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UC Child Well-being Research Institute | www.canterbury.ac.nz/childwellbeing @UCChildwellbeing @UCCWRI

Positive ways of enhancing early literacy success

Associate Professor Brigid McNeill (University of Canterbury)Professor Gail Gillon (University of Canterbury)

Co-Researchers

Amy Scott, Amanda Denston, Leanne Wilson, and

Angus MacfarlaneChild Wellbeing Research Institute

University of Canterbury, New Zealand

Karyn Carson, Flinders University, Australia

Funding Acknowledgement

10-year programme of research

A Better Start, National Science Challenge ($34Million)

New Zealand Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment

[Grant number 15-02688]

Change is needed at a systems level to ensure early literacy success for all

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With community, family/whānau in culturally

responsive ways

teachers, SLTs, specialists, health professionals,

Children to achieve through early literacy success

Specific Study Aim

Within a Response to Intervention Framework determine the response to phonological awareness and vocabulary instruction for children who enter school with oral language difficulties, including those with speech sound difficulty.

Better Start Literacy Study Participants

268 initial assessmentsacross 7 schools- low socioeconomic area adversely

impacted by earthquakes

170 childreneligible for comprehensive assessment (i.e.,

at risk)

141 childrenfull data

Lower oral language Lower oral language + speech sound difficulty

Sex 45 boys, 58 girls 26 boys, 14 girls

Age 64.6 (3.5) 64.5 (2.6)

CELF Core Language Index1 84.3 (16.7) 81.8 (14.9)

Letter-sound knowledge* 11.0 (5.3) 8.2 (5.5)

Phoneme awareness* 12.4 (6.4) 9.9 (4.5)

Non-word reading

(graphemes correct)

4.8 (6.3) 3.3 (4.5)

Vocabulary intervention

probes

14.6 (5.1) 13.2 (3.4)

* Significant difference at p < .05 level

Pre Intervention

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Pre Intervention: Speech profile (n=40)

• Percentage of Consonants Correct, M= 82.5 (SD 11.6; Range = 36.2-92.3%)

• Percentage of inconsistency in speech errors M= 26.5 (SD 16.0; Range = 0-60%)

• 8 children had 40% or greater inconsistency in speech errors• 3 participants used at least one atypical speech error process

systematically

Group A(n=72) across 3 schools

Group B (n=69) across 4 schools

Usual

Usual

Better Start Approach

Usual

Stepped Wedge Research Design:

Better Start Approach

Evidence based vocabulary teaching

Co-constructed with

class teachers

Evidence-based phonological awareness

teaching

Culturally responsiveProviding contexts for

learning where thelanguage, identity and culture

of Māori and Pasifika learners andtheir family is affirmed..

Intervention components Intervention FrameworkTier 1: Class

• 10 weeks; 4 x 30 minute sessions

• Minimum targets for teaching intensity

• Teacher led • PA + vocabulary• Lessons built around quality

storybook• PLD and coaching support for

teacher (average of 12 hours)

Tier 2: Small Group• 10 weeks; 2 x 30 minute

sessions• Literacy specialist or SLT

led• PA + vocabulary (content

mirrored Tier 1)• Increased intensity

Tier 3: 1-2 children• 10 weeks; 2 x 30 minute

sessions• SLT led• PA; Tracking sound

change with graphemes• Speech goals integrated

where applicable

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Video Demonstrations

Better Start Literacy Approach: Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 3

Combined Group (low OL and low OL + SD): Phoneme Awareness

*

* p < .05, d = 0.6

Combined Group (low OL and low OL + SD):Non-word reading

**

** p < .001, d = 0.87; * p<.05, d = 0.6

*

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Combined Group (low OL + low OL + SD): Targeted Vocabulary

Repeated measures ANOVA: Statistically significant effects of time (p<.001) and group*time (p<.001).Significant difference in Time 2 and Time 3 across groups (i.e., significant intervention effect for both groups; stronger for Strand B).

Lower oral language with and without SD Phoneme awareness

Lower OLN= 103

Lower OL + SSD N= 40

Lower oral language with and without SD Non-word reading (phonemes correct)

Lower OLN= 103

Lower OL + SSD N= 40

Case Study: Ryan (low OL and SD)Response to Tier 1 Intervention

5 years; 4 months at Assessment 1• Speech: 36.2% PCC, 87.2 PVC, 56% inconsistent speech

errors; glottal stops• Language: Receptive Language Difficulty on the CELF

(scaled score of 5 on receptive subtests)• Phonological awareness

• Blend: 1/12, Segment: 1/12, phoneme identity = 4/10

• Letter-sound knowledge: Raw score = 2/20• Non-word reading: 3/30 graphemes correct (3 initial

sounds identified from the 10 items)• Strand B (i.e., delayed start to the intervention)

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Ryan’s Response to Tier 1 Teaching

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Time 1 Time 2 Time 3

Raw

Sco

re

Phonological Awareness

Letter-sound Knowledge

Non-word reading

Usual literacy curriculum Tier 1 (Better Start Approach)

Response to Intervention

• Tier 1 (n=239; 59% of cohort at risk)• 98 children with good oral language

• 101 children with low oral language

• 40 children with low oral language and SD

• Tier 2 (n=47; 20% of cohort)• 22 children with low oral language

• 25 children with low OL and SD

• Tier 3 (n=29; 12% of cohort)• 12 children with low oral language

• 17 children with SD

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Time 1 Time 2 Time 3 Time 4

Tier 1 only (n=65)

Tier 1 & 2 only(n=47)

Tier 1, 2 & 3(n=29)

Decoding (RTI for children with lower OL)

Gra

ph

emes

co

rrec

t (o

ut

of

30

)

Tier 1 Tier 2 Tier 3

Conclusions

• Transfer of improved PA knowledge to early reading and writing tasks was evident for children with lower levels of oral language

• RTI model is an effective framework to ensure all children develop key foundational knowledge in their first year of schooling

• Teacher-SLP collaboration important within each tier of intervention

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Future Directions

• Preparing for larger scale implementation

• Online learning modules• Online Assessments

• Focus on 3-6 year age group

• Focus on bilingual and biliteracylearning

• Working towards systems change

• Aligned to Child Well-being Strategy

UC Child Well-being Research Institute | www.canterbury.ac.nz/childwellbeing @UCChildwellbeing @UCCWRI

Gail Gillon & Brigid McNeillChild Well-Being Research Institute

University of Canterbury, New Zealandgail.gillon@canterbury.ac.nz,

brigid.mcneill@canterbury.ac.nz

Free Phonological Awareness Resources:

http://www.canterbury.ac.nz/education/research/phonological-awareness-resources/

Gillon, G., McNeill, B., Scott, A., Denston, A., Wilson, L., Carson, K., & Macfarlane, A. H. (2019). A better start to literacy learning: findings from a teacher-implemented intervention in children’s first year at school. Reading and Writing, 1-24.