ensino é pensada a partir daquilo que os sujeitos não sabem, pois precisam ser lapidados e completados, pois lhes faltam habilidades e competências para aprender, assim, o processo de escolarização é organizado abandonando-se a visão de infância como período de desenvolvimento. No movimento prospectivo, percebeu-se que a organização desse primeiro ano remete a um pensar os processos de produzir a infância e de formalizar o ensino de maneira a valorizar as possibilidades de avançar de cada sujeito, notando-se, assim, um movimento de construção de uma escolarização voltado às capacidades do sujeito. Dessa maneira, evidenciou-se que existem duas realidades sendo produzidas nos espaços escolares; de um lado, as narrativas sobre a prática têm se constituído como motivadora de um amplo desenvolvimento das crianças, e de outro, essas mesmas narrativas remetem a existência de atividades que desconsideram a natureza sociocultural das crianças. Enfim, evidencia-se que pensar e implementar a escolarização de nove anos gerou a concomitância desses dois movimentos: o prospectivo e o retrospectivo, levando-se a afirmar que ambos fazem parte do próprio movimento de produção da escola, o qual precisa ser, constantemente, revisto e problematizado no conjunto da instituição.

This article focuses on the fact that many children in Peru are not able to read fluently when they finish elementary school. To analyze this shortcoming it presents an overview of the Peruvian context, the education system, the multilingual and the socio-cultural background and identifies the difficult conditions in which Peruvian children grow and its consequences in child development and beginning reading. The paper discusses different aspectsof developmental psychology and puts the accent on Bronfenbrenner's theory and the developmental approach to education. It offers, also, a review of several studies on reading in Peru. Finally it emphasizes the advantages of incorporating the ecological theory and the developmental approach to education / Este artículo se centra en el hecho de que muchos niños peruanos no son capaces de leer fluidamente al terminar la escuela primaria. Para analizar esta deficiencia, se presenta un análisis del contexto peruano, el sistema educativo y el bagaje lingüístico y sociocultural. Asimismo, se identifican las condiciones adversas en las que crecen los niños peruanos y las consecuencias para su desarrollo y los inicios de la lectura. También se discuten diferentes aspectos de la psicología del desarrollo, centrándose principalmente en la teoría de Bronfenbrenner y en el enfoque evolutivo de la educación. El artículo ofrece además una revisión de los diferentes estudios sobre la lectura en el Perú. Finalmente, se presentan lasventajas de incorporar la teoría ecológica y el enfoque evolutivo a la educación

Summaries in Afrikaans and English / Text in Afrikaans / Two opposing approaches to beginning reading are used, namely the phonological and global approach, under which the whole word, whole sentence and whole language methods are classed. The whole crux of the controversy is situated in beginning reading as an explicit, intensive and systematic method of teaching phonics, as opposed to implicit beginning reading through discrimination of global configurations, augmented by psycholinguistic guesses within reading context. Arguments about the advantages and disadvantages of the opposing methods have been hurdled to and fro for decades without any discernible gain. The question emerged whether research on brain physiology with respect to language and reading, a relatively new field of study, could shed light on the foundation of an accountable method for beginning reading. Renewed insights to the controversial differences were gained, and brain physiologically accountable parameters as a base for a beginning reading method were framed from these insights. / Twee opponerende aanvangsleesbenaderings word in die skole gebruik, naamlik die fonologiese benadering en die geheelbenadering, waaronder die geheelwoord-, geheelsinen die geheeltaalmetode ressorteer. Die kern van die verskil tussen die aanvangsleesbenaderings le in aanvangslees as eksplisiete, intensiewe en sistematiese foneemonderrig, teenoor implisiete aanvangslees wat die waarneming van globale konfigurasies, aangevul deur psigolinguistiese raaiskote binne die leeskonteks, aanmoedig. In die polemiek om die beste leesmetode word argumente oor die voor- en nadele ten opsigte van die begronding van hierdie opponerende metodes reeds dekades heen en weer geslinger. Navorsingsresultate word eindeloos, sonder duidelike winste, met mekaar vergelyk. Dit het die vraag laat onstaan of navorsing ten opsigte van die breinfisiologie met betrekking tot taal en lees, 'n relatief nuwe studieveld, moontlik lig sou kon werp op die begronding van 'n verantwoordbare aanvangsleesmetode. Die literatuurstudie ten opsigte van breinfisiologie het vernuwende insigte oor die polemiese begrondingsverskille na vore gebring, en breinfisiologies-verantwoordbare parameters as basis vir 'n aanvangsleesmetode is uit hierdie insigte opgestel. / Psychology of Education / M. Ed. (Psychology of Education)