Luísa Araújo

The Literacy Development of Kindergarten English-Language Learners

Abstract This yearlong qualitative study explored how a literature-based literacy curriculum supported the literacy growth of ESL kindergartners participating in a full-day Portuguese-English bilingual program. The investigation centered on describing the interrelationships between oral language, reading, and writing development, and on tracing the childrens literacy development in the context of instruction received. Literacy learning was embedded in three focal literacy events: circle/reading, journal writing, and phonics/handwriting. Findings indicate that an emphasis on phonics and on constructing meaning from texts supported the childrens construction of literacy understandings. In addition, the findings support the notion that limited oral language proficiency does not constrain childrens emergent writing and reading development. Children were capable of exploring sound-letter correspondences and building knowledge of high-frequency words. Exposure to word learning through contextualized and holistic experiences with literature and minimal direct instruction in invented spelling led children to construct sophisticated understandings about the functions and features of written language.

Confronting Prejudice in the Early Childhood Classroom.

Abstract When teachers confront prejudice actively in early childhood settings, the classroom can be a place where children celebrate diversity.

Home book reading and reading achievement in EU countries: the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study 2011 (PIRLS)

Home shared book reading during the preschool years is a strong predictor of students’ reading achievement in primary school, and, according to Sénéchal (2012), it can benefit more children from low socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds. This study examines the association between frequency of book reading before the start of compulsory education and the reading achievement of 4th-grade students whose parents have high and low education levels in 22 European countries. Using data from the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS 2011), we show that the contribution of shared reading for the achievement of students from distinct SES backgrounds is different in different countries and that shared reading does not always benefit more children from low-SES backgrounds. Results are discussed in light of Sénéchals home literacy model, the dynamics of cultural capital, and current policy efforts to support childrens literacy development in European countries.

Assessments of reading comprehension: Different measures, different explanatory variables and achievement

Assessments of Reading Comprehension: Different Measures, Different Explanatory Variables and Achievement Abstract This study investigates the reading achievement of 69 Portuguese fourth graders on national (NA) and international (PIRLS) assessments and its relation to reading skills in the following areas: phonological awareness, word recognition, fluency, accuracy, and types of oral reading errors. Data analysis was conducted using regression and t-tests for dependent samples. Results indicate that in the NA reading accuracy and vocabulary knowledge predict reading comprehension. In PIRLS, vocabu-lary knowledge and non-meaning changing errors explain the variance in reading scores. Performance in the NA was significantly higher than in PIRLS and, in this test, students scored significantly lower on questions that require interpreting and evaluating text than on literal questions. Differences in test design and implications for monitoring educational outcomes are discussed.

Do PISA data justify PISA-based education policy?

Purpose Since the publication of its first results in 2000, the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) implemented by the OECD has repeatedly been the subject of heated debate. In late 2014 controversy flared up anew, with the most severe critics going so far as to call for a halt to the programme. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the methodological design of PISA and the ideological basis of scientific and policy arguments invoked for and against it. Design/methodology/approach The authors examine the soundness of the survey methodology and identify the conflicting interpretations and values fuelling the debate. Findings The authors find that while PISA has promoted the focus on the important subject of childrens education worldwide there are legitimate concerns about what PISA measures, and how. The authors conclude that the OECD should be more transparent in the documentation of the methodological choices that underlie the creation of the data and more explicit about the impact of these choices on the results. More broadly, the authors advise caution in the attempt to derive and apply evidence-based policy in the domain of education; the authors furthermore propose an alternative model of social inquiry that is sensitive and robust to the concerns of the various actors and stakeholders that may be involved in a given policy domain. Originality/value The issues and tensions surrounding the PISA survey can be better understood in the framework of post-normal science (PNS), the application of which to the PISA controversy offers a potential solution to a stalemate.

Reading comprehension in primary school: textbooks, curriculum and assessment

This study describes the reading comprehension processes present in the most widely sold textbooks at the fourth grade level in Portugal and discusses how they compare to international assessments of reading literacy. We adopted the Progress of International Reading Literacy Study framework to categorize the questions in the textbooks. Our analyses revealed that they focus heavily on the retrieval of explicitly stated information to the detriment of higher level comprehension skills. Portuguese fourth grade textbooks rarely challenge students to make connections between their knowledge and the ideas in the texts and to adopt a critical and evaluative reading stance. This is in sharp contrast to what students are asked to do in the Progress of International Reading Literacy Study, conducted every five years since 2001, and it may help explain the poor results Portuguese students have in national assessment and in PISA. The findings are discussed in light of the curriculum frameworks currently adopted in Portugal and suggestions are made as to how we can improve reading literacy achievement.

Skilled Students and Effective Schools: Reading Achievement in Denmark, Sweden and France

ABSTRACT This study investigates how reading achievement relates to student and school characteristics in countries with different reading scores at the fourth grade level. Data comes from the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) 2011 for Denmark, Sweden, and France and the multilevel analysis includes two levels: student/home and schools. The school effectiveness and the home literacy models informed the selection of the independent variables. Results show that students’ early literacy skills, home literacy practices and resources, and reading behavior are associated with reading scores in all countries. Furthermore, across different countries there are student/home universals and school particulars that explain variation in reading achievement. Educational policies should address home and school literacy skills and practices, school climate, and school composition to improve students’ reading ability.