Transcript Children’s Learning in a Digital World August 19

ABRACADABRA Interface
Interface with Explanations
Professional Development
Stories and Activities
Rhyme- and phoneme-based
models
 Rhyme-based models (Goswami & Bryant, 1990;
Goswami, 1999) emphasize analysis of a syllable
into the initial consonant(s) and rimes (e.g. ‘back’
might be analyzed into ‘b’ – ‘ack’).
 Models based on smaller grapheme-to-phoneme
units (hereafter GPCs) emphasize analysis of all
constituent phonemes of a syllable (e.g. ‘back’
segmented into ‘b’ - ‘a’-‘ck’).
Direct contrasts of rime- and
phoneme-based instruction
 Some studies have investigated small grapheme to
phoneme units (e.g. Solity, Deavers, Kerfoot,
Crane, & Cannon, 1999, Stuart, 1999; Vellutino et
al., 1996)
 Other studies have taught rime units (e.g. Bradley,
& Bryant, 1985; Greaney, Tunmer, & Chapman,
1997; Wise, Olson, & Treiman, 1990).
 Interventions are ‘horse race’ models, contrasting
rime- or phoneme- based training with
philosophically distinct methods of reading (e.g.
Iversen & Tunmer, 1993) or untaught controls (e.g.
Ball & Blachman, 1991)
The need for controlled research
studies of computer-based literacy
 There is a large body of research on
computer-based intervention
 Much research has not been well-controlled
Lack of randomized control
Studies have not ‘isolated the medium of
instruction’
(Torgersen & Zhu, 2003)
Abracadabra Research Design
 Groups of 4 students, randomly assigned to intervention A or
B, removed from their class during language arts period
 Each for 20 minutes 4 times per week
 Each group also received identical comprehension, fluency
tasks but differed in subtle ways on aspects of alphabetic:
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Intervention A: these students’ activities had a particular focus on
blending and segmenting activities.
Intervention B: these students’ activities focused on a progression
from sentences to words to rhymes.
Comparison group: This group remained in the classroom and
received classroom language arts instruction.