The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of an interactive digital reading program (ePrent&ABC) on different domains, vocabulary and print knowledge (PK), of the early literacy....Show moreThe purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of an interactive digital reading program (ePrent&ABC) on different domains, vocabulary and print knowledge (PK), of the early literacy. This study also examined whether visual working memory plays a role in the growth of vocabulary and PK. For this study participated 85 children between the ages 50-75 months (M = 63.08, SD = 6.07) old. The sample consisted of 44 girls and 41 boys. During four different conditions a kindergarten teacher read to the class four times a week based on a protocol and using the SMART board. The first week (condition A) the teacher did non-interactive reading. The other weeks of the study teachers used the ePrent&ABC program with every week another consolidation form for learning target words (condition B: semantics, condition C: PK and condition D: phonological awareness), except condition C, which was two weeks. Pretests and posttests were administered on target words, PK, and phonological awareness. Tests were also administered for general vocabulary and executive functions. This study focused in particular on the consolidation form of PK. During this consolidation form, teachers used non-verbal and verbal cues to draw the children’s attention to the text of the book. This study shows that children acquire more vocabulary and PK during ePrent&ABC than during non-interactive reading. In addition, a large effect (r = .67) was found of the growth in PK during the consolidation form PK. The consolidation form PK has a positive effect on multiple domains of the early literacy. This study shows also that visual working memory does not play a role in the growth of vocabulary and PK. EPrent&ABC offers teachers the opportunity to stimulate early literacy in preschoolers based on an evidence-based foundation with an interactive classroom method that considers both technical developments and the interests of preschoolers.Show less
Proficient reading competencies are considered one of the most important basic skills for functioning in society. Unfortunately, research has shown that the reading skills of Dutch students have...Show moreProficient reading competencies are considered one of the most important basic skills for functioning in society. Unfortunately, research has shown that the reading skills of Dutch students have significantly declined in recent years, and reading motivation also deteriorated sharply. To reduce current reading deficits and stimulate reading motivation, additional measures are necessary, such as providing effective, targeted, and intensive individual guidance. Therefore, this study investigated whether a tutor reading intervention with guided reading or rather a tutor intervention based on explicit direct instruction, the UIL, is most effective for improving the technical reading skills of students with reading deficits. The study was conducted based on data from 50 students in grades 6 and 7 with reading deficits. The students, all from regular education, were randomly assigned to the guided reading group, the UIL group or the control group. The intervention consisted of eight online tutor reading lessons. To assess the growth in students' reading skills, a pre- and posttest was conducted using CBM Word Reading as the measurement instrument. The repeated measures ANOVA’s revealed that both tutor reading interventions are effective in stimulating the technical reading skills of students with reading problems in grades 6 and 7. The students who received explicit direct instruction had slightly more growth than the students with the guided reading method, however this difference was not significant. Further research with a larger sample size is required to determine whether the guided reading method and the UIL actually differ significantly in effectiveness or not. Based on the current research, it was concluded that both tutor reading interventions can be utilized within education to effectively support students with reading deficits in their development into independent readers.Show less
Teachers in kindergarten are confronted with many differences between emergent literacy skills children have developed before going to primary school. Since these skills are the foundation of the...Show moreTeachers in kindergarten are confronted with many differences between emergent literacy skills children have developed before going to primary school. Since these skills are the foundation of the development of reading skills, it is important to promote emergent literacy in kindergarten. E- Prent&ABC is a method to improve emergent literacy that combines animated e-books with print referencing and the 4-cycle-model for word development during classroom book reading. A previous study has demonstrated that e-Prent&ABC enhances vocabulary and phonological awareness of kindergartners. However, kindergartners with problematic learning behavior do not benefit from these positive effects. Therefore, the current study adds behavior regulating elements to e-Prent&ABC to improve the learning behavior of kindergartners with problematic learning behavior and to help them benefit more from classroom book reading. This quasi-experimental study explores how whole-class reading with the expanded method e-Prent&ABC+ can enhance learning behavior, vocabulary, and phonological awareness of kindergartners with problematic learning behavior. 60 kindergartners (30 with and 30 without problematic learning behavior) from nine kindergarten groups participated in three conditions (control condition, e-Prent&ABC, and e-Prent&ABC+). Ultimately, the results demonstrate that both kindergartners with and without problematic learning behavior showed the most positive learning behavior during the control condition instead of during reading with e-Prent&ABC+ or e-Prent&ABC . Furthermore, the results confirm previous findings by showing that e-Prent&ABC effectively promotes both vocabulary and phonological awareness of kindergartners. The added elements in e-Prent&ABC+ did not better improve learning behavior and emergent literacy than e- Prent&ABC does. Compared to e-Prent&ABC, the vocabulary of the kindergartners was even smaller after reading with e-Prent&ABC+ . In spite of several limitations, this research has shown that animated e-books can be used in combination with the 4-cycle-model during whole-class book reading to create a rich literacy environment in which emergent literacy skills can be promoted simultaneously.Show less
Current research has looked into the effects of ePrent&ABC, an intervention for stimulating early literacy of kindergarteners. The current study had two goals: 1) to investigate the reciprocal...Show moreCurrent research has looked into the effects of ePrent&ABC, an intervention for stimulating early literacy of kindergarteners. The current study had two goals: 1) to investigate the reciprocal relationship of phonological awareness (PA) and vocabulary; 2) to profile children who develop vocabulary slower than their peers (low achievers). Participants were 81 kindergarteners from six different groups (Mage = 5.26 years, SD = 0.62). Pre-tests were administered for story-based vocabulary, general vocabulary, PA and executive functioning (EF) and observations were performed for children’s active participation in class. The intervention consisted of a control condition and three conditions in which digital storybooks were read to the children. During all conditions teachers read storybooks of which the prints and an animated version were shown on digiboards. In condition A storybooks were read in a non-dialogic manner; in condition B dialogic reading and semantic consolidation of target words were added; and in condition C phonological consolidation was added to dialogic reading with semantic consolidation. After each condition, story-based vocabulary was post tested. A within-subjects design was implemented, meaning that all participants took part in each condition. Low achievers were selected after condition A and during condition B and C they received individual differentiation. Results indicated that ePrent&ABC effectively improved vocabulary compared to pre-tests, especially during condition B. The story-based vocabulary of low achievers improved significantly after individual differentiation; afterwards, their results were not significantly different from their peers’. A better developed PA influenced the growth in vocabulary. Reversed, there appeared to be no effect of vocabulary on PA, indicating that explicit instruction may be necessary for developing PA. Lastly, a model with predictors EF and active participation, significantly predicted growth in story-based vocabulary. Separately, both EF and participation were non-significant predictors. Schools are recommended to incorporate ePrent&ABC into their curriculum.Show less
The aim of this study was to investigate the text-level comprehension demands, and in particular inference making, of the CBM-Maze task and the effects of text types, narrative versus expository,...Show moreThe aim of this study was to investigate the text-level comprehension demands, and in particular inference making, of the CBM-Maze task and the effects of text types, narrative versus expository, on the CBM-Maze task score. To identify the text-level comprehension demands of the CBM-Maze task, this study used an altered version: the scrambled Maze task. Within the scrambled version of the Maze task, sentence order was randomized to affect the readers ability to make inferences. All 138 participants completed four Maze tasks, two standard and two scrambled versions, consisting of either four narrative or four expository texts. Scores on the scrambled version of the Maze task were compared to scores on the standard version and scores on Maze tasks consisting of narrative texts were compared to scores on Maze tasks consisting of expository texts. Furthermore, multiple regression analyses were conducted to compare the score on the CBM-Maze tasks to scores of Dutch reading assessments, the CITO Begrijpend Lezen and the CITO Drie-Minuten-Toets. The results show that the CBM-Maze task demands the reader to use higher-level comprehension skills. This adds to the results of previous research that identified the sentence-level comprehension demands of the CBM-Maze task. These results suggest that the CBM-Maze task can be used by teachers to establish the readers current level and development of reading comprehension. Although participants were expected to score lower on CBM-Maze tasks consisting of expository texts, no effects of text type were found. Limitations of the study and implications of the CBM-Maze task in education are discussed.Show less
