Instructional Implications of Struggling Adult Readers

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Instructional Implications of Struggling Adult
Readers

• Amy E. Barth, Daryl F. Mellard, Michael F. Hock
• University of Kansas
• Center for Research on Learning
• Division of Adult Studies

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Improving Literacy Instruction for Adults
Funded through the National Institute for
Literacy, USDE Office of Vocational and Adult
Education, and the National Institute of Child
Health and Human Development
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Project Staff

• Daryl Mellard, University of Kansas, Principal
  Investigator
• Robin Gingerich, University of Kansas, Project
  Coordinator
• Hugh Catts, University of Kansas, Intervention
  Planning
• Don Deshler, University of Kansas, Intervention
  Planning
• Michael Hock, University of Kansas, Intervention
  Planning and Training
• Doren Frederickson, University of Kansas, School
  of Medicine, Epidemiologist
• Margaret Patterson, University of Kansas, Site
  Coordinator
• John Poggio, University of Kansas,
  Methodologist/Psychometry
• Nona Tollefson, University of Kansas,
  Methodologist/Statistician
• Amy Barth, University of Kansas, Graduate
  Research Assistant
• Paula Lancaster, Grand Valley State University,
  Subcontractor-Intervention Planning and Training
• Lynn Fuchs, Vanderbilt University,
  Consultant-Intervention Planning
• John Strucker, Harvard University,
  Consultant-Literacy Intervention Planning
• Joseph Torgesen, Florida State University,
  Consultant-Intervention Planning

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Goal

• Validate instructional interventions appropriate
  for adults with limited literacy proficiency
  using three specific aims.
• Identify the components of reading that are most
  important to adults success on commonly accepted
  adult literacy measures.
• Affect optimal outcomes using specifically
  targeted interventions in word analysis, fluency,
  and reading comprehension.
• Maximize implementation and outcomes when those
  interventions are applied in typical adult
  educational settings.

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Aims

• Aim 1. Determine the literacy requirements of
  commonly used adult literacy outcome measures.
• Aim 2. Determine if interventions with proven
  benefit to children and youth are efficacious
  with adult learners under optimal conditions.
• Aim 3. Determine the effectiveness of those
  reading literacy interventions developed in Aim 2
  when applied in typical adult literacy settings.

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The Big Picture.
Professional Development
Word Identification
Fluency
Comprehension
Instruction
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Adult Education Sites

• Highland Community College (Atchison)
• Lawrence USD
• Topeka Lets Help
• Wichita USD
• Allen County Community College
• Johnson County Community College

• Kansas City Kansas Community College
• Paola USD
• Flint Hill Technical College
• Ottawa USD
• Topeka USD (KATS)
• University of Saint Mary Outfront, Leavenworth

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Aim 1

• Determine the literacy requirements of commonly
  used adult literacy outcome measures.
• Rationale Interventions are designed to improve
  specific reading components and to achieve
  specified outcomes. We want to ensure that we
  understand the contribution of reading components
  to literacy outcomes and that our interventions
  have real-world adult literacy applications.

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Content Analysis of AE measures

• Based on a content analysis of the literacy
  outcome measures, what strategic reading
  comprehension interventions best match the
  requirements assessed by these outcome measures?

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Outcome Measures

• Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment System
  (CASAS) reading test Level C advanced basic
  skills
• National Assessment of Educational Progress
  selected passages (1990 8th grade reading)
• Practice test for General Education Development
  (GED)Language Arts reading exam (Contemporary
  Press)

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Content Analysis Process

• The process we followed
• What we discovered
• Reading demands
• Testing demands
• What reading (comprehension) strategies seem most
  useful in terms of performance on the outcome
  measures?

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Table 1 AIM 1.2 Content Analysis Results
Scorer Agreement
Top Strategies Selected CASAS 1st Choice
2nd Choice 1st Choice 2nd
Choice Level A, 611 Level A, 612 Level B,
613 Level B, 614 Level C, 615 Level C,
616 Level D, 17 Level D, 18 GED NAEP
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CASAS Level A

• Read the following job ad to answer the next
  question.
• WAITRESS
• MUST BE 21
• APPLY IN PERSON
• 3-5 P.M.
• 421 18TH AVENUE

• 17. How do you apply for this job?
• Write a letter.
• Telephone
• Go to 421 18th Ave.
• Send a friend.

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CASAS Frequency Analysis (A,B,C)

• 70 to 100 of the items require the reader to
  Look for Clues in the passage
• At what phone number can Pat be reached?
• Where are the plastic bags for bagging
  contaminated articles?
• 74 to 88 of the items require the reader to
  Generate Questions
• Whose address is in the upper right hand
  corner?
• What is the maximum number of teaspoonfuls an
  eight-year old can receive daily?

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CASAS Frequency Analysis (D)

• 67 of the items require the reader to Look for
  Clues in the passage
• Which worker has stayed home with the flu?
• 64 of the items require the reader to Generate
  Questions
• Which step of the instructions explains explains
  where to send the completed form?
• 13 of the items require the reader to Draw an
  Inference
• Based upon the information, why does the
  selection criteria seem important?

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GED Content Analysis
Loitering with a vacant eye Along the Grecian
gallery, And brooding on my heavy ill, I met a
statue standing still. Still in marble stone
stood he, And steadfastly, he looked at me. Well
met, I thought the look would say. We both were
fashioned far away We neither knew, when we were
young, These Londoners we live among. A.E.
Housman, 1896

• 2. Why does the speaker feel the way he does at
  the beginning of the poem?
• He is far from home and feels out of place.
• He is in very poor health.
• He feels oppressed by the crowds of people in
  London.
• He has nothing to do?
• He is saddened by the fact that the statue is
  unhappier than he is.

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GED Frequency Analysis

• 1 of 20 items (5) require the reader to Find the
  Main Idea
• What is this paragraph primarily about?
• 14 of 20 items (70) require the reader to
  Summarize
• Which statement best summarizes what the reader
  learns from the passage?
• 17 of 20 items (85) require the reader to Draw
  an Inference
• Which of the following best describes the tone
  of the letter?

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What else did we observe?

• Multiple strategies are needed
• Learners must be able to self-regulate reading
  behavior and strategy usage
• The outcome measures measure different skills and
  strategies
• The reader must be test-wise!

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The PASS Strategy
Generalization to GED practice test materials
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Learning Strategies That Improve Comprehension on
Outcome Measures

• Literature SIM
• Using Clues SQ-VI-MP
• Generating Questions Self-questioning
• Summarizing Paraphrasing
• Draw Inferences Build
• In all strategies?
• Task specific?
• Both?
• Issue What is the best way to build a draw
  inferences strategy?

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Description of Interventions

• The Bridging Strategy (Phonological processing
  and word analysis)
• Fluency (Repeated reading)
• Reading Comprehension
• Paraphrasing/Summarization Strategy
• Self-Questioning
• Draw Inferences

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The Bridging Strategy
Adolescent Reading Model
Early Reading
The Comprehension Program
Alphabetics

Comprehension Interventions
The Bridging Strategy

• Science of Instruction

• Beginning

• Student Motivation

Comprehension
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(No Transcript)
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Description of Instruction

• Goal-Based Commitment
• Explicit Explanation/Description
• Expert Model (strategy self-regulation)
• Extensive Practice and Feedback
• Verbal Practice of Strategy
• Teacher Guided
• Partner
• Independent with Teacher Checks
• Generalization
• Near with text structure variety
• Far with text structure variety
• Near/far with Test-taking

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The Bridging Strategy
T
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The Fluency Strategy
Phase 1
Orientation, Commitment, Goal Setting, Overview
Model
Phase 2
Repeated Reading Word Level Describe Model Verbal
Check Practice and Feedback (Guided, Partner,
Independent) Mastery Checks Accuracy
Rate
Phase 3
Repeated Reading Passage Level Describe Model Ver
bal Check Practice and Feedback (Guided, Partner,
Independent) Mastery Checks Accuracy
Rate Comprehension Prosody
Phase 4
Generalization Orientation Application Narrativ
e-Expository-Technical Text Structures Test-Taking
The PASS Strategy
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Linking Multiple Strategies

• Current Strategy
• Read a paragraph
• Ask yourself MI D
• Put the MI D into your own words

• Intervention Strategy
• Read a paragraph actively
• Word Identification (TBS)
• Fluency
• Prediction (embedded from SQ)
• Answer key questions..
• Put the answers into your own words

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2. AE Learner Reading Skills

• How is performance on recognized components of
  reading related to adult literacy outcome
  measures?
• Reading Components
• Alphabetics
• Reading fluency
• Vocabulary
• Reading comprehension

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Procedures

• Three hundred AE enrollees
• Background questionnaire
• Battery of twelve predictors of reading
  proficiency
• Three outcome measures
• Significant barriers Mobility summer!

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Reading Predictors

• Comprehensive Test of Phonological
  ProcessingElision, Rapid color naming Rapid
  Letter Naming
• WRMT-R Word Attack subtest
• WRMT-R Word Identification subtest
• WRMT-R Word Comprehension subtest
• WRMT-R Passage Comprehension subtest
• Test of Word Reading Efficiency Sight word
  Phonemic decoding
• Test of Silent Word Reading Fluency
• Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals
• Gray Oral Reading Test - III
• Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-III
• WAIS-III Information, Vocabulary Block Design
  subtests
• Woodcock-Johnson III Story Recall Auditory
  Working Memory

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Outcome Measures

• Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment System
  (CASAS) reading test Level C advanced basic
  skills
• National Assessment of Educational Progress
  selected passages (1990 8th grade reading)
• Practice test for General Education Development
  (GED)Language Arts reading exam

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Sample Characteristics (n 140)
Placement Level 1 2 3 4 5 6 Total N
3 3 20 34 38 42 140
Age (Yrs) Mean 43.3 50.3 40.4 29.5 25.7 25.2 29.5
WAIS Deviation Quotient Mean 61 68 75 80 84 94 8
4 Min 53 59 57 65 67 75 53 Max 69 76 96 104 108 1
20 120
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Reading Measure Performance
Placement Level 1 2 3 4 5 6 Total N
3 3 20 34 38 42 140
CASAS Reading SS (39 items) Mean 187.3 205.7 216.0
228.0 240.9 250.4 235.2 WRMT Word Id
SS Mean 55.33 58.00 62.44 69.68 82.87 90.31 77.81
WRMT Passage Comprehension SS Mean 40.6 45.0 59.5
74.2 82.4 95.0 79.2
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Correlations of Interest
GED NAEP Rdg RS Rdg RS

• CASAS Rdg RS .479 .724
• GED -- .539

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Preliminary FindingsBest Predictors

• CASAS Rdg (.19) WRMT Pass comp (.24) WJ
  Auditory Working Memory (.29) Rdg Fluency Pass
  1 Words correct (.21) WAIS Block Design
  (.17) CELF Total
• GED Rdg (.54) WAIS vocabulary (.246) TOWRE
  Sight word (.22) TOWRE Total
• NAEP Rdg (.30) WRMT Word Id (.30) WRMT Pass
  comp (.27) GORT Total Rate

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So What Implications for Instruction

• Learners ability range is significant.
• Learners in ABE levels show a trend toward
  lowest ability levels.
• Learners need explicit, frequent instruction
  engagement specific skill goals progress
  measures
• Increasing skills for GED reading is more
  difficult than for CASAS reading.
• Teaching to the test (any outcome) is important.
• Program administrators increasing their
  involvement in checking instructional fidelity.

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Aim 2

• Determine if interventions with proven benefit to
  children and youth are efficacious with adult
  learners under optimal conditions.
• Rationale Researching the efficacy of specific
  reading component interventions requires
  carefully controlled application. These
  intervention studies provide a test of the
  interventions and cumulative contribution to
  literacy outcomes.

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Aim 2.1 Research Methods Word Analysis, Fluency
and Reading Comprehension

• Develop and pilot the instructional methods,
  fidelity measures, and reading comp progress
  measures
• Describe existing AE reading instruction

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Your Questions

• You might have some questions about our analysis
  of the criterion measures
• What do the assessed reading skills mean to you
  for intervention planning?
• Whats your experience with teaching strategies
  separately or multiple strategies?

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Thank You!

• Contact information
• Ms. Robin Gingerich Robingin_at_ku.edu
• University of Kansas
• 1122 West Campus Road, Room 517
• Lawrence, KS 66045
• 785-864-2591
• Amy Barth 785-864-2709 AEBarth_at_ku.edu
• Mike Hock 785-864-0567 MHock_at_ku.edu
• Daryl Mellard 785-864-7081 DMellard_at_KU.edu