Reviews

Book reviewed in this article: Miller, L. Towards Reading . Johnson, Paul. Books Searching for Authors (Children communicating through the writing and visual process) . Cairney, Trevor H. Pathways to Literacy . Hannon, P.: Literacy, Home and School: Research and Practice in Teaching Literacy with Parents .     

REVIEWS

Books reviewed in this article: Language and Communication Difficulties Dimitra Hartas Managing Behaviour in the Early Years Janet Kay Step by Step Hannah Mortimer Inclusion in the Early Years: Critical Analyses and Enabling Narratives Cathy Nutbrown and Peter Clough Why Do You Do That? A Book about Tourette Syndrome for Children and Young People Uttom Chowdhury and Mary Robertson Learning Styles and Inclusion Gavin Reid First Choices Margaret Collins     

Book reviews

The Sage handbook of special education : Lani Florian (Ed.) Moral education—beyond the teaching of right and wrong : Colin Wringe Interviewing and representation in qualitative research : John Schostak Citizenship and language learning: international perspectives : A. Osler and H. Starkey Early literacy work with families: policy, practice and research : Cathy NutbrownPeter Hannon & Anne Morgan Qualitative research in education: a user's guide : Marilyn Lichtman     

Book reviews

Smith, Peter. Reading Skills and Reference Work; Classroom Guides Series. Cleary, Beverly. Dear Mr. Henshaw. Meek, Margaret, with Armstrong, Stephen, Ansterfield, Vicky, Graham, Judith and Plackett, Elizabeth. Achieving Literacy: Longitudinal Studies of Adolescents Learning to Read.     

Book Reviews

Lewis, David, Reading Contemporary Picturebooks: Picturing Text Grainger, T. and Tod, J., Inclusive Educational Practice: Literacy Mallett, Margaret, Young Researcher: Informational Reading and Writing in the Early and Primary Years Kenner, Charmian, Home Pages: Literacy Links for Bilingual Children Datta, Manjula, Bilinguality and Literacy: Principles and Practice.     

Book reviews

Books reviewed: Myra Barrs and Valerie Cork, The Reader in The Writer: the Links between the Study of Literature and Writing Development at Key Stage 2 Naz Rassool, Literacy for Sustainable Development in the Age of Information Len Unsworth, Changing Multiliteracies Across the Curriculum: Changing Contexts of Text and Image in Classroom Practice Peter Hunt and Millicent Lenz, Alternative Worlds in Fantasy Fiction     

Book reviews

Book reviewed in this article: BLOOM, W. (1987) Partnership with Parents in Reading. DURKIN. K. (ed.) (1986) Language Development in the School Years. WEBSTER, A. (1986) Deafness, Development and Literacy. BESNER, D., WALLER, T.G. and MACKINNON, G.E (eds) (1985) Reading Research: Advances in Theory and Practice. PERERA, K. (1984) Children's Writing and Reading: Analysing Classroom Language. STEIN. NANCY, L. (ed.) (1986) Literacy in American Schools. Learning to Read and Write. DE BEAUGRANDE, ROBERT (1984) Text Production. Advances in Discourse Processes XI.     

Reviews

Books reviewed in this article: Stephanie Prestage and Pat Perks, Adapting and Extending Secondary Mathematics Activities Deborah Eyre and Hilary Lowe (eds), Curriculum Provision for the Gifted and Talented in the Secondary School Sally L. Smith, The Power of the Arts: Creative Strategies for Teaching Exceptional Learners Donald McIntyre, Colour Blindness — Causes and Effects Christine Macintyre, Play for Children with Special Needs: Including Children aged 3–8 Cathy Nutbrown (ed.), Research Studies in Early Childhood Education Chris Abbott (ed.), Special Educational Needs and the Internet — issues for the inclusive classroom     

The Early Literacy Support Programme (ELS) and the blend and clash of national educational policy ideologies in England

In this article we consider the development of key policy issues in England, related to the area of literacy learning and children who are considered to have difficulties in literacy in their early years. We trace the tensions which have arisen since the 1980s between different policies and practices in these areas. These tensions include pressures to raise standards of literacy and to support children with difficulties, and the establishment of a prescribed curriculum for young children. In particular, we focus on the blend and clash of national educational policy ideals in areas related to literacy and children who have been categorised as having ‘special educational needs’, and how these have influenced the development of the Early Literacy Support Programme (ELS) (DfES, 2001 Department for Education and Skills 2001a Early Literacy Support Programme, materials to support teachers working in partnership with teaching assistants London DfES  [Google Scholar]a; 2001 Department for Education and Skills 2001b Early Literacy Support Programme, session materials for teaching assistants London DfES  [Google Scholar]b). This is a programme set up by the Department for Education and Science in England for children in Year 1, aged 5 to 6 years old.     

Reviews

Books reviewed: Marsh, J. and Hallett, E. (eds) Desirable Literacies: Approaches to language and literacy in the early years Goodwin, Prue (ed.) The Literate Classroom Whitehead, M. Supporting Language and Literacy Development in the Early Years     

Reviews

Book reviewed in this article: Hall, N. and Robinson, A. Looking at Literacy: Using Images of Literacy to Explore the World of Reading and Writing. Hall, N. and Robinson, A. Exploring Writing and Play in the Early Years. Blackledge, A. Teaching Bilingua Children. More Kids' Favorite Books: A Compilation of Children's Choices 1992–1994. Spreadbury, Julie. Read Me a Story: Parents, teachers and children as partners in literacy learning.     

Effects of early literacy environments on the reading attitudes, behaviours and values of veteran teachers

Research has linked early literacy environments to the attitudes, behaviours and instructional values of reading teachers, but most prior research has addressed preservice or early inservice teachers. This mixed-methods, hypothesis-generating, Q methodology-based study explored the relationship between early literacy environments and the subsequent reading experiences, attitudes and behaviours of a purposive sample of veteran literacy educators. By-person factor analysis identified three empirical profiles of shared reading experiences, attitudes and behaviours: Early Readers Supported by Nurturing Early Literacy Environments; Early Readers Not Supported by Nurturing Early Literacy Environments; and Later Readers Not Supported by Nurturing Early Literacy Environments. Conceptual variables found across all models using qualitative analysis included: Nature of Early Literacy Environments, Early and Later Competence and Appreciation of Reading, Attitudes about the Value of Reading, and Instructional Values and Behaviors in Literacy Education. These models suggest further evidence for the importance of early literacy environments (both home and classroom environments) and provide empirically-derived testable hypotheses for future research.     

CHELLO: The Child/Home Environmental Language and Literacy Observation

The purpose of this study was to develop a valid and reliable tool for measuring the quality of the language and literacy environment in home-based settings. Based on a convergence of research on the ecological and psychological factors associated with early literacy development, the Child/Home Environmental Language and Literacy Observation (CHELLO) was developed to gauge the quality of current practices associated with positive early childhood literacy outcomes. Following the structure of the Early Language and Literacy Classroom Observation Scale (ELLCO) [Smith, M., & Dickinson, D. (2002). Early language & literacy classroom observation. Baltimore, MD: Brookes], we developed two interdependent tools: The Literacy Environment Checklist and the Group/Family Observation and Provider Interview. Inter-rater reliability using weighted kappas indicated acceptable reliability. Following this analysis, the CHELLO was administered in 128 home-based settings in four low-income urban areas. Initial evidence of its psychometric properties provided support for internal consistency. Although more research is needed, the CHELLO has the potential to serve as a useful tool for examining the language and literacy environment in home-based settings.     

Support Teachers in Sheffield

Can a support teacher service help meet the challenge of teaching children with special needs in ordinary school classes? Peter Hannon Division of Education, Sheffield University, and Susen Mullins, Granville College, Sheffield, report on a service in Sheffield     

Book reviews

Book reviewed in this article: BERTELSON. P. (ed) (1987) The Onset of Literacy. Cognitive Processes in Reading Acquisition. SNOWLING, M. (1 987) Dyslexia: A Cognitive Development Perspective. DODD, B. and CAMPBELL, R. (eds) (1987) Hearing by Eye: thepsychology of lip-reading. MILLER, N. (ed) (1984) Bilingualism and Language Disability: assessment and remediation. PEARSON, D. BARR, R., KAMIL, M.L. and MOSENTHAL, P. (eds) (1984) Handbook of Reading Research. ORASANU, J. (ed) (1986) Reading Comprehension: From Research to Practice. POSNER, M.I. and MARIN. O.S.M. (1985) Attention and Performance XI. COLTHEART, M. (1 987) Attention and Performance XII. WADE, B. and MOORE, M. (1987) Special Children … Special Needs: Provision in Ordinary Classrooms. MCNAUGHTON, s. (1987) Being Skilled. The Socializations of learning to read. FREIRE. P. and MACEDO, D. (1987) Literacy: Reading the Word and the World. ALVERMANN, D.E. DILLON. D.R. and O'BRIEN. D.G. (1987) Using Discussion to promote Reading Comprehension. SCHIEFFELIN, B. and GILMORE. P. (1986) The Acquisition Of Literacy: Ethnographic Perspectives. SMITH, P. (ed) (1987) Parents and teachers together: Proceedings of the twenty-third annual course and conference of the United ‘Kingdom Reading Association’. MEEK, M. (1988) How Texts Teach What Readers Learn.     

Assessing the Development of Educational Research Literacy: The Effect of Courses on Research Methods in Studies of Educational Science

The ability to purposefully access, reflect, and use evidence from educational research (Educational Research Literacy) is expected of future professionals in educational practice. Based on the presented conceptual framework, a test instrument was developed to assess the different competency aspects: Information Literacy, Statistical Literacy, and Evidence-based Reasoning. This paper addresses the question of whether this test allows monitoring students’ development during courses on research methods in educational science. In winter semester 2013/14, two courses in Early Education and Teacher Training degree programs were accompanied. Both cross-sectional (multidimensional latent regression models) and longitudinal (paired t tests of plausible values) comparisons are reported. The results indicate no significant differences in competencies between the degree programs at start of the semester. For the end of semester, only data of the Early Education course was available. These course participants showed higher proficiency in all aspects of educational research literacy. In conclusion, the results are discussed with regard to the goals of the assessment of competencies in higher education, particularly the use of test feedback for course development, and desiderata for future research (e.g., ability to transfer research into practice) are stated.     

The impact of a Framework‐aligned science professional development program on literacy and mathematics achievement of K‐3 students

This study investigates the effect of a Framework‐aligned professional development program at the PreK‐3 level. The NSF funded program integrated science with literacy and mathematics learning and provided teacher professional development, along with materials and programming for parents to encourage science investigations and discourse around science in the home. This quasi‐experimental study used a three‐level hierarchical linear model to compare the Renaissance STAR Early Literacy, Reading, and Mathematics scores from 2015 to 2016 of K‐3 students in treatment and control classrooms in a large Midwestern urban school district. The statistically significant results indicate that, on average, every year that a student has a program teacher adds 8.6 points to a student's spring STAR Early Literacy score, 17.0 points to a student's STAR Mathematics score, and 41.4 points to a student's STAR Reading score compared to control students. Implications for early elementary teacher education and policy are discussed. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 54:1174–1196, 2017     

An Objective Approach to Reviewing Computer Software

Basic Mathematics For Students With Learning Difficulties Peter Westwood and Wendy Stewart 1998 Institute For The Study Of Learning Difficulties: Flinders University $15.00 plus $3.00 p&;p

Context, Service Provision, and Instruction: Facilitating The Learning Of Students Experiencing Severe Learning And Behaviour Difficulties Roger Rees 1998 Institute For The Study Of Learning Difficulties: Flinders University $18.00 plus $2.00 p&;p

Computer Applications In Special Education: Issues, Uses And The Assessment Of Software Suitability Brian Matthews, Steve Jordan, &; Kathryn Bennett, 1998 Institute For The Study Of Learning Difficulties: Flinders University $8.00 plus $2.00 p&;p

Responding to Learning Difficulties In The Secondary School Peter Westwood et al. 1997 Institute For The Study Of Learning Difficulties: Flinders University $15.00 plus $3.00 p&;p

Understanding The Causes And Effects Of Severe Learning Difficulties In Junior Secondary Students Bill Young 1997 Institute For The Study Of Learning Difficulties: Flinders University $5.00 plus $1.50 p&;p

Teaching Numeracy and Literacy: Interventions and Strategies for “At Risk” Students Diane Barwood, Daryl Greaves, Peter Jeffery 1999 Melbourne Australian Resource Educators Association $15 (Please check this)

Enhancing English Literacy Skills in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Students. A Review of the Literature and Case Studies in Primary Schools M. Batten, T. Frigo, P. Hughes, &; N. McNamara 1998 Melbourne, Australia Australian Council for Educational Research $39.95

Never too Late to Read: Language Skills for the Adolescent with Dyslexia: Based on the work of Alice Ansara Ann Cashwell Tuley 1998 Baltimore, Maryland, USA $27.50     

Reviews

Books reviewed: Wyse, Dominic, Primary Writing Browne, Naima, Young Children’s, Literacy Development and the Role of Televisual Texts Geekie, P., Understanding Literacy Development