Weak and strong novice readers of english as a foreign language: Effects of first language and socioeconomic status

This study examined individual differences among beginning readers of English as a foreign language (EFL). The study concentrated on the effects of underlying first language (L1) knowledge as well as EFL letter and vocabulary knowledge. Phonological and morphological awareness, spelling, vocabulary knowledge, and word reading in Hebrew L1, in addition to knowledge of EFL letters and EFL vocabulary, were measured. The study also investigated the effect of socioeconomic background (SES) on beginning EFL readers. Participants included 145 fourth graders from three schools representing two socioeconomic backgrounds in the north of Israel. The results indicate that knowledge of English letters played a more prominent role than knowledge of Hebrew L1 components in differentiating between strong and weak EFL readers. The Linguistic Coding Differences Hypothesis was supported by L1 phonological awareness, word reading, and vocabulary knowledge appearing as part of discriminating functions. The presence of English vocabulary knowledge as part of the discriminant functions provides support for English word reading being more than just a decoding task for EFL beginner readers. Socioeconomic status differentiated the groups for EFL word recognition but not for EFL reading comprehension.     

Perception Matters: What Message Are We Sending to Faculty with Departmental Book Allocations?

Perception can be everything. As librarians consider the ever-changing nature of the library's role on campus, they may want to adopt a philosophical approach to restructuring the traditional library materials budget from the perspective of perception rather than from the perspective of cost-cutting, creating staff efficiencies, or even collection development. By looking at the role faculty play in building the library's collection, conclusions can be formed about what the library's budget structure and budgetary interaction with faculty convey about the library's priorities as an institution and with regard to its role within the campus community as a whole.     

The Realities of Translating Research into Classroom Practice

This paper synthesizes key findings to facilitate the translation of research into classroom practice and provides guidelines for how effective instructional practices might be implemented, supported, and sustained in schools. Excerpts from a case study are presented to show how research‐based instructional approach translates into classroom practices in a local school district that tailors the approach to the realities of the local situation. In this paper, we review what the research suggests are the functions that allow a person in a leadership role to facilitate the translation of research into classroom practice. We describe how these functions were used to translate research into classroom practice in 2 school districts that are part of the Elementary and Middle School Technical Assistance Center (EMSTAC) project, a national research‐to‐practice effort. Examples of how these principles were put into practice and why different technical assistance approaches were used to implement research‐based practices in a primary and middle school setting are discussed. We conclude with reflections on the intricate nature of effecting change at the local level, and the progress that can be made within those intricacies.