A Productive Scholar's Guide to Respectful, Responsible Inquiry During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Moving Forward.

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020, schools across the country have pivoted to providing a range of instructional opportunities including remote, hybrid, and modified in-person options with a commitment to keeping our society safe and supporting our nations' youth in continuing their education. One byproduct of this most challenging situation has been the interruption of scientific inquiry in many fields, including educational research. Using a framework of self-leadership, in this feature article, we provide reflections to guide discussion among scholars involved in school-based research during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on lessons learned in our own mentee-mentor relationships and from our collective experiences, the purpose of this article is to offer considerations primarily for early-career scholars, but also to engage dialogue among mid- and late-career scholars to promote school-based inquiry in this defining moment in history, at a time when educators are concerned with mitigating learning loss. We focus on (a) revisiting and refining programmatic lines of inquiry, (b) crafting articles to disseminate lessons learned from research conducted to date-including those with lost time points, (c) retooling in a focused area of inquiry (e.g., methodology), (d) conceptualizing future studies featuring procedures that do-and do not-allow for interpersonal contact, and (e) appreciating and acknowledging individuals who have facilitated inquiry. We conclude with a note of encouragement and call to action for future educational research.

How the Science of Reading Informs 21st-Century Education.

The science of reading should be informed by an evolving evidence base built upon the scientific method. Decades of basic research and randomized controlled trials of interventions and instructional routines have formed a substantial evidence base to guide best practices in reading instruction, reading intervention, and the early identification of at-risk readers. The recent resurfacing of questions about what constitutes the science of reading is leading to misinformation in the public space that may be viewed by educational stakeholders as merely differences of opinion among scientists. Our goals in this paper are to revisit the science of reading through an epistemological lens to clarify what constitutes evidence in the science of reading and to offer a critical evaluation of the evidence provided by the science of reading. To this end, we summarize those things that we believe have compelling evidence, promising evidence, or a lack of compelling evidence. We conclude with a discussion of areas of focus that we believe will advance the science of reading to meet the needs of all children in the 21st century.

The role of frequent, interactive prekindergarten shared reading in the longitudinal development of language and literacy skills.

In this study, we examined the longitudinal relations between frequency and features of reading experiences within the preschool classroom to children's language and literacy outcomes in kindergarten and 1st grade. Frequency refers to the number of shared reading sessions conducted each week as measured by teachers' written reading logs recorded across the academic year. Features refers to teachers' extratextual talk about literal, inferential, or print or phonological topics as assessed by analysis of 6 videotaped readings of narrative and informational texts collected across the preschool year. Participants were 28 preschool teachers and 178 children. The children were largely at risk and randomly selected from among those in each classroom to complete longitudinal assessments. In preschool, results showed that the frequency of classroom shared reading was positively and significantly related to children's receptive vocabulary growth, as was the inclusion of extratextual conversations around the text; only extratextual conversations related to children's preschool literacy growth. There was no evidence of differential influences of these experiences for children; that is, the relationship between frequency or features and children's language and literacy development was not moderated by children's initial skill level. Longitudinally, extratextual talk during preschool shared reading remained associated with children's vocabulary skills through kindergarten, with trends toward significance extending to 1st grade literacy skills. The frequency of preschool shared reading was not a significant predictor of longitudinal outcomes.

The impact of teacher responsivity education on preschoolers' language and literacy skills.

PURPOSE: This study examined the extent to which teacher responsivity education affected preschoolers' language and literacy development over an academic year. Additional aims were to determine whether children's initial language abilities and teachers' use of responsivity strategies were associated with language outcomes, in particular. METHOD: In this randomized controlled trial, preschool centers were assigned to a responsivity education intervention (n = 19 centers, 25 teachers, and 174 children) or a "business-as-usual" control condition (n = 19 centers, 24 teachers, and 156 children). Teachers within the intervention centers received training focused on a set of strategies designed to promote children's engagement and participation in extended conversational interactions across the school day. RESULTS: Hierarchical linear models showed no main effects on children's language skills, although moderating effects were observed such that the intervention appeared to have positive effects for children with relatively high initial language abilities. In addition, teacher use of responsivity strategies was positively associated with vocabulary development. With regard to children's literacy skills, there was a significant main effect of the intervention on print-concept knowledge. CONCLUSIONS: Although teacher responsivity education is viewed as benefitting children's language and literacy development, the impacts of this type of intervention on children's skills warrant further investigation.

Improving Preschoolers' Language and Literacy Skills through Web-Mediated Professional Development.

MyTeachingPartner (MTP) is a web-mediated approach that provides ongoing support for teachers to improve the quality of their interactions with children. This study examined the effects of MTP on the preschool language and literacy development of children who are at risk for later academic difficulties. Results of this randomized controlled trial indicated that for English-only classrooms, teachers receiving a high level of support had students who made greater gains in language and literacy skills than teachers who only received access to a curricular supplement. Three implications are drawn from these findings: (1) on-going, video-based consultation holds promise not only for altering teacher-child interactions, but also improving children's learning, (2) technology allows teachers to receive intensive, effective support from a distance, and (3) there is still much to be learned about how professional development can support effective teaching of language and literacy skills to children whose home language is not English.

Emergent literacy profiles of preschool-age children with specific language impairment.

The primary aim of the present study was to explore the heterogeneity of emergent literacy skills among preschool-age children with specific language impairment (SLI) through examination of profiles of performance. Fifty-nine children with SLI were assessed on a battery of emergent literacy skills (i.e., alphabet knowledge, print concepts, emergent writing, rhyme awareness) and oral language skills (i.e., receptive/expressive vocabulary and grammar). Cluster analysis techniques identified three emergent literacy profiles: (1) Highest Emergent Literacy, Strength in Alphabet Knowledge; (2) Average Emergent Literacy, Strength in Print Concepts; and (3) Lowest Emergent Literacy across Skills. After taking into account the contribution of child age, receptive and expressive language skills made a small contribution to the prediction of profile membership. The present findings, which may be characterized as exploratory given the relatively modest sample size, suggest that preschool-age children with SLI display substantial individual differences with regard to their emergent literacy skills and that these differences cannot be fully determined by children's age or oral language performance. Replication of the present findings with a larger sample of children is needed.

Language and literacy curriculum supplement for preschoolers who are academically at risk: a feasibility study.

PURPOSE: The potential benefit that a low-cost scripted language and literacy supplemental curriculum titled Read It Again! (RIA; L. M. Justice, A. S. McGinty, A. R. Beckman, & C. R. Kilday, 2006) may have on preschool-age children's skills was explored. RIA was developed to meet the needs of preschool educators who may not have access to current commercially available high-cost language and literacy curricula, which often require ongoing intensive professional development. RIA involves implementing 60 large-group lessons over a 30-week period that feature repeated use of 15 commercial storybooks. METHOD: Using a quasi-experimental pre-post research design, 11 preschool teachers implemented RIA in their classrooms for an academic year, and 9 teachers working in comparable preschool programs served as comparisons. Language and literacy measures were collected in the fall and spring of the year. RESULTS: Children whose teachers implemented RIA had higher scores in the spring on measures of language (i.e., grammar and vocabulary) and measures of literacy (i.e., rhyme, alliteration, and print). Effect-size estimates were consistent with medium- to large-size effects. CONCLUSIONS: RIA may be a viable means of enhancing the language and literacy instruction that is delivered within preschool classrooms and, therefore, a means of enhancing children's language and literacy learning. Future directions for continued evaluation of RIA are discussed.

Home literacy experiences and early childhood disability: a descriptive study using the National Household Education Surveys (NHES) program database.

PURPOSE: The present article illustrates how the National Household Education Surveys (NHES; U.S. Department of Education, 2009) database might be used to address questions of relevance to researchers who are concerned with literacy development among young children. Following a general description of the NHES database, a study is provided that examines the extent to which parent-reported home literacy activities and child emergent literacy skills differ for children with (a) developmental disabilities versus those who are developing typically, (b) single disability versus multiple disabilities, and (c) speech-language disability only versus other types of disabilities. METHOD: Four hundred and seventy-eight preschool-age children with disabilities and a typically developing matched sample (based on parent report) were identified in the 2005 administration of the Early Childhood Program Participation (ECPP) Survey in the NHES database. Parent responses to survey items were then compared between groups. RESULTS: After controlling for age and socioeconomic status, no significant differences were found in the frequency of home literacy activities for children with and without disabilities. Parents reported higher levels of emergent literacy skills for typically developing children relative to children with disabilities. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest the importance of considering the home literacy experiences and emergent literacy skills of young children with disabilities when making clinical recommendations.

Validity of teacher report for assessing the emergent literacy skills of at-risk preschoolers.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the predictive validity of teacher report for assessing the emergent literacy skills of preschool-age children. The aims were twofold: (a) to examine predictive relationships between teacher report and direct behavioral assessment, and (b) to examine the extent to which teacher report accurately differentiates children who are exhibiting low levels of emergent literacy skills relative to their peers. METHOD: Forty-four preschool teachers completed a rating form reporting the print-related emergent literacy skills of 209 children who were enrolled in their classrooms. Approximately 2 months later, the children completed direct assessments of these skills. RESULTS: Correlations between teacher report and children's performance on direct behavioral assessments were positive, moderate to large in size, and statistically significant. In terms of classifying children into groupings based on risk (e.g., at risk, low risk), global teacher ratings demonstrated a sensitivity of 51.9% and a specificity of 87.9%. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: The present results indicate that teacher report provides a somewhat valid representation of children's skills. However, the diagnostic accuracy of teacher report for identifying children who are at risk is generally low. With this limitation in mind, teacher report can provide an important complement to current assessment approaches that are used in preschool settings.

Emergent name-writing abilities of preschool-age children with language impairment.

PURPOSE: The 2 studies reported in this manuscript collectively address 3 aims: (a) to characterize the name-writing abilities of preschool-age children with language impairment (LI), (b) to identify those emergent literacy skills that are concurrently associated with name-writing abilities, and (c) to compare the name-writing abilities of children with LI to those of their typical language (TL) peers. METHOD: Fifty-nine preschool-age children with LI were administered a battery of emergent literacy and language assessments, including a task in which the children were asked to write their first names. A subset of these children (n=23) was then compared to a TL-matched sample to characterize performance differences. RESULTS: Results showed that the name-writing abilities of preschoolers with LI were associated with skills in alphabet knowledge and print concepts. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis indicated that only alphabet knowledge uniquely contributed to the variance in concurrent name-writing abilities. In the matched comparison, the TL group demonstrated significantly more advanced name-writing representations than the LI group. CONCLUSIONS: Children with LI lag significantly behind their TL peers in name-writing abilities. Speech-language pathologists are encouraged to address the print-related skills of children with LI within their clinical interventions.