A promising new tool for literacy instruction: The morphological matrix.

There is growing interest in the role that morphological knowledge plays in literacy acquisition, but there is no research directly comparing the efficacy of different forms of morphological instruction. Here we compare two methods of teaching English morphology in the context of a memory experiment when words were organized by affix during study (e.g., a list of words was presented that all share an affix, such as , , , , etc.) or by base during study (e.g., a list of words was presented that all share a base, such as , , , ). We show that memory for morphologically complex words is better in both conditions compared to a control condition that does not highlight the morphological composition of words, and most importantly, show that studying words in a base-centric format improves memory further still. We argue that the morphological matrix that organizes words around a common base may provide an important new tool for literacy instruction.

Reading Proficiency Trends Following Newborn Hearing Screening Implementation.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate trends in population-level school-aged reading scores among students with hearing loss in an urban Colorado school district after implementation of universal newborn hearing screening (UNHS) and Early Hearing Detection and Intervention. METHODS: The final sample included 1422 assessments conducted during the 2000-2001 through 2013-2014 school years for 321 children with hearing loss in grades 3 through 10. Longitudinal hierarchical linear modeling analyses were used to examine reading proficiency (controlling for birth year, grade in school, free and reduced lunch status, additional disability services, and English not spoken in the home). The Colorado Student Assessment Program was administered to students in third through 10th grades throughout the state. The test years chosen included children born before and after implementation of UNHS. RESULTS: After implementation of UNHS, significant longitudinal reading proficiency improvements were observed by birth year and grade overall and for all subgroups. However, gains in reading proficiency were substantially less for children eligible for free and reduced lunch and those with moderate-severe to profound hearing loss. With each succeeding birth cohort and grade, increased numbers of children participated in testing because of improved language skills, with higher proportions identified as proficient or advanced readers. CONCLUSIONS: Notable improvements in reading proficiency after Early Hearing Detection and Intervention implementation were demonstrated, as all groups of children with hearing loss became more likely to achieve proficient and advanced reading levels. On the other hand, some disparities increased, with greater improvements in reading proficiency for children in economically advantaged families.

Skills-adjusted human capital shows rising global gap.

Human capital, broadly defined as the skills acquired through formal education, is acknowledged as one of the key drivers of economic growth and social development. However, its measurement for the working-age populations, on a global scale and over time, is still unsatisfactory. Most indicators either only consider the quantity dimension of education and disregard the actual skills or are demographically inconsistent by applying the skills of the young cohorts in school to represent the skills of the working-age population at the same time. In the case of rapidly expanding or changing school systems, this assumption is untenable. However, an increasing number of countries have started to assess the literacy skills of their adult populations by age and sex directly. Drawing on this literacy data, and by using demographic backprojection and statistical estimation techniques, we here present a demographically consistent indicator for adult literacy skills, the skills in literacy adjusted mean years of schooling (SLAMYS). The measure is given for the population aged 20 to 64 in 185 countries and for the period 1970 to 2015. Compared to the conventional mean years of schooling (MYS)-which has strongly increased for most countries over the past decades, and in particular among poor countries-the trends in SLAMYS exhibit a widening global skills gap between low- and high-performing countries.

Development and assessment of a verbal response scale for the Patient-Specific Functional Scale (PSFS) in a low-literacy, non-western population.

PURPOSE: The Patient-Specific Functional Scale (PSFS) is a routinely used measure of physical function with a 0-10 response scale. We aimed to develop verbal response options for the PSFS, pre-test it for use in a multilingual, low-literacy country- Nepal, and compare preference and error rates between numeric and verbal scale. We hypothesized that a verbal scale would be preferred by respondents and yield fewer errors. METHOD: We interviewed 42 individuals with musculoskeletal, neurological, and cardiopulmonary conditions to understand how people describe varying levels of physical ability. Transcripts were thematically analyzed, and through consensus, we developed two sets of verbal responses for the PSFS. Next, we pre-tested the scales on an additional 119 respondents following which participants were asked to specify their preferred scale. Error rates were analyzed retrospectively using pre-specified criteria. RESULTS: Participants described their ability in terms of the quality (95%) and the quantity of task performance (88%). Although the verbal scales were preferred over the numeric scale (50% versus 12%), there was no significant difference in error rates between numeric (34%) and verbal scales (32% and 36%). Higher error rates were associated with greater age, fewer years of education, and inexperience with numeric scales. CONCLUSION: Despite a higher preference for verbal scale, 1 out of 3 patients made errors in using the PSFS, even with an interview format. The error rates were higher among participants with low literacy. The findings raise questions about the utility of PROMs in countries with low literacy rates.

Investigating Bidirectional Links Between the Quality of Teacher-Child Relationships and Children's Interest and Pre-Academic Skills in Literacy and Math.

This study investigated bidirectional links between the quality of teacher-child relationships and children's interest and pre-academic skills in literacy and math. Furthermore, differences in the patterns of bidirectionality between boys and girls were explored. Participants were 461 Finnish kindergarteners (6-year-olds) and their teachers (n = 48). Teachers reported their closeness and conflict with each child twice throughout the kindergarten year. Children rated their interest in literacy and math, and were tested on their pre-academic skills. Cross-lagged path models indicated that teacher-perceived conflict predicted lower interest and pre-academic skills in both literacy and math. Results were similar for boys and girls. Implications for reducing conflictual patterns of relationships, together with promoting other factors, are discussed.

Exploring the Influence of Early Childhood Education and Care on the Etiology of Achievement.

The present study used a genetically-sensitive quantile regression approach to examine the relation between participation in early childhood education and care (ECEC) and subsequent school performance in literacy and numeracy at grades 3, 5, 7, and 9. The sample consisted of 1255 twin pairs (596 MZ; 659 DZ) with information on both ECEC and the National Assessment Program-Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) scores from the Twin Study of NAPLAN. Results indicated variation in heritability estimates across the distributions of achievement, suggesting that different patterns of etiological influences may exist among children of different ability levels. Additionally, the results provided no evidence that ECEC significantly influenced achievement, and in the genetically-sensitive analyses, no evidence that ECEC moderated the influences of heritability of achievement for typically advantaged children. These results suggest that ECEC may not provide the levels of environmental support for later achievement that advocates claim, although we acknowledge that ECEC quality, which was not measured in the current study, may make a difference in whether or not ECEC influences achievement.

Role of genomics literacy in reducing the burden of common genetic diseases in Africa.

BACKGROUND: In Africa, health practitioners and the current knowledge of the public on genetics and genomics is still very low and yet this has potential to reduce the burden of common genetic diseases. Many initiatives have promoted genomic research, infrastructure, and capacity building in Africa. What remains to be done is to improve genomics literacy among populations and communities while utilizing an array of strategies. Genomic literacy and awareness are key in the management of genetic diseases which includes diagnosis, prevention of complications and therapy. Africa is characterized by great cultural and language diversity thereby requiring a multidisciplinary approach to improving public and community genomics literacy and engagement. However, this is further complicated by having the fact that sub-Saharan Africa is comprised of countries with the lowest literacy rates in the world. METHODS: We applied the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines to review genomic literacy in Africa using PubMed database. RESULTS: We found very limited evidence of genomics literacy for genetic diseases in Africa. CONCLUSION: We propose a number of approaches that if adopted will significantly increase the genomic literacy and reduce the burden of genetic diseases in Africa.

The impact of traditional literacy and education on health literacy in adolescents with asthma.

Introduction: People with low health literacy have poorer self-management of chronic diseases like asthma. Studies of parent health literacy and education level on the management of children's chronic illnesses reveal inconclusive results. We hypothesized a correlation between parent and adolescent health literacy in teens with asthma. Methods: Sociodemographic data were obtained; health literacy was assessed on adolescents and parents with three instruments: Rapid Estimate of Adolescent/Adult Literacy in Medicine (REALM), Single Item Literacy Screener (SILS) and Newest Vital Sign (NVS). Agreement between scores was examined by calculating weighted kappa statistics and performing Bowkers test of symmetry. Results: In all, 243 adolescents and 203 parents completed health literacy assessments yielding 198 paired observations. 9th-12th graders, 60.6% female, 72.7% African-American (AA), mean age: 15.3 years (±0.9). Parent education ranged from < high school (19.1%) to college graduate (24.0%). Agreement between adolescent and parent scores was poor: REALM (κw = 0.26), SILS (κw = 0.12), and NVS (κw = 0.29) and disagreement did not significantly differ by race. Positive correlations of moderate strength (overall and between racial groups) were found between reading scores and both REALM and NVS scores, and between REALM and NVS scores. Due to the inverse relationship of SILS scores with health literacy level, SILS scores (overall and between racial groups) were weakly and negatively correlated with reading scores, REALM and NVS. Conclusion: Correlation between education level and traditional literacy suggests that these are contributing factors to the health literacy of adolescents with asthma. Correlation between adolescent and caregiver health literacy was not supported.

Ateneo General de la Residencia de Psicopedagogía: Lo que se lee de otro modo, se escribe en otro lugar: avatares en el proceso de apropiación de la cultura escrita / General Athenaeum of the Psychopedagogical Residence: What is read differently, is written elsewhere: avatars in the process of appropriation of written culture

Ateneo basado en el concepto de alfabetización, y las problemáticas involucradas en la disciplina: relación entre el lenguaje oral y el escrito; entre las dificultades en el lenguaje y las dificultades en el proceso de alfabetización; qué de lo subjetivo necesita estar constituído para que un niño entre al mundo de las letras; o qué ocurre cuando se dan tan distanciados los tiempos lógicos del aprendizaje de la lectura y escritura y los tiempos cronológicos que la escuela espera. En una primera parte se desarrolla la lógica cognitiva específica y la legalidad de este objeto de conocimiento, y luego el proceso de apropiación, reflexionando sobre los múltiples motivos de consulta e intervenciones.

Ateneo General de la Residencia de Psicopedagogía: Repensando la ortografía en la clínica psicopedagógica. ¿Vaca se escribe con b o con v?: Repensando la ortografía en la clínica psicopedagogica / General athenaeum of the psychopedagogical residence: rethinking spelling in the pedagogical clinic

Ateneo centrado en el sistema de lenguaje escrito español, y la conceptualización de la ortografía de la lengua española, en un primer lugar; en el sistema educativo argentino; los aportes del constructivismo y el psicoanálisis, por un lado, y las neurociencias por otro; y finalmente en una reflexión sobre la ortografía en la actualidad.

A pilot evaluation of a social media literacy intervention to reduce risk factors for eating disorders.

OBJECTIVE: This pilot study investigated the effectiveness of a social media literacy intervention for adolescent girls on risk factors for eating disorders. METHOD: A quasi-experimental pre- to post-test design comparing intervention and control conditions was used. Participants were 101 adolescent girls (Mage = 13.13, SD = 0.33) who were allocated to receive three social media literacy intervention lessons (n = 64) or to receive classes as usual (n = 37). Self-report assessments of eating disorder risk factors were completed one week prior to, and one week following the intervention. RESULTS: Significant group by time interaction effects revealed improvements in the intervention condition relative to the control condition for body image (body esteem-weight; d = .19), disordered eating (dietary restraint; d = .26) and media literacy (realism scepticism; d = .32). DISCUSSION: The outcomes of this pilot study suggest that social media literacy is a potentially useful approach for prevention of risk for eating disorders in adolescent girls in the current social media environment of heightened vulnerability. Replication of this research with larger, randomized controlled trials, and longer follow-up is needed.

Do universal media literacy programs have an effect on weight and shape concern by influencing media internalization?

The current study examined whether media internalization, found to mediate the relationship between selected prevention programs and outcomes, mediated the impact of two universal prevention programs that targeted risk factors for eating disorders and obesity, namely weight concern, and shape concern. Students randomized to a media literacy (Media Smart) program (N = 269, 65% females, mean age 12.97 years) and a healthy lifestyle (Life Smart) program (N = 347, 69% females, mean age 13.07 years) were included in the analyses. There were four waves of data (baseline, end of intervention, 6- and 12-month follow-up). Latent growth curve modeling was used to explore whether group assignment influenced levels of media internalization, and whether that in turn influenced change over time of our two outcome variables. Being randomly allocated to Media Smart as opposed to Life Smart resulted in less growth of both outcome variables through the influence on decreasing levels of media internalization. Findings provided support for the suggestion that media literacy programs exert an impact on outcomes related to eating disorder risk through changes to media internalization. Future research should examine whether these mechanisms of change differ between girls and boys.

The Emergent Literacy Skills of Preschool Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

A high percentage of school-age students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have reading comprehension difficulties leading to academic disadvantage. These difficulties may be related to differences in children's emergent literacy development in the preschool years. In this study, we examined the relationship between emergent literacy skills, broader cognitive and language ability, autism severity, and home literacy environment factors in 57 preschoolers with ASD. The children showed strengths in code-related emergent literacy skills such as alphabet knowledge, but significant difficulties with meaning-related emergent literacy skills. There was a significant relationship between meaning-related skills, autism severity, general oral language skills, and nonverbal cognition. Identification of these meaning-related precursors will guide the targets for early intervention to help ensure reading success for students with ASD.

Interventions for improving the research literacy of nurses: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Despite the importance of research literacy for nurses, many nurses report feeling unable to effectively read and understand research, which in turn results in lower research utilization in practice. Nurses themselves identify poor experiences with trying to understand and use research as factors that contribute to a reluctance to utilize research. This reluctance often leads nurses to seek other sources of information, such as colleagues, instead. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this review was to identify the effectiveness of research literacy interventions on the research literacy of registered nurses. INCLUSION CRITERIA: Registered nurses.Interventions of interest were those that evaluated the effectiveness of workplace educational programs or interventions conducted in a healthcare organization or tertiary-level educational facility aiming to improve or increase registered nurses' understanding of research literature.Outcomes of interest were research literacy, measured explicitly or as research knowledge, research understanding, use of research evidence in practice, and/or ability to critically appraise research.We considered experimental study designs such as randomized controlled trials, nonrandomized controlled trials, quasi-experimental, and before and after studies. SEARCH STRATEGY: A wide range of databases were searched in order to provide the most complete possible review of the evidence. Initial keywords used were: "research litera*", "research education", "research knowledge", "evidence-based practice education". METHODOLOGICAL QUALITY: Papers selected for retrieval were assessed by two independent reviewers for methodological validity prior to inclusion in the review using standardized critical appraisal instruments from the Joanna Briggs Institute Meta-Analysis of Statistics Assessment and Review Instrument (JBI-MAStARI). DATA EXTRACTION: Data were extracted from papers included in the review using the standardized data extraction tool from JBI-MAStARI. DATA SYNTHESIS: Quantitative data would have been, if possible, pooled in statistical meta-analysis using the Cochrane Collaboration's Review Manager 5.2 software. As statistical pooling was not possible, the findings are presented in narrative form including tables and figures where appropriate to aid in data presentation. RESULTS: The majority of included studies were single-group pre-test/post-test designs (n=7). One was a post-test only two-group comparison and two were two-group quasi-experimental studies. Included studies were conducted in Taiwan, Japan, Hong Kong, Australia, United Kingdom and United States. The total number of registered nurses in the included studies was 453. The educational interventions were conducted in universities (n=6) and healthcare facilities (n=4). Most included studies were published (n=9), with one unpublished study. CONCLUSIONS: The evidence on educational interventions, while not strong, is indicative of the types of interventions which are likely to be effective. Online or face-to-face interventions using interactive teaching strategies, such as activities, role-play and discussions, and which are underpinned by an appropriate behavioral or education theory, are likely to increase research literacy. IMPLICATIONS FOR RESEARCH: More rigorous experimental studies of educational interventions for nurses' research literacy are warranted, in order to demonstrate the effectiveness of different course and program designs. Future studies should consider longer periods of follow-up to test the longevity of the effect, as education needs to have lasting effects to be beneficial to the recipients.

Literacy after cerebral hemispherectomy: Can the isolated right hemisphere read?

OBJECTIVES: Cerebral hemispherectomy, a surgical procedure undergone to control intractable seizures, is becoming a standard procedure with more cases identified and treated early in life [33]. While the effect of the dominant hemisphere resection on spoken language has been extensively researched, little is known about reading abilities in individuals after left-sided resection. Left-lateralized phonological abilities are the key components of reading, i.e., grapheme-phoneme conversion skills [1]. These skills are critical for the acquisition of word-specific orthographic knowledge and have been shown to predict reading levels in average readers as well as in readers with mild cognitive disability [26]. Furthermore, impaired phonological processing has been implicated as the cognitive basis in struggling readers. Here, we explored the reading skills in participants who have undergone left cerebral hemispherectomy. METHODS: Seven individuals who have undergone left cerebral hemispherectomy to control intractable seizures associated with perinatal infarct have been recruited for this study. We examined if components of phonological processing that are shown to reliably separate average readers from struggling readers, i.e., phonological awareness, verbal memory, speed of retrieval, and size of vocabulary, show the same relationship to reading levels when they are mediated by the right hemisphere [2]. RESULTS: We found that about 60% of our group developed both word reading and paragraph reading in the average range. Phonological processing measured by both phonological awareness and nonword reading was unexpectedly spared in the majority of participants. Phonological awareness levels strongly correlated with word reading. Verbal memory, a component of phonological processing skills, together with receptive vocabulary size, positively correlated with reading levels similar to those reported in average readers. Receptive vocabulary, a bilateral function, was preserved to a certain degree similar to that of strongly left-lateralized phonological skills [3]. Later seizure onset was associated with better reading levels. CONCLUSIONS: When cerebral hemispherectomy is performed to control seizures associated with very early (in utero) insult, it has been found that the remaining right hemisphere is still able to support reading and phonological processing skills that are normally mediated by the left hemisphere. Our results also suggest the existence of variability in individuals after hemispherectomy, even within groups having the same etiology and similar timing of insult.