Maribeth Gettinger

Applying a Response-to-Intervention Model for Early Literacy Development in Low-Income Children:

This article describes the design and implementation of a program that incorporates a response-to-intervention (RTI) framework for promoting the development of early literacy and language skills among low-income minority children. The early literacy program, called the Exemplary Model of Early Reading Growth and Excellence, or EMERGE, combines classroom practices that are grounded in empirical research, a multitiered intervention hierarchy, high-quality professional development, and continuous progress monitoring to help children in Head Start classrooms acquire early literacy competencies to prepare them for later success in school. Preliminary program evaluation data are presented, and challenges associated with applying an RTI model in early childhood education are addressed.

Individual differences in time needed for learning: A review of literature

Although it has been established that students differ in the amount of time needed for learning, time to learn (TTL) is a variable that has not been adequately researched, accurately measured, or effectively used in educational practices for either diagnostic or prescriptive purposes. Resting on the thesis that time is an important factor in school learning, this article reviews research dealing with time in both laboratory and school‐based learning, summarizes major theoretical conceptualizations of time and learning, evaluates methods by which TTL has been measured, discusses learner and task characteristics that correlate with TTL, and, finally, suggests some implications of using a TTL measure to predict achievement and to modify schooling practices.

Teacher and Student Evaluations of Cooperative Learning and Observed Interactive Behaviors.

Teachers use and evaluation of cooperative group learning were examined in this study, along with students reactions to working in groups and their verbal interactive behaviors during group activ...

Achievement as a Function of Time Spent in Learning and Time Needed for Learning

The causal effects of time spent in learning (TSL) and time needed for learning (TTL) on reading and spelling achievement, as measured by standardized achievement, criterion test accuracy and retention, and teacher rating were investigated. The subjects were 171 fourth and fifth grade students. TTL was evaluated as the number of trials needed to master a learning or spelling task to 100% criterion. TSL was evaluated using the same procedure, except that children self-determined the number of trials they spent on an alternate task for each skill area. Within the model proposed, TTL contributed significantly to achievement, and its direct effect was greater than that of TSL. The data were also analyzed in terms of Carroll’s (1963) model of learning. Results supported this model in which degree of learning is postulated to be a function of the ratio of TSL to TTL.

Competencies and Training Needs For Early Childhood Inclusion Specialists

This study investigated perceptions of competence, training, and importance ofprofessional skills related to inclusion of children with disabilities in early childhood settings. Four groups were surveyed for a total of 172 respondents, including parents of children with disabilities, professionals in early childhood programs, university-based trainers, and preservice students. Respondents completed a survey indicating their perceptions of professional competence or training, as well as importance of skills in five domains: (a) working with families, (b) performance-based assessment, (c) interdisciplinary team functioning, (d) consultation, and (e) challenging behaviors/attention deficits. In addition to validating competencies that are important for early childhood inclusion specialists, we compared perceptions across respondent groups. In all skill domains, parents rated professionals competence lower than did the professionals themselves; there was no difference between faculty and students in their ratings of training. Importance ratings differed among the four groups in two domains, teaming and challenging behaviors. Implications for interdisciplinary training efforts are discussed.

Designing Spelling Instruction for Learning-Disabled Children: An Emphasis on Unit Size, Distributed Practice, and Training for Transfer

This paper describes an intervention designed to enhance spelling achievement for learning-disabled (LD) elementary school children. A total of 39 LD children were instructed for 8 sessions over a period of 3 weeks. An experimental group (n = 24) was taught with lessons that incorporated reduced unit size, distributed practice and review, and training for transfer, and a comparison group (n = 15) with methods that are typically used in the teaching of spelling. While all children could spell less than 10% of the words on the pretest, the experimental group achieved 80% accuracy on spelling words taught and 75% accuracy on transfer words on a delayed posttest. This was higher than the average posttest performance of the comparison group (60% accuracy on training items and 50% accuracy on transfer items). These findings suggest that LD children can improve their spelling skills if sound remedial principles are applied consistently. The instructional sequence described in this paper can serve both as a model of effective spelling instruction and as a diagnostic, trial-remediation technique for a disabled population.

Effects of Varying Unit Size on Spelling Achievement in Learning Disabled Children

The investigation looked at the degree to which varying the number of spelling words taught relates to the percentage of words spelled correctly by learning disabled children. Sixty-four LD children were divided into three treatment groups that differed only in the number of phonemically irregular spelling words taught (three, four, or five per day) across three days of instruction. Results show that, even with efficient instructional procedures, overloading, higher failure rate, and percentage of transposition spelling errors and greater variance in performance may occur when the number of words presented each day exceeds three. The findings support the notion that LD children, in particular, may be subject to overloading if presented with more material than they may be able to handle.

Effects of Maximizing Time Spent and Minimizing Time Needed for Learning on Pupil Achievement

Baseline estimates of time spent in learning and time needed for learning were obtained for 118 third-grade children on tasks that included short reading passages and 10-item criterion tests. Two groups of children were identified on the basis of baseline measures—children who spent less time than needed to learn the task (Group 1; n = 63) and children who spent as much time or more time than needed (Group 2; n = 55). For both groups, time spent and time needed were manipulated through the use of incentives. Maximizing time spent resulted in significantly higher 1-day retention scores for Group 1, but had no effect on retention for Group 2. Minimizing time needed yielded higher retention for both groups. Results are discussed in the context of recent research on instructional time and student achievement.

Middle School Boys’ Perspectives on Social Relationships With Peers With Disabilities

Factors that contribute to the development of positive peer relationships between middle-school students with and without disabilities are investigated. Eight typically developing, seventh-grade boys participate in semi-structured interviews to discern their perspectives of the personal benefits or challenges associated with having social relationships with classmates who have disabilities. Data coding reveal five themes that relate to the formation of positive peer relationships: (a) perceived similarity in interests and ability, (b) the role of the adolescent without disabilities in the relationship, (c) amount of time spent together, (d) peer reactions towards students with disabilities, and (e) adult behavior towards students with disabilities. A theory of congruence and mutuality in peer relationships emerges from the data analysis to explain middle school relationships between students with and without disabilities.

FOSTERING READING COMPREHENSION IN COLLEGE STUDENTS

ABSTRACT Four college students participated in a five‐week intervention designed to improve reading comprehension. The intervention evolved primarily from information‐processing theory and incorporated three major treatment components: (a) training in expert reading strategies; (b) training in metacognitive awareness; and (c) enhancing self‐efficacy. The effectiveness of the intervention was evaluated using a multiple‐baseline design across four targeted reading strategies, as well as an analysis of pre‐ to post‐intervention change in reading comprehension, metacognitive skills, and self‐efficacy. The results showed that all participants improved on the targeted reading strategies and made significant gains in reading comprehension as measured by both a standardized test and experimental measures. In addition, all participants reported high satisfaction with the training program and higher academic / reading self‐efficacy. The results lend support for a strategy‐based model of text comprehension.