LESLLA%20-%20Tilburg%20University - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Title: LESLLA%20-%20Tilburg%20University


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Instruction Practices Effects of Language and
Literacy Instruction on Adult ESOL Literacy
Students

• LESLLA - Tilburg University
• August 26, 2005
• Larry Condelli
• American Institutes for Research
• Washington, DC USA

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Overview

• Research Studies on Effective Instruction for
  Adult Literacy Students
• Literature review on effective instructional
  interventions
• Correlational What Works Study (completed)
• Experimental Explicit Literacy Impact (ongoing)

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Adult ESOL Literacy Students

• Limited literacy in any language
• Need also to learn English language skills
• Have little or no formal schooling (working
  definition 6 years or fewer)
• May lack print awareness
• Have no or little phonemic awareness
• Need to build schema for types of literacy

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Purpose of The Research

• Identify types of instruction that may be
  effective in improving the L2 language and
  literacy skills of low-literate adults
• Identify student characteristics related to L2
  development
• Identify implications for practice and further
  research

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Review of Research in Adult SLA

• Focus on identifying hypotheses that can be
  tested by our research
• Focus on studies in adult SLA, second language
  reading and adult EFL
• Research on children included where results also
  found and accepted for adults
• Excluded studies of structural language skills

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SLA Topics Addressed by These Studies

• Relationship of oral communication skills and
  literacy
• Connecting literacy to real-world tasks in
  instruction
• Use of native language support
• Instructional focus on reading and life skills

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SLA Research Hypotheses

• Oral Language Skills and Literacy literacy
  development may be aided when there are oral
  skills first
• Literacy in Context connection to real-world
  tasks and materials in instruction may promote
  literacy development
• Native Language Support Ways literacy in L1
  promotes L2 development
• Focus on Reading Direct, systematic or explicit
  teaching may promote reading and literacy
  development

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Learning Theory

• U.S. National Academy of Sciences review
  suggests 3 keys to effective instruction
• building upon prior knowledge,
• engaging in active learning within strong
  conceptual frameworks, and
• promoting transfer and generalization by applying
  new skills in a variety of contexts

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Learning Trinity
Engagement
Focus
Practice
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What Works Study Research Design Overview

• Natural study conducted in existing classes
  with no intervention
• Two year data collection 38 classes in 13 school
  sites in seven states, 495 total students
• Students assessed three times at intake, three
  months and nine months, regardless of attendance
• Assessment battery included standardized and
  alternative reading, speaking and writing
  assessments
• Bi-weekly classroom observations to collect
  instructional measures

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Student Sample

• 495 students, 72 female, mean age 40
• Mean 3.1 years education, one third no education
• Two-thirds Spanish speaking, 9 Somali, 8 Hmong
• Over 30 other languages spoken
• Attended mean of 129 hours over 16 weeks
• Very little English language or literacy skills

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Student Writing Samples
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Measuring Instruction

• Structured classroom observation guide
• Observer kept timed running account
• Coded for Instructional emphasis Proportion of
  time spent on literacy or language (what was
  taught)
• Ratings of Instructional strategies Mean score
  based on ratings of teachers methods and student
  involvement (how it was taught).

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Instructional Emphasis Measures

• Literacy Development Main focus on reading and
  writing development
• Basic literacy skills emphasis (fluency, basic
  reading skills, grammar, vocabulary).
• Reading comprehension emphasis (reading for
  meaning, prediction strategies).
• ESOL Acquisition Main focus on speaking,
  listening, fundamentals of English
• Oral communication emphasis (speaking and
  listening practice).

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Instructional Strategy Measures

• 20 items measuring teacher use of strategies and
  student involvement on 4-point scales
• Factor analysis to identify scaling
• Mean rating across observations on items for four
  factor-defined scales

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Instructional Strategies

• Varied Practice and Interaction-
• Teachers keep students engaged through a variety
  of activities, using different modalities and
  types of literacy
• Connection to the Outside-
• Teachers link what is being learned to life
  outside the classroom, real life

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Instructional Strategies

• Use of Native Language (Spanish)
• Teachers uses native language to clarify
  assignments, explain concepts
• Students allowed to ask questions in native
  language

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Assessment Approach

• Combined standardized and alternative
  assessments.
• Individual administration, test instructions in
  native language.
• Preference for performance-based tests.
• Multiple areas assessed oral communication,
  writing, reading.
• Interview with student.

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Assessment Battery Standardized Tests

• Reading - Woodcock Johnson basic skills and
  comprehension subscales.
• Speaking Basic English Skills Test (BEST) oral
  interview.
• Writing ALAS writing test and CASAS form
  completion.

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Assessment Battery Alternative Assessments

• Reading Demonstration-Learner rated on reading of
  self-selected authentic and environmental texts
  (e.g., food labels, flyers, newspaper
  advertisements, etc.)
• Literacy Practices Interview - Structured
  interview on reading, writing and speaking habits
  in everyday life

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Analytic Approach Growth Modeling

• Latent growth modeling in an HLM framework
• Accommodates complex data
• Random student intra-class variation
• Hierarchical, nested, repeated measures
• Student attrition
• Three parameter model initial status, linear
  and quadratic growth over time
• Requires model of relevant variables

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Findings Basic Reading Skills

• Growth in reading basic skills (WJR-BRSC)
• Use of connection to the outside strategy
• Younger students have higher growth
• Years of formal education (proxy for native
  language literacy), but fades over time
• Initial English oral proficiency (BEST score)

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Effect of the Use of the Connection to the
Outside Strategy on Growth in Basic Reading
Skills
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Findings Reading Comprehension

• Growth in reading comprehension skills (WJR-RCC)
• Use of students native language in instruction
• Rate of attendance (proportion of hours student
  attends weekly by hours offered weekly)
• Initial basic reading skills (BRSC score)
  effect emerges slowly over time (quadratic effect)

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Effects of Attendance Rate, Basic Reading Skills
and Use of Native Language on Growth in Reading
Comprehension
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Findings Oral English Skills

• Growth in Oral English Skills (BEST)
• Use of students native language in instruction
• Oral Communication instructional emphasis
• Varied practice and interaction strategy
• Higher rate of attendance
• Student age (younger students have higher growth)
• Initial basic reading skills (BRSC score)

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Effects of Instructional Emphasis on Oral
Communication Skills and Practice Strategy on
Growth in Oral Communication Skills
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Other Analyses

• Writing Ability
• No significant growth on writing assessments
• Reading Demonstration
• Weak growth,related to emphasis on reading
  comprehension and bringing in the outside
  strategy
• Literacy Practices Interview
• IRT-developed scales, showed positive change, but
  not statistically significant

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Summary Instructional Findings and Implications

• Bringing the Outside growth in basic reading
  skills
• Direct connection to students lives makes
  instruction meaningful
• Use of Native Language growth in reading
  comprehension and oral English skills
• Removes comprehension barriers
• Safe learning environment
• Allows critical thinking skills

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Summary Instructional Findings

• Varied Practice and Interaction growth in oral
  English skills
• Learn patterns from others
• Multi-modal learning
• Opportunity to practice and test individual
  language hypotheses

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Summary Student Effects (1)

• Formal Education
• More educated students had faster growth in basic
  reading skills development (but faded over time)
• English Speaking Skills
• Students with high oral English skills had faster
  growth in basic reading skills development
• Basic English Reading Skills
• Students with higher basic skills had faster
  growth in reading comprehension and oral English
  skills (emerged over time)

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Summary Student Effects (2)

• Age
• Younger students had faster growth in reading
  basic skills and English speaking skills
• Attendance
• Students who attended a higher proportion of
  scheduled time had faster growth in reading
  comprehension and English speaking skills

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Student Findings Possible Implications

• Formal Education
• Possible of L1 transfer
• English Speaking Skills
• A basis in oral skills in L2 may help L2 reading
  development
• Basic English Reading Skills
• Basic reading skills in L2 may promote L2 reading
  comprehension and oral skills development

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Explicit Literacy Impact Study
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Research Question

• The new study will use random assignment to
  answer the question
• What difference will explicit instruction make
  in terms of L2 literacy development and language
  learning for ESOL adults with limited literacy?

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Hypothesis

• Explicit literacy instruction creates a
  conceptual framework of English literacy within
  which students can engage in active learning and
  apply their growing skills in a variety of
  contexts to improve their learning.

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Reading Research Support

• Reading research for native English speakers who
  struggle suggests the effectiveness of explicit
  instruction, within meaningful contexts, of the
  following components
• Alphabetics (phonological awareness, print
  awareness, phonics)
• Word analysis and spelling
• Vocabulary
• Fluency
• Comprehension

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Research on Explicit Literacy

• Recent research in learning and literacy
  development suggests the effectiveness of an
  explicit instruction for students from diverse
  backgrounds
• Some research on effectiveness for ESOL children
  and adolescents
• No research for adult ESOL
• Learning Trinity Research

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Explicit Literacy Instruction (1)

• Adds a focus on literacy development and makes
  the process of learning a language transparent
  (skills and strategies)
• Exposes the code system of English
• Teaches foundational skills (phonological
  awareness, orthographic awareness, automaticity,
  fluency, etc.)

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Explicit Literacy Instruction (2)

• Teaches learning strategies deliberately
• Uses multiple modes of learning and teaching
  (visual, text-based, auditory)
• Relies heavily on modeling and guided practice
  that draw students attention to key patterns or
  strategies and provides immediate constructive
  feedback

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Curriculum

• Specially developed curriculum focusing on
  explicit teaching of language and literacy skills
• Appropriate for low-literate adult ESOL
• One hour per day over 15 weeks (or 60 hours
  total)
• Replaces part of usual instruction in
  intervention classes so that both classes have
  the same amount of instructional hours

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Curriculum Features

• Will includes skills, strategies and knowledge of
  different kinds of texts
• Will be contextualized within materials that
  reflect adults students interests and needs
• Supports various student groupings (homogeneous
  and heterogeneous small group pairs)

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Explicit Literacy Impact Study

• Evaluates impact of explicit literacy instruction
  on low literate adult ESOL students
• Random assignment design (explicit component vs.
  normal instruction)
• Total of 1,800 students in 10 adult ESOL programs
  (90 in each group per program)
• One year data collection, 2006-07

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Study Design

• Each adult ESOL program to include in study
• Two intervention classes and two normal
  classes, meeting at same times and locations
• To offer about 120 hours of instruction over 15
  weeks
• Intervention class to teach about half time on
  explicit literacy
• Each class to be conducted twice over the year

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Teachers in the Study

• 4 teachers per ESOL program, randomly assigned (2
  per condition)
• Initial week long teacher training on curriculum
• Site-based ongoing training as needed
• Frequent classroom observation to monitor
  curriculum fidelity

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Student Outcome Measures

• Pre-test on native language literacy
• Post-intervention assessment of English reading,
  writing, speaking/listening
• Student interview on literacy practices
• Optional one year follow-up assessment
• Assessments conducted individually in students
  native languages

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Study Products and Outcomes

• Fully developed and evaluated curriculum, with
  materials, assessment, professional development
• Data on effective instruction
• Descriptive data on students and programs
• Raised visibility of adult ESOL issues around
  instruction, assessment, professional development