Response to Intervention (RTI) implementation can provide teachers with collective opportunities to learn about data-based decision making (DBDM) and increase their self-efficacy around this process. This study explores teacher awareness of RTI for reading implementation and its relation to self-efficacy for DBDM. Survey data comprised 1,000 teachers in 63 elementary schools across 12 states. Administrators of these 63 schools were interviewed using a standard interview protocol. Using a multiple indicator multiple cause model, we found awareness of RTI to be related to self-efficacy in DBDM. Teachers providing Tier 2 support and teachers in schools where paraeducators provided tiered instruction had higher awareness. Administrators' description of RTI was not related to teacher awareness. These results suggest higher teacher involvement in RTI policies and procedures might provide vicarious and mastery experiences around DBDM that lead to increased self-efficacy in DBDM.
In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and amid rising social and economic challenges, many Pre-kindergarten (Pre-K) children, particularly those identified as at-risk for early literacy difficulties and related educational challenges, are entering school with underdeveloped social-emotional competencies, limited language exposure, and reduced access to nurturing learning environments. This mixed-method study examines how emotionally responsive teaching through positive storybook reading initiatives is associated with changes in the social-ecological resilience of Pre-K children (n = 278) at risk for early literacy difficulties and related educational challenges. It also explores how pre-service teachers (n = 12) implement this literacy-based intervention to support these children's emotional well-being and foundational reading skills. Findings indicated statistically significant increases in emotional regulation, peer relationships, and sense of belonging following the intervention, with variations linked to school context and implementation. Reflections from pre-service teachers suggested that integrating social-emotional learning with literacy instruction was associated with the development of empathy, perseverance, and problem-solving skills. Overall, the findings support the view that resilience may be conceptualized as a teachable capacity that can be nurtured through developmentally appropriate storytelling, highlighting a scalable approach for supporting the well-being and academic success of vulnerable young learners.
The main goal of this research was to examine the relationships among student characteristics, environmental factors, and component skills that influence reading comprehension among second-grade multilingual English language learners from Kenya. The study compares the predictive relationships among reading component skills, students, and environmental characteristics between learners with below average reading ability and those with average reading ability. Participants included 628 second-grade students in a randomized controlled trial who completed a series of literacy assessments at the end of their school year. Data analysis comprised a series of Zero-inflated Poisson regression models, with each reading component as the outcome variable. Predictor variables included gender, treatment status, age, socioeconomic status, school location, and various component reading skills, as identified in prior literature. The results from the count models showed that treatment, letter-sound knowledge, and vocabulary significantly influenced phonological awareness. Letter-sound knowledge and vocabulary significantly influenced decoding fluency. Decoding and vocabulary knowledge significantly predicted text reading fluency. Finally, letter-sound fluency, vocabulary, and text reading fluency predicted reading comprehension when all variables were included in the same model. The Zero-inflated model indicated that poor vocabulary knowledge increased the likelihood of zero scores on phonological awareness and reading comprehension. Increasing age was negatively correlated with phonological awareness and reading comprehension. The findings highlight that these skills are interconnected and crucial for reading comprehension. This study adds to the existing literature and offers pedagogical insights for literacy and language activities targeting English language learners in multilingual contexts.
Math research has shown that vocabulary is an integral part of mathematical comprehension and proficiency, especially for language learners and students with learning difficulties. Mathematical vocabulary is largely based on the Greek and Latin layers of the English language, and as such includes a depth of Greek and Latin morpheme roots. Teaching morphemes and morphological word analysis has been proven to significantly impact student comprehension. However, to link these powerful literacy strategies with math instruction, teachers must know which morphemes are contained within their grade-level math vocabulary. This content analysis study presents the findings from investigating two grades' sample questions from a national standardized test's mathematical vocabulary. Findings include frequency analyses for Greek and Latin morpheme types, lists of high-utility morphemes for each mathematical domain, and recommendations for cross-curricular connections and teaching strategies. Teachers can use this study's results to plan morphology-focused vocabulary instruction for mathematics.
Writing is a cognitively demanding skill that draws heavily on self-regulatory processes, yet how domain-general self-regulation and task-specific self-assessment jointly relate to writing outcomes in students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a population with well-documented executive functioning challenges, remains poorly understood. This study examined: (a) writing performance at the microstructure (linguistic) and macrostructure (discourse) levels, (b) self-reported SRL and post-task self-assessment, and (c) whether ADHD moderates the SRL-writing relationship. The study involved 59 students in Grades 3-8 with and without ADHD. Each participant completed two digital writing tasks, an SRL questionnaire, and post-task writing self-assessments. Students with ADHD scored significantly lower than peers on both micro- and macrostructure writing (Cohen's d =.74 and .73, respectively) and endorsed lower post-task self-assessment for task fulfillment and organization/coherence, consistent with their lower macrostructure writing scores. Self-reported SRL did not differ by group. SRL was positively associated with writing performance, but moderation by ADHD status was inconclusive given the modest sample size. Findings support pairing domain-general SRL self-report with task-specific self-assessment when characterizing writing outcomes in students with ADHD, and point to macrostructure-level demands as a particular area of difficulty.
