The importance of measuring growth in response to intervention models: Testing a core assumption

A core assumption of response to instruction or intervention (RTI) models is the importance of measuring growth in achievement over time in response to effective instruction or intervention. Many RTI models actively monitor growth for identifying individuals who need different levels of intervention. A large-scale (N=23,438), two-year longitudinal study of first grade children was carried out to compare the predictive validity of measures of achievement status, growth in achievement, and their combination for predicting future reading achievement. The results indicate that under typical conditions, measures of growth do not make a contribution to prediction that is independent of measures of achievement status. These results question the validity of a core assumption of RTI models.     

The Elusive Notion of Creativity and Pedagogical Practice

Learning theories are essential for effective teaching in that they shed light on different aspects of the learning process. The spectrum of learning theories can be categorized into three main areas: behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism. Behaviorism as a teacher-centered instructional framework for a long time dominated educational settings, shaping every aspect of curriculum and instruction. In contrast to behaviorism, cognitivism is a relatively recent learning theory and its features are not well known or are confused with constructivism by teachers. This article aims to provide an overview of the core characteristics of cognitivism, its philosophical and theoretical basis, its implications for classroom practices, and its illustrative teaching methods. Cognitive apprenticeship, reciprocal teaching, anchored instruction, inquiry learning, discovery learning, and problem-based learning are explicated as the most distinctive methods of the cognitive perspective on learning.     

Home Literacy Environments and Foundational Literacy Skills for Struggling and Nonstruggling Readers in Rural Early Elementary Schools

Factors such as weak early literacy skills and living in poverty may put young students at risk for reading disabilities. While home literacy activities and access to literacy materials have been associated with positive reading outcomes for urban and suburban students, little is known about home literacy environments of rural early elementary school students living in poverty and their relationship to foundational reading skills for struggling and nonstruggling readers. This study examined how home literacy environments might relate to rural kindergarten and first grade students’ reading performance. Parents of 1,108 kindergarten and first grade students in the rural Southeast completed questionnaires on the frequency of home literacy activities and access to literacy materials. Multilevel model analyses revealed that home literacy activities and access to literacy materials were positively related to basic word reading skills, passage comprehension, and spelling. Implications for families and educators are discussed.     

Bulking Up (Identities): A Communication Framework for Male Fitness Identity

The goal of this interview study is to build upon a rich history of masculinities research, complicating the arenas in which masculinity is communicated, performed, negotiated, and enacted. Using Hecht’s communication theory of identity, analysis of this data reveals that men pursuing fitness find misalignment between the personal, relational, and enacted frames. Consequently, they engage in a host of discursive strategies to manage the uncertainty that is produced by these identity gaps. This study identifies three: excessive body discipline, forceful negotiation, and constant comparison. By exploring these gaps and strategies, this study aims to situate fitness as a space ripe for the production of identity work and as an intersectional identity element.