<p>Research shows that there is a literacy crisis in many South African primary schools, especially in the Foundation and Intermediate Phases (Grades 1 &ndash / &nbsp / ). The latest Annual National Assessments (ANA) results released in 2011 indicate that learners performed below the acceptable literacy levels as&nbsp / the national pass rate for Grade 3 learners was 35% and was 28% for Grade 6 learners (ANA, 2011:6). Research on literacy focuses on reading and&nbsp / there is little known about how young learners develop writing skills. This qualitative ethnographic study investigated how writing skills are developed in Grade 1 learners by looking at the writing processes as well as the teaching methods used by teachers to develop learners&rsquo / writing skills. The research also&nbsp / analyzed the texts produced by Grade 1 learners and the languages used in their written texts. The sample group in this research was the Grade 1 learners&nbsp / to a multicultural school in Cape Town. Data were collected by means of classroom observations, interviews and document analysis. The thematic&nbsp / arrative approach was used to analyze data and the analysis was informed by the Writing Developmental Continuum model and the Multimodal&nbsp / Approach to literacy in order to gain a better understanding of how young learners use language and other forms of writing such as visuals and gestures to&nbsp / onstruct and convey meaning.&nbsp / The findings of this research show that Grade 1 learners make use of semiotic resources including the language(s)&nbsp / &nbsp / &nbsp / available in their immediate context to create multimodal texts that incorporate both visual and written features. This shows that young learners represent&nbsp / their world experiences through interpersonal and experiential meanings in language(s) exposed to them. The teacher has a big role to play in developing&nbsp / learners&rsquo / writing skills and has to employ a variety of pedagogical strategies that support learners to move through the different writing phases before they develop into early writers. The study concludes that writing is not a linear process but it is a gradual process which depends on a variety of resources and&nbsp / factors which build on learners&rsquo / prior experiences and creativity.</p>

<p>Research shows that there is a literacy crisis in many South African primary schools, especially in the Foundation and Intermediate Phases (Grades 1 &ndash / &nbsp / ). The latest Annual National Assessments (ANA) results released in 2011 indicate that learners performed below the acceptable literacy levels as&nbsp / the national pass rate for Grade 3 learners was 35% and was 28% for Grade 6 learners (ANA, 2011:6). Research on literacy focuses on reading and&nbsp / there is little known about how young learners develop writing skills. This qualitative ethnographic study investigated how writing skills are developed in Grade 1 learners by looking at the writing processes as well as the teaching methods used by teachers to develop learners&rsquo / writing skills. The research also&nbsp / analyzed the texts produced by Grade 1 learners and the languages used in their written texts. The sample group in this research was the Grade 1 learners&nbsp / to a multicultural school in Cape Town. Data were collected by means of classroom observations, interviews and document analysis. The thematic&nbsp / arrative approach was used to analyze data and the analysis was informed by the Writing Developmental Continuum model and the Multimodal&nbsp / Approach to literacy in order to gain a better understanding of how young learners use language and other forms of writing such as visuals and gestures to&nbsp / onstruct and convey meaning.&nbsp / The findings of this research show that Grade 1 learners make use of semiotic resources including the language(s)&nbsp / &nbsp / &nbsp / available in their immediate context to create multimodal texts that incorporate both visual and written features. This shows that young learners represent&nbsp / their world experiences through interpersonal and experiential meanings in language(s) exposed to them. The teacher has a big role to play in developing&nbsp / learners&rsquo / writing skills and has to employ a variety of pedagogical strategies that support learners to move through the different writing phases before they develop into early writers. The study concludes that writing is not a linear process but it is a gradual process which depends on a variety of resources and&nbsp / factors which build on learners&rsquo / prior experiences and creativity.</p>

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

Thesis (Ed. S.)--Miami University, Dept. of Educational Psychology, 2009. / Title from first page of PDF document. Includes bibliographical references (p. 22-25).

xiii, 122 p. : ill. A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number. / This dissertation study explored the dimensions of fidelity to aid both researchers and practitioners in their measurement of the construct and use of the data. Understanding the dimensions of fidelity is important for three reasons: (a) limited agreement on a definition, (b) variability in measurement, and (c) inconsistent relations demonstrated between fidelity and outcomes. Leaders in the fields of program evaluation, behavioral health, psychology, and education have begun to promote an expanded definition of fidelity that looks beyond whether surface level components of interventions were delivered to include examination of whether interventions are delivered with quality and whether students are engaged. With this issue in mind, an expanded definition of fidelity was used to explore surface/content dimensions of fidelity or total fidelity, quality/process dimensions of fidelity, and student engagement. Specifically, this study examined how these dimensions relate to each other and how each dimension relates to student literacy outcomes. Multi-process multi-level models were used to study the interrelations among the dimensions of fidelity and the interrelations among the group level fidelity measures and multiple measures of student literacy development. The results of this study indicated that the construct of fidelity is multidimensional and potentially more complicated than has been discussed in the literature to date. When examining the relations among the dimensions of fidelity, total fidelity and quality were highly related, quality and engagement may be related, and total fidelity and engagement were not related. The relation between total fidelity and student outcomes was in the opposite direction of what was hypothesized--lower total fidelity was related to higher student outcomes. The relation between student engagement and student outcomes was in the hypothesized direction--higher engagement was related to higher student outcomes. The relation between quality of delivery and student outcomes was also in the hypothesized direction with higher quality related to higher student outcomes. The results highlight several issues related to fidelity that need to be considered by both researchers (measuring multiple components, repeated assessment, data analytic methods) and practitioners (how and what to measure, general variability in implementation, use of the data) in the field of education. / Committee at large: Elizabeth Ham, Co-Chairperson, Special Education and Clinical Sciences; Kenneth Merrell, Co-Chairperson, Special Education and Clinical Sciences; David Chard, Member, Special Education and Clinical Sciences; Yvonne Braun, Outside Member, Sociology

O presente estudo trata dos processos cognitivos na construção do sistema de escrita durante a interação entre crianças em processo de alfabetização por meio do uso de aplicativos de comunicação virtual. Seu objetivo é compreender como tal interação pode favorecer o processo de construção da língua escrita. Baseada no Método Clínico, a coleta de dados foi realizada com alunos de uma turma do 2o ano do Ensino Fundamental de uma escola pública do campo, situada na região Metropolitana de Porto Alegre, durante nove sessões de uso de dois aplicativos nos tablets da escola: o Google Classroom e o Google Hangouts. Sustentada pela teoria da equilibração de Jean Piaget, parte-se de uma proposição teórica inicial pautada em uma visão de que o uso dos aplicativos potencializará os desequilíbrios cognitivos e, portanto, a construção da língua escrita em função do contexto de comunicação. Adotou- se a generalização analítica como estratégia para análise dos dados. A primeira unidade de análise apresenta um panorama com dados sobre o processo de construção da língua escrita de sete sujeitos e sobre os desequilíbrios ocorridos ao longo das sessões. Na segunda unidade, analisa-se como ocorrem os desequilíbrios durante o uso dos aplicativos e quais são as reações dos sujeitos ante as perturbações. Na última unidade, discutem-se as situações desencadeadoras e as circunstâncias para a emergência dos desequilíbrios. Ao final do cruzamento das análises, a proposição teórica é revisada, aprofundando o papel dos desequilíbrios e as condições emergentes para o processo de construção da língua escrita. Conclui-se que as situações de comunicação virtual, seja para uma audiência ou para um interlocutor, potencializam a ocorrência de desequilíbrios, favorecendo o surgimento da necessidade cognitiva e/ou afetiva de compreensão da língua escrita, embora os aplicativos em questão, por si só, não ofereçam as resistências ou os feedbacks necessários ao processo. Os resultados encontrados apontam caminhos para a construção de aplicativos voltados à alfabetização. / The present work is a study of the interaction between children in the early literacy process by using virtual communication apps. It researches the cognitive processes involved in the construction of written language that emerges from this interaction. It aims to understand how such interaction can help the development of writing. Based on the Clinical Method, the data collection was carried out with primary education students from a 2nd-year class at a rural public school in the metropolitan region of Porto Alegre. In nine sessions, they used two apps in the school's tablets: Google Classroom and Google Hangouts. Supported by Jean Piaget's theory of equilibration, the study starts with an initial theoretical proposition based on a view that the use of the apps will potentialize the cognitive imbalances due to the communication context and, therefore, the construction of the written language. The study adopted the analytical generalization as the methodological framework. The first unit of analysis presents a panorama of the data regarding the process of construction of the written language of seven subjects and on the imbalances that have occurred throughout the sessions. The second unit analyzes how the imbalances occur during the use of the apps and what are the reactions of the subjects to the disturbances. The last unit discusses the triggering situations and the circumstances of the imbalances emergence. At the end of the analyses triangulation, the theoretical proposition is revised, deepening the understanding of the imbalances role and emerging conditions for the process of construction of written language. The study concludes that situations of virtual communication, whether to an audience or to an interlocutor, create a fertile context for the occurrence of imbalances, favoring the emergence of the cognitive and/or affective necessity to understand how to write. Although, the studied apps, per se, do not create the resistances or feedbacks necessary to the process. The results point towards new paths for the development of literacy apps.

O presente estudo trata dos processos cognitivos na construção do sistema de escrita durante a interação entre crianças em processo de alfabetização por meio do uso de aplicativos de comunicação virtual. Seu objetivo é compreender como tal interação pode favorecer o processo de construção da língua escrita. Baseada no Método Clínico, a coleta de dados foi realizada com alunos de uma turma do 2o ano do Ensino Fundamental de uma escola pública do campo, situada na região Metropolitana de Porto Alegre, durante nove sessões de uso de dois aplicativos nos tablets da escola: o Google Classroom e o Google Hangouts. Sustentada pela teoria da equilibração de Jean Piaget, parte-se de uma proposição teórica inicial pautada em uma visão de que o uso dos aplicativos potencializará os desequilíbrios cognitivos e, portanto, a construção da língua escrita em função do contexto de comunicação. Adotou- se a generalização analítica como estratégia para análise dos dados. A primeira unidade de análise apresenta um panorama com dados sobre o processo de construção da língua escrita de sete sujeitos e sobre os desequilíbrios ocorridos ao longo das sessões. Na segunda unidade, analisa-se como ocorrem os desequilíbrios durante o uso dos aplicativos e quais são as reações dos sujeitos ante as perturbações. Na última unidade, discutem-se as situações desencadeadoras e as circunstâncias para a emergência dos desequilíbrios. Ao final do cruzamento das análises, a proposição teórica é revisada, aprofundando o papel dos desequilíbrios e as condições emergentes para o processo de construção da língua escrita. Conclui-se que as situações de comunicação virtual, seja para uma audiência ou para um interlocutor, potencializam a ocorrência de desequilíbrios, favorecendo o surgimento da necessidade cognitiva e/ou afetiva de compreensão da língua escrita, embora os aplicativos em questão, por si só, não ofereçam as resistências ou os feedbacks necessários ao processo. Os resultados encontrados apontam caminhos para a construção de aplicativos voltados à alfabetização. / The present work is a study of the interaction between children in the early literacy process by using virtual communication apps. It researches the cognitive processes involved in the construction of written language that emerges from this interaction. It aims to understand how such interaction can help the development of writing. Based on the Clinical Method, the data collection was carried out with primary education students from a 2nd-year class at a rural public school in the metropolitan region of Porto Alegre. In nine sessions, they used two apps in the school's tablets: Google Classroom and Google Hangouts. Supported by Jean Piaget's theory of equilibration, the study starts with an initial theoretical proposition based on a view that the use of the apps will potentialize the cognitive imbalances due to the communication context and, therefore, the construction of the written language. The study adopted the analytical generalization as the methodological framework. The first unit of analysis presents a panorama of the data regarding the process of construction of the written language of seven subjects and on the imbalances that have occurred throughout the sessions. The second unit analyzes how the imbalances occur during the use of the apps and what are the reactions of the subjects to the disturbances. The last unit discusses the triggering situations and the circumstances of the imbalances emergence. At the end of the analyses triangulation, the theoretical proposition is revised, deepening the understanding of the imbalances role and emerging conditions for the process of construction of written language. The study concludes that situations of virtual communication, whether to an audience or to an interlocutor, create a fertile context for the occurrence of imbalances, favoring the emergence of the cognitive and/or affective necessity to understand how to write. Although, the studied apps, per se, do not create the resistances or feedbacks necessary to the process. The results point towards new paths for the development of literacy apps.

The overall aim of this study is to analyze and describe the reading of a group of pupils in a preschool class and grade 1 and to search for links between preschool language and cognitive skills and early literacy development. A total of 49 pupils participated in the study and their literacy development was analyzed over two consecutive years in preschool class and grade 1, partly by teacher evaluations and partly by reading tests. In the autumn term of the preschool class the pupils’ phono­logical awareness, letter knowledge, impressive and expressive voca­bulary, short-term memory and syntactic skills were tested. The main aim was to examine how these skills predicted reading in preschool class and grade 1. Single correlation analyses revealed that phonological awareness, letter knowledge, short-term memory and syntactic skills were sig­nificantly related to literacy development, whereas these patterns of prediction were not found regarding verbal skills. When analyzing the unique contribution of every single predictor to explain variations in reading ability, phonological awareness gives a specific additional contribution to reading abili­ty in preschool class, whereas letter knowledge gives an addi­tion­al contribution both in preschool class and grade 1. These patterns of prediction were not found regarding more general verbal skills or memory.  When prior reading ability is also taken into consideration, the prediction of the analyzed preschool skills declines and it is mainly the prior reading ability that is significantly related to literacy deve­lopment. This study indicates the importance of success in early literacy development. To make this possible for all students the teachers must be able to identify the developmental stage to build upon. An impor­tant conclusion is that reading education must rely on a solid theoreti­cal basis and the use of a diagnostic approach.

Magister Educationis - MEd / Research shows that there is a literacy crisis in many South African primary schools, especially in the Foundation and Intermediate Phases (Grades 1 – ). The latest Annual National Assessments (ANA) results released in 2011 indicate that learners performed below the acceptable literacy levels as the national pass rate for Grade 3 learners was 35% and was 28% for Grade 6 learners (ANA, 2011:6). Research on literacy focuses on reading and there is little known about how young learners develop writing skills. This qualitative ethnographic study investigated how writing skills are developed in Grade 1 learners by looking at the writing processes as well as the teaching methods used by teachers to develop learners’ writing skills. The research also analyzed the texts produced by Grade 1 learners and the languages used in their written texts. The sample group in this research was the Grade 1 learners to a multicultural school in Cape Town. Data were collected by means of classroom observations, interviews and document analysis. The thematic arrative approach was used to analyze data and the analysis was informed by the Writing Developmental Continuum model and the Multimodal Approach to literacy in order to gain a better understanding of how young learners use language and other forms of writing such as visuals and gestures to onstruct and convey meaning. The findings of this research show that Grade 1 learners make use of semiotic resources including the language(s) available in their immediate context to create multimodal texts that incorporate both visual and written features. This shows that young learners represent their world experiences through interpersonal and experiential meanings in language(s) exposed to them. The teacher has a big role to play in developing learners’ writing skills and has to employ a variety of pedagogical strategies that support learners to move through the different writing phases before they develop into early writers. The study concludes that writing is not a linear process but it is a gradual process which depends on a variety of resources and factors which build on learners’ prior experiences and creativity. / South Africa