Using Game-Based Learning to Improve Boys' Literacy

This chapter foregrounds an online gamified visual intelligence innovation (eyebraingym) developed to enhance visual processing skills, improve memory and vocabulary, and increase reading fluency. The explicit aim of the innovation is to improve comprehension towards visual intelligence. Ninety-eight Grade 8 learners at a South African Boy's School completed their online development during the 2021 academic year. These learners were part of a group of students participating in a whole school reading and literacy intervention program. The innovation is an integral part of this ongoing project. Their interaction with the innovation consists of 15 sessions completed once or twice a week for 20 – 40 minutes over five months. The results of the project are positive. It shows that most participating students improved their perceptual development and reading speed (VPF) and cognitive development and comprehension skills (CDF). In addition, these outcomes transferred to improved relative efficiency when working with information (AIUF).

Performance in the accuracy task in children with Childhood Apraxia of Speech after an integrated intervention of literacy and motor skills

ABSTRACT Difficult in literacy skills are often seen in children with Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS). This occurs because oral language has direct relationship with reading and writing learning. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the performance in the accuracy task of an integrated phonoarticulatory awareness, motor skills and literacy intervention of three children with CAS. Three boys between 5;3 and 5;8 years of age, with CAS, were offered 2 hours per week of therapy sessions based on literacy and motor skills. The children were assessed before and after therapy and at a maintenance assessment 1 month after the treatment ceased. The children improved on the accuracy task considering their deficits level. Improvement was maintained at the maintenance assessment. Therapy based on literacy considering phonoarticulatory awareness and motor skills can help children with CAS, but the severity of the children’s communication problems must be taken into consideration.

Accelerated Learning Is Possible for Special Education Students

Accelerated learning has been historically absent in conversations driving the instruction of students being served in special education. A prevailing deficit mindset commonly exists within the special education community leaving expectations of increased student learning to chance. This chapter aims to share data from a large-scale, national sample of special education students receiving the powerful literacy intervention, Literacy Lessons. These data detail the possibility of accelerated student learning by measuring the text reading level of students at entry and exit of the intervention, and even more, compared to their rate of progress before entering the intervention.

Effects of Health Literacy Intervention on Health Literacy Level and Glucolipid Metabolism of Diabetic Patients in Mainland China: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Objective. To systematically evaluate the effects of health literacy intervention on health literacy level and glycolipid metabolism of people with diabetes in mainland China. Methods. A systematic review of journal articles discussing diabetes and health literacy was performed by searching PubMed, Embase, the Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE) database of Web of Science, the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) database, the Chinese Scientific and Technical Journals database (CQVIP), and the Wanfang database. Cochrane Effective Practice and Organization of Care Review Group (EPOC) standards were applied for quality assessment. A meta-analysis was performed using Stata 12.0 software. Results. A total of 44 articles, including seven controlled before-and-after trials (CBAs), 27 randomized controlled trials (RCTs), and 10 nonrandomized controlled trials (non-RCTs), were included. The results showed that (1) health literacy level in the intervention group was improved compared with the preintervention and the control group; (2) fasting plasma glucose (FPG) (standardized mean difference SMD = − 1.85 , 95% CI: −2.28, −1.42), 2-hour plasma glucose (2hPG) ( SMD = − 2.18 , 95% CI: −2.68, −1.68), and HbA1c (weighted mean difference WMD = − 1.21 , 95% CI: −1.48, −0.94) were significantly reduced in the intervention group; (3) total cholesterol (TC) ( WMD = − 0.43 , 95% CI: −0.64, −0.23) was significantly reduced in the intervention group, although there were no statistically significant differences for triglycerides (TG) ( WMD = − 0.34 , 95% CI: −0.73, 0.05), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) ( WMD = − 0.20 , 95% CI: −0.46, 0.07), or high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) ( WMD = − 0.06 , 95% CI: −0.29, 0.17). Conclusion. Intervention based on health literacy can effectively improve health literacy levels and reduce glucose metabolism and TC level among people with diabetes mellitus, although it has no significant effect on TG, LDL-C, or HDL-C.

The Journey of a Word: An Action Research Intervention of Morphemic Analysis and Etymology for a Middle School Gifted and Talented Class

Sixth-grade students who had been identified as gifted and talented participated in a literacy intervention designed and implemented by the first author as part of an action research project. These students were meeting the grade-level standards in literacy, so the project aimed to push their vocabulary knowledge further in order to prepare them for the complex vocabulary they encounter in their independent reading and assigned content units. This daily intervention directly taught students the origins and histories of words and word parts from Latin, Greek, Germanic, and French languages, introduced morphemic analysis strategies, and gave them techniques to analyze the words’ meanings based on that information. Content-specific vocabulary, as well as general vocabulary knowledge of the participating students increased significantly. Throughout the intervention, students’ confidence in vocabulary knowledge improved, and they gained a deeper understanding of the nuances of language as their ability to apply this knowledge in other contexts grew and facilitated better understanding of the words they read.

Motivating Adolescents to Participate in Literacy Intervention: A Case Example From Telepractice

Purpose: Motivation declines as children reach adolescence. Poor motivation inhibits participation and engagement in language-based interventions. The purpose of this tutorial is to demonstrate how intervention can be designed to increase client motivation to participate while improving language-based literacy skills. Method: Motivation and behavior change techniques based on self-determination theory are presented, as are examples of how to integrate these techniques into contextualized language intervention with adolescent clients. Conclusion: Incorporating motivation and behavior change techniques into contextualized language interventions with adolescents promotes self-determination and motivation through satisfaction of their need for autonomy, relatedness, and competence while simultaneously addressing language-based literacy deficits.

The Name Jar Project: Supporting Preservice Teachers in Working with English Language Learners

Classrooms are becoming more linguistically and culturally diverse and many educators are feeling unprepared to meet the varied needs of English language learners (ELLs). Through a larger design-based research doctoral study, I collaborated with 11 preservice teachers and 28 ELLs in Grades 2 and 3 to design and implement a literacy intervention that focused on cultivating literacy engagement to foster English language development. This paper documents the positive impact the implementation of the literacy intervention, also known as the Name Jar Project, had on supporting the preservice teachers’ emerging practice. Analysis of focus group data, preservice teachers’ written reflections, and field notes revealed that (a) the preservice teachers, through their informal learning experiences, were able to empathize with the ELLs’ strengths and challenges of learning English; (b) the service learning model provided a safe learning environment for preservice teachers to gain practical experience working with ELLs; and (c) through the research design, preservice teachers connected practice and theory to inform their future teaching experiences.

Sustained effects of an early childhood language and literacy intervention through second grade: Longitudinal findings of the SPELL trial in Denmark

Predictive relations between language and literacy skills during the preschool years and children’s future reading achievement are well-documented, leading to development and evaluation of preschool interventions targeting early skill development. Although educational researchers have developed and found some positive short- and mid-term effects of language and literacy intervention supplements implemented in early childhood education (ECE) settings, fade-out is a concern. Most studies have targeted children experiencing risk, rather than a more representative sample. Additionally, there are very few studies of long-term intervention effects, and heterogeneity of long-term effects has not been well described. In the present study, we build on initial reports of one of the largest studies of a language and literacy intervention supplement, the SPELL randomized controlled trial implemented as part of the universal ECE system in Denmark. SPELL was delivered to an unselected sample of children at 3–5 years of age (n = 7,076). Results of the base intervention (SPELL) and two enhanced versions featuring extended professional development for teachers (SPELL+PD) or an add-on home-based program for parents (SPELL+HOME) showed short-term effects for literacy outcomes for all children for all SPELL conditions compared to business as usual (BAU). In this follow-up study, we utilized follow-up assessments of 2,700 SPELL 4-5-year-old participants with national reading tests in second grade. The main analyses based on the whole sample showed no significant differences in reading scores in second grade for those in any of the three SPELL conditions relative to the BAU condition. However, moderation analyses demonstrated heterogeneity in intervention effects with children whose mothers had low-mid education showing sustained and mostly large-sized effects. Other risk factors, including income and immigrant background, and condition interacted with at least one outcome variables. These findings suggest that at-risk children in some cases derive long-term benefits from early language and literacy intervention enhancing learning opportunities in ECE settings.