A Small-Scale, Feasibility Study of Academic Language Time in Primary Grade Language Arts

Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals

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15

Language Arts; Feasibility Studies; Access to Computers; Time Factors (Learning); Evidence Based Practice; Vocabulary; Fidelity; Pretests Posttests; Vocabulary Skills; Achievement Gains; Conventional Instruction; Intermode Differences; Performance Based Assessment; Program Effectiveness; Elementary School Teachers; Elementary School Students; Instructional Design; Nonfiction; STEM Education; Participant Satisfaction; Observation; Teacher Attitudes; Control Groups; Experimental Groups

10.1080/03004430.2016.1207067

0300-4430

A small-scale feasibility study was conducted to explore the implementation of academic language time (ALT) in primary grade classrooms with and without access to digital devices. Academic language time is a structural change that dedicates a portion of language arts instructional time to direct vocabulary instruction using evidence-based techniques. Over a 6-week period, teachers and students in eight urban primary grade classrooms participated in the study. Fidelity of implementation and students' pre- and post-vocabulary performance were used to gauge the ease and effectiveness of implementation as indicators of feasibility. Results showed that a majority of classrooms, print and digital-enriched, met fidelity benchmarks, suggesting ease of implementation. All classrooms showed pre/post-gains in students' vocabulary learning, indicating effectiveness of implementation. The wide range of fidelity across classrooms, however, suggests that a more nuanced analysis of fidelity may be required to improve the implementation effectiveness of ALT for purposes of replication.

As Provided

33

2017

EJ1132299