Language and Literacy resources

Reading comprehension in high-poverty schools: how should it be taught and how well does it work
Authors: Pretorius, E.J. and Lephalala, M.
Published: 2011
Reference:

Pretorius E.J. and Lephalala, M. 2011. Reading comprehension in high-poverty schools: how should it be taught and how well does it work. Per Linguam, Volume 27 Number 2, pp. 1-24

A description and appraisal of a reading comprehension programme that was aimed at Grade 6 learners and teachers and implemented in different ways in two high-poverty primary schools where reading levels were very low. The results of the comprehension programme for the learners' reading abilities in their home language, Northern Sotho, and in English are reported and lessons learned identified.

Keywords: Language, Reading, Literacy, Intermediate
The End of Illiteracy? The Holy Grail of Clackmannanshire
Authors: Burkard, T.
Published: 1999
Reference:

Burkard, T. 1999. The End of Illiteracy?  The Holy Grail of Clackmannanshire. London: Centre for Policy Studies

Essentially a study of the initial stages of the rise of synthetic phonics as the preferred approach to teaching reading in the United Kingdom. It is useful because it gives an account of the Clackmannanshire study of 1992/93 and other studies that provided the crucial empirical evidence that synthetic phonics was far superior to the analytic phonics/whole language approach and, crucially, worked well with both advantaged and disadvantaged children.

Keywords: Language, Literacy
What we have learned in the past decade: RTI’s approach to early grade literacy instruction
Authors: Bulat, J., Dubeck, M., Green, P., Harden, K., Henny, C., Mattos, M., Pflepsen, A., Robledo, A. and Sitabkhan, Y.
Published: 2017
Reference:

Bulat, J., Dubeck, M., Green, P., Harden, K., Henny, C., Mattos, M., Pflepsen, A., Robledo, A. and Sitabkhan, Y. 2017. What we have learned in the past decade: RTI’s approach to early grade literacy instruction. Research Triangle Park, North Carolina: RTI International Press

A paper describes the core elements that we have found to improve early grade literacy instruction and learner outcomes: the approach to teaching, the availability of quality, relevant learner materials, the effective use of instructional time, the use of formative assessment to guide instruction, and provision of instruction in the most effective language. This paper focuses on the acquisition of literacy in alphabetic and alphasyllabic languages in the early primary years (most typically, academic levels 1 through 3) and the kinds of exposures, instruction, and support learners need to become fully literate. These are the elements of a literacy program that can be taught, that should be present in teaching and learning materials and in teacher trainings, and that relate specifically to what happens in a classroom.

Keywords: Reading, Literacy
What we have learned in the past decade: RTI’s approach to early grade literacy instruction
Authors: Bulat, J., Dubeck, M., Green, P., Harden, K., Henny, C., Mattos, M., Pflepsen, A., Robledo, A. and Sitabkhan, Y.
Published: 2017
Reference:

Bulat, J., Dubeck, M., Green, P., Harden, K., Henny, C., Mattos, M., Pflepsen, A., Robledo, A. and Sitabkhan, Y. 2017. What we have learned in the past decade: RTI’s approach to early grade literacy instruction. Research Triangle Park, North Carolina: RTI International Press

A paper describes the core elements that we have found to improve early grade literacy instruction and learner outcomes: the approach to teaching, the availability of quality, relevant learner materials, the effective use of instructional time, the use of formative assessment to guide instruction, and provision of instruction in the most effective language. This paper focuses on the acquisition of literacy in alphabetic and alphasyllabic languages in the early primary years (most typically, academic levels 1 through 3) and the kinds of exposures, instruction, and support learners need to become fully literate. These are the elements of a literacy program that can be taught, that should be present in teaching and learning materials and in teacher trainings, and that relate specifically to what happens in a classroom.

Keywords: Reading, Literacy
A history of disputes about reading instruction
Author: aitchisonjjw@gmail.com
Published: 2013
Reference:

Hempenstall, K. 2013. A history of disputes about reading instruction.

Discusses the disputes internationally and in Australia on how reading is taught and raises the important issue of the lack of impact of research on teaching practice.

Keywords: Reading, Literacy
Literacy acquisition: Some general findings from recent research
Author: aitchisonjjw@gmail.com
Published: 2008
Reference:

Abadzi, H. 2006. Literacy acquisition: some general findings from recent research. Adapted from: Abadzi, H. 2006. Literacy acquisition and the biology of reading. In: Abadzi, H. 2006. Efficient learning for the poor: insights from the frontier of cognitive neuroscience. Washington, DC: The World Bank, pp. 36-49

A summary of a key chapter on literacy acquisition from Helena Abadzi’s well known book.

Keywords: Reading, Literacy
“Sixty words per minute for all”: Why this goal for the early grades?
Author: aitchisonjjw@gmail.com
Published: 2010
Reference:

“Abadzi, H. 2010. Sixty words per minute for all”: Why this goal for the early grades?   Washington, D.C.: World Bank, Human Development Network Fast Track

Short paper arguing that failure to learn reading is the primary reason for repetition in the early grades. Students cannot learn from books until they can read fluently, and they may even be unable to solve verbal problems written in maths books. Abadzi argues that by by the end of grade 1 students should be able to read very common words, albeit haltingly. By the end of grade 2 at the latest, students should be reading simple texts fluently, at a rate of at least 60 words per minute.

Keywords: Reading, Literacy
Reading in English as a First Additional Language. An annotated bibliography 2007-2021
Authors: Biesman-Simons, C., Dixon, K., with Pretorius, E.J.
Published: 2021
Reference:

Biesman-Simons, C. and Dixon, K. with Pretorius, E.J. 2021. Reading in English as a First Additional Language: An annotated bibliography: 2017-2018.

This annotated bibliography was compiled by Claire Biesman-Simons and Kerryn Dixon with Elizabeth Pretorius as part of the Primary Teacher Education Project (PrimTEd). It gives a summary account of South African research that has been done on reading in English as a First Additional Language from 2007 to 2021. It comprises a set of annotated entries, mainly research articles from accredited journals and also lists several other sources closely related to reading in EFAL. Originally compiled in 2018 and 2019 and then revised in 2021, it is designed in such a way that new entries can be added to it as new research emerges.

Keywords: EFAL, Reading
Illiteracy: The neuropsychology of cognition without reading
Author: aitchisonjjw@gmail.com
Published: 2010
Reference:

Ardila, A., Bertolucci, P.H., Lucia W. Braga, L.W., Castro-Caldas, A., Judd, T., Mary H., Kosmidis, M.H., Matute, E., Nitrini, R., Ostrosky-Solis, F. and Rosselli, M. 2010. Illiteracy: The neuropsychology of cognition without reading. Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, Volume 25, pp. 689-712 

This literature review records that learning to read reinforces and modifies certain fundamental abilities, such as verbal and visual memory, phonological awareness, and visuospatial and visuomotor skills and that that literacy and education influence the pathways used by the brain for problem-solving. It includes an interesting finding that learning to read in adulthood is a process supported by different brain structures from the ones used when learning occurs at the usual age in childhood.

Keywords: Reading, Literacy
Why can’t a teacher be more like a scientist? Science, Pseudoscience and the Art of Teaching
Authors: Carter, M. and Wendell, K.
Published: 2008
Reference:

Carter, M. and Wendell, K. 2008. Why can’t a teacher be more like a scientist? Science, Pseudoscience and the Art of Teaching. Australasian Journal of Special Education, Vol. 32, No. 1, April 2008, pp. 5–21

The article provides a useful examination of the distinction between science and pseudoscience, outlines the characteristics of good educational research and exposes that much educational thinking, including much special education, exhibits the core values of pseudoscience. It provides some interesting examples from Australia in the field of reading instruction.

Keywords: Language, Reading, Literacy, Research
Ending the Reading Wars: Reading acquisition from novice to expert
Authors: Castles, A., Rastle, K. and Nation, K.
Published: 2018
Reference:

Castles, A., Rastle, K., and Nation, K. 2018. Ending the Reading Wars: Reading acquisition from novice to expert. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 2018, Vol. 19, No. 1, pp. 5-51.

An exceedingly thorough and comprehensive up to date review of the science of learning to read, spanning from children’s earliest alphabetic skills through to the fluent word recognition and skilled text comprehension characteristic of expert readers. Phonics is highlighted as central to learning in a writing system such as English but other research is reviewed on what else children need to learn to become expert readers. Consideration is also given to how these findings might be translated into effective classroom practice.

Keywords: Language, Literacy
The illiterate brain: Learning to read and write during childhood influences the functional organization of the adult brain
Author: aitchisonjjw@gmail.com
Published: 1998
Reference:

Castro-Caldas, A., Petersson, K.M., Reis, A., Stone-Elander, S. and Ingvar, M. 1998. The illiterate brain: Learning to read and write during childhood influences the functional organization of the adult brain Brain, Volume, 121, pp. 1053–1063

Study showing that literate people have a different functional organization of the human brain and that learning the visual representation of language (and the rules for matching phonemes and graphemes) develops new language processing possibilities.

Keywords: Reading, Literacy
Foundation and Intermediate Phase B.Ed. programmes at selected South African universities: languages and literacies components
Authors: Reed, Y. (Comp.)
Published: 2019
Reference:

Reed, Y.  (Comp.) 2019. Foundation and Intermediate Phase B.Ed. programmes at selected South African universities: languages and literacies components.

To inform the work of the Primary Teacher Education Project the Literacy Working Group conducted an audit of language and literacy teacher education at ten South African universities in the 2017 to 2018. In addition an analysis was made of the Bachelor of Education modules taught in sixteen universities. The final report was compiled by Professor Yvonne Reed of the University of the Witwatersrand.

Keywords: Language, Literacy, Curriculum, Initial teacher education
Are we country of cognitive genocide?
Author: aitchisonjjw@gmail.com
Published: 2018

Full version of an article published in a condensed form by The Conversation on 26 February 2018 as "South Africa’s reading crisis is a cognitive catastrophe".

Keywords: Reading, Literacy
Consolidating research and comparing practice: What funders need to know for meaningful engagement with literacy in South Africa. Research Brief.
Authors: Shiora, K
Published: 2019
Reference:

Shiora, K. 2019. Consolidating research and comparing practice: What funders need to know for meaningful engagement with literacy in South Africa. Research Brief. Johannesburg: JET Education Services

Excellent overview of research and practice in South African literacy education in schools. It also looks at current state and NGO programme and project interventions and makes a number of recommendations for research, development and action.

Keywords: Literacy
Initial Teacher Education Research Project
Author: aitchisonjjw@gmail.com
Published: 2016
Reference:

Deacon, R. 2016. The Initial Teacher Education Research Project: Final Report. Johannesburg: JET Education Services

Reed, Y. 2014. The Initial Teacher Education Research Project: Report on English courses for Intermediate Phase student teachers at five universities. Johannesburg: JET Education Services

The ITERP project – a collaboration between the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET), the Department of Basic Education (DBE), the Education Deans' Forum, and JET Education Services – was to gather up-to-date information on the state of initial teacher education (ITE) in South Africa and to examine the extent to which the ITE programmes offered by universities are adequately preparing teachers to teach in South African schools.

Annotation:

ITERP Final composite report v2.jpg

Deacon, R. 2016. The Initial Teacher Education Research Project: Final Report. Johannesburg: JET Education Services

 

ITERP Reed.jpg

Reed, Y. 2014. The Initial Teacher Education Research Project: Report on English courses for Intermediate Phase student teachers at five universities. Johannesburg: JET Education Services

Keywords: Language, Reading, Literacy, Teacher eduction and training
My fish died and I flushed him down the toilet”: Children disrupt preservice teachers’ understandings of “appropriate” picture books for young children
Authors: Dixon, K. and Janks, H.
Published: 2018
Reference:

Dixon, K. and Janks, H.  2018. “My fish died and I flushed him down the toilet”: Children disrupt preservice teachers’ understandings of  “appropriate” picture books for young children. Literacy Research: Theory, Method, and Practice, Vol. 20, pp. 1-17

A study of the relationship between pre-service teachers’ conceptions of children and of picture books in the context of little material on picture books in curricula for teacher education.

Keywords: Language, Reading, Literacy
CITE-ITEL
Authors: University of Texas at Austin
Published: 2017
Reference:

CITE-ITEL. A critical, interactive, transparent & evolving literature review in initial teacher education in literacy. (Access date). Retrieved from: https://cite.edb.utexas.edu/

CITE-TEL is a web-based resource, the Critical, Interactive, Transparent & Evolving literature review in Initial Teacher Education in Literacy, hosted by the University of Texas at Austin. It seeks to list the research literature that is focused on initial teacher preparation in literacy and provides a forum for researchers, practitioners, and policy makers to engage with this growing body of research.

Annotation:

This project is operating under the direction of faculty, doctoral students, and recent graduates from the Language and Literacy at The University of Texas at Austin in collaboration with the Literacy Research Association.

CITE-ITEL has  focused on the identification of empirical studies of initial teacher preparation in the area of literacy from the period 2000-2016. The current CITE-ITEL system includes over 700 published reports of research on initial teacher preparation in literacy and is growing.

Based on the analysis of these studies a set of topical areas has been identified. Studies, with relevant findings, have been linked to these topic areas. For each of the topic areas, synthesis statements that summarize the findings in each of the areas have been written. New topic areas will be created as research expands. The synthesis statements will be updated on an annual basis.

At the top of each page, are several links that take you into CITE-ITEL based on your interest. 

The Articles link will take you to all of the articles that are currently included in the CITE-ITEL data-base. The articles are organized alphabetically by the first author’s last name. If you are looking for a specific article or author, you can use the search box to locate the article or the author. If you click on the article entry, you will be taken to the article analysis page.

The Journals link operates in a similar way. The journals are listed alphabetically and you can search the system.  If you follow the link to a specific journal you will see the articles that have been published that are part of our data-base.

The Categories link will take you to into the structure we use within the system to reflect the focus for the articles.  Each article is linked to these major topics with Categories that are nested within Topics.  Following the link to any of these categories will give you a list of the articles that have been linked to that Topic. These links were made as part of the article analysis.

The Synthesis link will take you to the categories that have been synthesized.  There are currently eight syntheses ready to view on the system.

 

CITE-ITEL

 

Keywords: Language, Reading, Literacy, Initial teacher education
Lifewide learning for early reading development
Authors: Dowd, A.J. et al
Published: 2017
Reference:

Dowd, A. J., Friedlander, E., Jonason, C., Leer, J., Sorensen, L. Z., Guajardo, J., D’Sa, N., Pava, C., and Pisani, L. 2017. Lifewide learning for early reading development. In: Gove, A., Mora, A. and McCardle, P. (Eds). 2017. Progress toward a literate world: Early reading interventions in low-income countries, New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development, Volume 2017, Issue 155, pp. 31–49.

A large scale study of the influence of the home and community literacy environments in Asia and Africa that found that a modest but consistent relationship between students’ home literacy environments and reading scores, and a strong relationship between reading gains and participation in community reading activities.

Keywords: Reading, Literacy
Early Grade Reading Study (EGRS)
Authors: Department of Basic Education
Published: 2017

This research study sought to examine the results of three interventions to improve teachers’ instructional practice – one with block training twice a year (which included provision of scripted lesson plans, materials and training), another with the same block training and ongoing support from a reading coach, and a third involving parents. The intervention with reading coaches was found to be a critical component in the persistence of gains.

Annotation:

This significant study was the first systematic large-scale Randomised Control Trail (RCT) study undertaken in South Africa, to compare the cost-effectiveness of three different intervention models on early literacy performance in an African Home Language, Tswana. This study tracked 4 500 children (20 each from 230 schools), most of whom came from homes that typically had few books and a limited engagement by parents or caregivers with the learners in reading activities.  One component was observations of 60-school lessons in intervention and control group schools. Another was two sets of detailed case studies in six rural and urban schools that looked at changes in teachers’ instructional practices as the result of the two interventions. An impact study looked  at who benefited from the three types of intervention and the different impact of the interventions on different types of learners and schools and made a number of recommendations.

A number of reports were issued by the EGRS in 2017:

EGRS covers.jpg

 

 

Department of Basic Education. 2017. The Early Grade Reading Study (EGRS). Infographic.  Pretoria: Department of Basic Education.

Department of Basic Education. 2017. Classroom observation study. The Early Grade Reading Study (EGRS). August 2017. Pretoria: Department of Basic Education.

Department of Basic Education. 2017. The Early Grade Reading Study (EGRS): In-depth case studies of home language literacy practices in four Grade 2 classrooms in Treatment 1 and 2 schools (October 2016 to January 2017). Pretoria: Department of Basic Education.

Department of Basic Education. 2017. Family influences on early grade reading. The Early Grade Reading Study (EGRS). August 2017. Pretoria: Department of Basic Education.

Department of Basic Education. 2017. The Early Grade Reading Study. Impact evaluation after two years of interventions. Technical Report. 13 October 2017. Pretoria: Department of Basic Education.

Department of Basic Education. 2017. Summary Report. Results of Year 2 Impact Evaluation. August 2017. Pretoria: Department of Basic Education.

Department of Basic Education. 2017. Policy summary. Results of Year 2 Impact Evaluation. The Early Grade Reading Study (EGRS): August 2017. Pretoria: Department of Basic Education.

Keywords: Language, Reading, Literacy, Primary
Bringing literacy home. Family Literacy Conference Proceedings. 19 - 21 September 2005, Pietermaritzburg
Authors: Land, S. (Ed.)
Reference:

Land, S. (Ed.). 2006. Bringing literacy home. Family Literacy Conference Proceedings. 19 - 21 September 2005, Pietermaritzburg. Pietermaritzburg: Centre for Adult Education, University of KwaZulu-Natal

Proceedings on this first national conference on family literacy in South Africa has some excellent papers that look into the near invisible world of family literacy practices and explore the developing communities of practice of educators engaged in family literacy projects.

Keywords: Language, Reading, Literacy
Foundation Phase Matters: Language and Learning in South African Rural Classrooms
Authors: Ramadiro, B., and Porteus, K.
Published: 2017
Reference:

Ramadiro, B., and Porteus, K. 2017. Foundation Phase Matters: Language and Learning in South African Rural Classrooms. East London: Magic Classroom Collective Press

The study looks at teacher instructional practice, learner performance outcomes, and intervention process design. It was designed to help develop an instructional toolkit for Grades R to 3 in the Eastern Cape context. The report concludes with an identification and of the binding constraints in the system and presents proposals for key interventions that could contribute to the transformation of foundation phase instructional practice on a wider system scale.

Keywords: Language, Reading, Literacy, Foundation Phase
Hard Words: Why aren't kids being taught to read?
Authors: Hanford, E.
Published: 2018
Reference:

Hanford, E. 2018. Hard Words: Why aren't kids being taught to read? St Paul, Minnesota: American Public Media, APMreports

https://www.apmreports.org/story/2018/09/10/hard-words-why-american-kids-arent-being-taught-to-read

Popular article from the United States of America that argues that, thought scientific research has shown how children learn to read and how they should be taught, many educators and teacher educators do not known the science and, in some cases, actively resist it. As as a result, millions of children are set up to fail.

Keywords: Reading, Literacy
The science is clear about 'mother-tongue' education. So why are we attacking it?
Author: aitchisonjjw@gmail.com
Published: 2019
Reference:

Heugh, K. 2019. The science is clear about 'mother-tongue' education. So why are we attacking it? News24 26 May 2019
<https://www.news24.com/Columnists/GuestColumn/the-science-is-clear-about-mother-tongue-education-so-why-are-we-attacking-it-20190526>

Article noting the contradiction between empirical research evidence backed up by the constitutional support for mother-tongue instruction with the current education system’s failure to teach students to read and write and its prioritization of English.

Keywords: Language, Reading, Literacy
Research findings in reading instruction are settled science
Authors: International Foundation for Effective Reading Instruction
Published: 2015
Reference:

International Foundation for Effective Reading Instruction. 2015.  Research findings in reading instruction are settled science. Inform, No 4, June 2015.

A brief survey of North American teaching of reading research.

Keywords: Literacy
Back to basics: comparing the orthographic, phonic and grammatical features of English and African languages to improve literacy teaching
Authors: Molteno Institute for Language and Literacy
Published: 2020
Reference:

Molteno Institute for Language and Literacy. 2020. Back to basics: comparing the orthographic, phonic and grammatical features of English and African languages to improve literacy teaching. Johannesburg: Molteno Institute for Language and Literacy

Presentation made to a PrimTEd seminar in February 2020 illustrating some of the differences and similarities in the orthography, phonics and syntax between the Nguni, Sotho and English languages that are important for teachers to have knowledge of when they are teaching languages.

Keywords: Language, Reading, Literacy
Accessing Foundation Phase literacy resources in all our official languages, focusing on African languages
Authors: Molteno Institute for Language and Literacy
Published: 2020
Reference:

Molteno Institute for Language and Literacy. 2020. Accessing Foundation Phase literacy resources in all our official languages, focusing on African languages. Johannesburg: Molteno Institute for Language and Literacy

Presentation made to a PrimTEd seminar in February 2020 that outlines the Molteno Institute’s work on graded readers basic on the phonics of South African languages as well as briefly describing other resources (ZENEX, EGRS 2 and the Department of Basic Education’s new National Framework for the Teaching of Reading in African Languages in the Foundation Phase).

Keywords: Language, Reading, Literacy
Knowledge and Practice Standards for primary teacher education graduates: language and literacy
Authors: Consolidated Literacy Working Group
Published: 2020
Reference:

Consolidated Literacy Working group. 2020. Draft Knowledge and Practice Standards for primary teacher education graduates: language and literacy. Unpublished document

These draft standards were prepared by members of the Consolidated Literacy Working Group of the Primary Teacher Education Project (PrimTEd). These have been discussed within the group, examined at a national consultation, and revised accordingly. They are now open for a further consultation and it must be emphasized that they are draft standards, standards are only truly such when they are recognized by the appropriate authority or authorities. They are standards that apply specifically to initial language and literacy teacher education with a specific focus on: • Developing new graduate teachers’ ability to teach literacy in African languages as home or additional languages, with a special focus on reading and writing; • English as a First Additional language with a special focus on reading and writing; and on using English as the medium of instruction across the curriculum • Developing new graduate teachers’ ability to teach literacy in English as a home or first additional language in multilingual contexts.

Keywords: Reading, Literacy, Primary, Standards
At a Loss for Words: How a flawed idea is teaching millions of kids to be poor readers
Authors: Hanford, E.
Published: 2019
Reference:
Hanford, E. 2019. At a Loss for Words: How a flawed idea is teaching millions of kids to be poor readers. St Paul. Minnesota: American Public Media, APMreports
 

https://www.apmreports.org/story/2019/08/22/whats-wrong-how-schools-teach-reading

Critique of whole language and balanced literacy approaches to teaching reading. Has a rich set of URLs to useful sources.

Keywords: Reading, Literacy
Working toward a more literate world: Reading intervention commentary
Authors: Lovett, M.
Published: 2017
Reference:

Lovett, M. W. 2017. Working toward a more literate world: Reading intervention commentary. In: Gove, A., Mora, A. and McCardle, P. (Eds). 2017. Progress toward a literate world: Early reading interventions in low-income countries, New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development, Volume 2017, Issue 155, pp. 131-141

A commentary on the evidence coming out of evidence-based practices in early reading instruction and intervention in low- and middle income countries In Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Keywords: Reading, Literacy