Teachers' knowledge about language constructs related to literacy skills and student achievement in low socio-economic status schools.

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 9511375 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1099-0909 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 10769242 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Dyslexia Subsets: MEDLINE

Original Publication: Chichester, England : John Wiley & Sons, c1995-

Child Language* ; Socioeconomic Factors*; School Teachers/*psychology ; Students/*statistics & numerical data ; Teaching/*psychology; Adult ; Child ; Comprehension ; Educational Status ; Female ; Humans ; Knowledge ; Learning ; Linguistics ; Literacy ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Reading ; Schools ; Social Class ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Teachers' knowledge is a critical component to students learning to read proficiently. The present research sought to determine the literacy knowledge of 150 urban, elementary school teachers from 11 low socio-economic schools in one of nation's largest cities. Teachers' ability to understand concepts relating to phonological awareness, phonemic awareness, alphabetic principle/phonics, and morphology as well as their knowledge about teaching these fundamental skills were assessed through a standardized measure. Using exploratory factor analysis to understand the latent constructs underlying the survey scores and hierarchical linear modelling on factor scores of each construct, the results revealed that teachers located in low socio-economic status schools did not have explicit knowledge needed to effectively teach struggling readers. Although the teachers possessed a high level of knowledge regarding syllable counting skills, they lacked knowledge related to morphology. Practical implications are provided to assist teachers in increasing their literacy knowledge.
(© 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

Aaron, P. G., Joshi, R. M., & Quatroche, D. (2008). Becoming a professional reading teacher. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.
Allen, C. D., & Penuel, W. R. (2015). Studying teachers' sensemaking to investigate teachers' responses to professional development focused on new standards. Journal of Teacher Education, 66, 136-149.
Binks-Cantrell, E., Joshi, R. M., & Washburn, E. K. (2012). Validation of an instrument for assessing teacher knowledge of basic language constructs of literacy. Annals of Dyslexia, 62, 153-171.
Binks-Cantrell, E., Washburn, E. K., Joshi, R. M., & Hougen, M. (2012). Peter effect in the preparation of reading teachers. Scientific Studies of Reading, 16(6), 526-536.
Bos, C., Mather, N., Dickson, S., Podhajski, B., & Chard, D. (2001). Perceptions and knowledge of pre-service and inservice educators about early reading instruction. Annals of Dyslexia, 51, 97-120.
Brady, S., Gillis, M., Smith, T., Lavalette, M., Liss-Bronstein, L., Lowe, E., … Wilder, T. D. (2009). First grade teachers' knowledge of phonological awareness and code concepts: Examining gains from an intensive form of professional development and corresponding teacher attitudes. Reading and Writing: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 22, 425-455. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-009-9166-x.
Brady, S., & Moats, L. C. (1997). Informed instruction for reading success-Foundations for teacher preparation. In A Position Paper of the International Dyslexia Association. Baltimore, MD: International Dyslexia Association.
Carlisle, J. F. (2010). Effects of instruction in morphological awareness on literacy achievement: An integrative review. Reading Research Quarterly, 45, 464-487.
Chall, J. S. (1983). Stages of reading development. New York, N.Y: McGraw-Hill.
Costello, A. B., & Osborne, J. W. (2005). Best practices in exploratory factor analysis: Four recommendations for getting the most from your analysis. Practical Assessment, Research & Evaluation, 10, 1-9.
Crocker, L., & Algina, J. (2006). Introduction to classical and modern test theory. New York, NY: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
Cunningham, A. E., Perry, K. E., Stanovich, K. E., & Stanovich, P. J. (2004). Disciplinary knowledge calibration in the domain of early literacy. Annals of Dyslexia, 54, 139-167.
DiStefano, C., Zhu, M., & Mindrila, D. (2009). Understanding and using factor scores: Considerations for the applied researcher. Practical Assessment, Research & Evaluation, 14, 1-11.
Goodwin, A. P., Petscher, Y., Carlisle, J. F., & Mitchell, A. M. (2017). Exploring the dimensionality of morphological knowledge for adolescent readers. Journal of Research in Reading, 40, 91-117.
Green, J., Walsh, K., & McKee, A. (2014). Teacher Prep Review: A Review of the Nations Teacher PreparationPrograms. Washington, D.C.: NationalCouncil on Teacher Quality.
Guthrie, J. T., & Wigfield, A. (2009). How motivation fits into a science of reading. Scientific Studies of Reading, 3, 199-205.
Hair, J. F., Back, W. C., Babin, B. J., Anderson, R. E., & Tatham, R. L. (2010). Multivariate data analysis. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Holme, J. J., Jabbar, H., Germain, E., & Dinning, J. (2017). Rethinking teacher turnover in Texas: Longitudinal measures of instability in schools (policy brief). Austin, TX: Education Research Center: The University of Texas at Austin.
Holzberger, D., Philipp, A., & Kunter, M. (2013). How teachers' self-efficacy is related to instructional quality: A longitudinal analysis. Journal of Educational Psychology, 105, 774-786.
Ingersoll, R. M. (2001). Teacher turnover and teacher shortages: An organizational analysis. American Educational Research Journal, 38, 499-534.
International Dyslexia Association (2017). Dyslexia basics. Available at: https://dyslexiaida.org/dyslexia-basics/. Accessed 7 Oct 2018.
Joshi, R. M., Binks, E., Graham, L., Ocker-Dean, E., Smith, D. L., & Boulware-Gooden, R. (2009). Do textbooks used in university reading education courses conform to the instructional recommendations of the National Reading Panel? Journal of Learning Disabilities, 42, 458-463.
Joshi, R. M., Binks, E., Hougen, M., Dahlgren, M. E., Ocker-Dean, E., & Smith, D. L. (2009). Why elementary teachers might be inadequately prepared to teach reading. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 42, 392-402.
Lee, V. E., & Burkam, D. T. (2002). Inequality at the starting gate: Social background differences in achievement as children begin school. Washington, DC: Economic Policy Institute.
Levesque, K. C., Kieffer, M. J., & Deacon, S. H. (2019). Inferring meaning from meaningful parts: The contributions of morphological skills to the development of children's reading comprehension. Reading Research Quarterly, 54(1), 63-80.
Mather, N., Bos, C., & Babur, N. (2001). Perceptions and knowledge of preservice and inservice teachers about early literacy education. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 34, 472-482.
McClurg, J. (2015), (April 10). Minneapolis ranked mostliterate city. USA Today. Retrievedfrom https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/books/2015/04/10/americas-most-literate-cities-minneapolis/25531751/.
McCutchen, D., & Berninger, V. W. (1999). Those who know, teach well: Helping teachers master literacy-related subject-matter knowledge. Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, 14, 215-226.
McCutchen, D., Green, L., Abbott, R. D., & Sanders, E. A. (2009). Further evidence for teacher knowledge: Supporting struggling readers in grades three through five. Reading and Writing: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 22, 401-423.
McCutchen, D., Harry, D. R., Cunningham, A. E., Cox, S., Sidman, S., & Covill, A. E. (2002). Reading teachers' knowledge of children's literature and English phonology. Annals of Dyslexia, 52, 207-225.
McGeown, S. R., Norgate, R., & Warhurst, A. (2012). Exploring intrinsic and extrinsic reading motivation among very good and very poor readers. Educational Research, 54(3), 309-322.
Moats, L. C. (1994). The missing foundation in teacher education: Knowledge of the structure of spoken and written language. Annals of Dyslexia, 44, 81-102.
Moats, L. C. (1999). Teaching reading is rocket science: What expert teachers of reading should know and be able to do. Washington, DC: American Federation of Teachers.
Moats, L. C. (2004). Science, language, and imagination in the professional development of reading teachers. In P. McCardle, & V. Chhabra (Eds.), The voice of evidence in reading research (pp. 269-288). Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes.
Moats, L. C. (2009). Knowledge foundations for teaching reading and spelling. Reading and Writing: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 22, 379-399.
Moats, L. C., & Foorman, B. R. (2003). Measuring teachers' content knowledge of language and reading. Annals of Dyslexia, 53, 23-45.
Moats, L. C., & Lyon, G. R. (1996). Wanted: Teachers with knowledge of language. Topics in Language Disorders, 16, 73-86.
National Assessment of Educational Progress (2017). The nation's report card: Reading 2017. Washington, DC: National Center for Educational Statistics.
National Reading Panel (2000). Teaching children to read: An evidence-based assessment of the scientific research literature on reading and its implications for reading instruction: Report of the subgroups. Bethesda, MD: Author.
Piasta, S. B., Conner McDonald, C., Fishman, B. J., & Morrison, F. J. (2009). Teachers' knowledge of literacy concepts, classroom practices, and student reading growth. Scientific Studies of Reading, 13, 224-248.
Ronfeldt, M., Loeb, S., & Wyckoff, J. (2013). How teacher turnover harms student achievement. American Educational Research Journal, 50(1), 4-36.
Shaywitz, S. (2003). Overcoming dyslexia: A new and complete science-based program for overcoming reading problems at any level. New York: Alfred A. Knoff.
Simon, N. S., & Johnson, S. M. (2015). Teacher turnover in high-poverty schools: What we know and can do. Teachers College Record, 117, 1-36.
Spear-Swerling, L., & Brucker, P. O. (2003). Teachers' acquisition of knowledge about English word structure. Annals of Dyslexia, 53, 72-103.
Spear-Swerling, L., Brucker, P. O. & Alfano, M. P. (2005). Teachers’ literacy-related knowledge and self-perceptions in relation to preparation and experience. Annals of Dyslexia, 55(2), 266-296.
SRA/McGraw-Hill (2007). Imagine it. New York City: Author.
Thomas, H. (2012), (September 30). When teachers come and go. Retrieved from https://extras.mysanantonio.com/pdf/Teacher-turnover-093012.pdf.
Thomas, M. A. (2018). ‘Policy embodiment’: Alternative certification and teach for America teachers in traditional public schools. Teaching and Teacher Education, 70, 186-195.
Thompson, B. (Ed.) (2003). Score reliability: Contemporary thinking on reliability issues. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publishers.
Tröbst, S., Kleickmann, T., Heinze, A., Bernholt, A., Rink, R., & Kunter, M. (2018). Teacher knowledge experiment: Testing mechanisms underlying the formation of preservice elementary school teachers' pedagogical content knowledge concerning fractions and fractional arithmetic. Journal of Educational Psychology, 110, 1049-1065.
Vangrieken, K., Dochy, F., Raes, E., & Kyndt, E. (2015). Teacher collaboration: A systematic review. Educational Research Review, 15, 17-40.
Washburn, E. K., Binks-Cantrell, E. S., Joshi, R. M., Martin-Chang, S., & Arrow, A. (2016). Preservice teacher knowledge of basic language constructs in Canada, England, New Zealand, and the USA. Annals of Dyslexia, 66, 7-26.
Washburn, E. K., Joshi, R. M., & Binks-Cantrell, E. S. (2011a). Are preservice teachers prepared to teach struggling readers? Annals of Dyslexia, 61, 21-43.
Washburn, E. K., Joshi, R. M., & Binks-Cantrell, E. S. (2011b). Teacher knowledge of basic language concepts and dyslexia. Dyslexia, 17, 165-183.

Keywords: alphabetic principle; literacy; morphology; phonics; phonological awareness; teachers' knowledge

Date Created: 20190724 Date Completed: 20201021 Latest Revision: 20201021

20231215

10.1002/dys.1628

31332889