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Education Sciences
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Power of Literacy: Strategies for Effective Reading Instruction
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Power of Literacy: Strategies for Effective Reading Instruction

A special issue of Education Sciences (ISSN 2227-7102).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 December 2024) | Viewed by 7252

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Doris Walker-Dalhouse

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Educational Policy and Leadership, Marquette University, Milwaukee WI 53201-1881, USA
Interests: literacy instruction for students in poverty; multicultural children’s literature; refugee children's literacy development; struggling readers
Prof. Dr. Victoria J. Risko

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Teaching and Learning, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
Interests: students experiencing literacy difficulties; equitable assessment instruction for diverse populations; students living in poverty

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Individuals directly and indirectly associated with providing literacy instruction have strong positions regarding effective strategies for effective literacy instruction. On both sides of a long-standing divide is whether to focus on reading skills, meaning, and/or practices that validate and sustain students’ funds of knowledge. We believe that the broader question Aukerman and Schudts (2021) ask is, “How can reading instruction best help students develop and flourish as literate human beings in the ways that matter most? (p .85)". What strategies are most effective for achieving equitable literacy outcomes for today’s students? In our current text, Achieving Equity for Students in Poverty: Literacy Instruction that Makes a Difference (Walker-Dalhouse and Risko, in press), we argue that deficit views of students’ capabilities lead to missed opportunities to teach students’ capabilities and histories. We argue that literacy educators can transform instruction to support equity for all students in our schools worldwide. In this Special Issue, we call for papers that address, but are not limited to, the following issues: 

  • Strategies used effectively with diverse student populations to promote their literacy development and positive self-identities; 
  • Strategies that promote responsiveness to students’ cultural and individual histories; 
  • Effective strategies for professional development and teacher education to disrupt  systemized disparities;
  • The roles that AI might play in literacy practice and strategy development; 
  • Social and /or political issues impact instructional practices and school policies. 

Submissions may include but are not limited to: 

  • Immigrant and refugee parents’ home literacy practices;
  • Equitable assessment practices and literacy instruction;
  • Disciplinary literacy/content literacy instruction;
  • Teacher preparation and professional development;
  • Multimodal literacy;
  • Differentiation;
  • Literacy interventions;
  • Trauma-informed instruction;
  • Literacy intervention for struggling readers. 

Contributions to this Special Issue can include, but are not limited to: 

  • Empirical studies (quantitative, qualitative, or mixed-methods);
  • Conceptual and theoretical discussions and/or policy analysis. 

We look forward to your contributions. 

Prof. Dr. Doris Walker-Dalhouse
Prof. Dr. Victoria J. Risko
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Education Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • reading and writing instruction
  • poverty
  • diverse learners
  • teaching effectiveness
  • middle school literacy
  • elementary literacy
  • reading development
  • reading motivation

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Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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12 pages, 661 KiB  
Article
Making Challenging Social Studies Texts Accessible: An Intervention
by Melanie R. Kuhn, Grace Pigozzi, Shuqi Zhou and Robert Dahlgren
Educ. Sci. 2025, 15(3), 389; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15030389 - 20 Mar 2025
Viewed by 178
Abstract
One major difference between more and less successful readers involves their access to complex texts and the conceptual knowledge and extensive vocabulary presented in them. The current research looks at four variations of scaffolded reading instruction on the reading achievement of struggling third-grade [...] Read more.
One major difference between more and less successful readers involves their access to complex texts and the conceptual knowledge and extensive vocabulary presented in them. The current research looks at four variations of scaffolded reading instruction on the reading achievement of struggling third-grade readers using informational texts. Social studies texts were selected using Lexile levels to determine the selections’ difficulty; Guided Reading levels were also used when available. Twenty-four students from three different classrooms at a Title One school in the Midwest participated in one of four groups (Wide Reading with instructional level texts, Wide Reading with grade level texts, Repeated Reading with instructional level texts, and Repeated Reading with grade level texts). An analysis of the pretest indicated that the initial ability levels of the four groups were equivalent. This research demonstrated overall gains for the third-grade readers in terms of reading ability while expanding their access to vocabulary and conceptual knowledge, two of the factors underlying the achievement gap. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Power of Literacy: Strategies for Effective Reading Instruction)
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24 pages, 769 KiB  
Article
Exploring the Instructional Effectiveness of High-Growth K-2 Teacher Teams in Foundational Reading
by Jake Downs, Katie Martz and Kathleen Mohr
Educ. Sci. 2025, 15(2), 259; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15020259 - 19 Feb 2025
Viewed by 609
Abstract
This study examined high-performing teacher teams in Title I elementary schools that demonstrated significant student growth in foundational reading skills. Using an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design, we identified K-2-grade-level teams within a district with the highest growth on Acadience Reading. The study explored [...] Read more.
This study examined high-performing teacher teams in Title I elementary schools that demonstrated significant student growth in foundational reading skills. Using an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design, we identified K-2-grade-level teams within a district with the highest growth on Acadience Reading. The study explored (1) student growth and proficiency outcomes in these high-growth teams and (2) how teachers described their instructional practices and outcomes. Focus group interviews were conducted, and thematic analysis revealed key factors, including collaboration, data responsiveness, professional development, and content/pedagogical knowledge. Recommendations and directions for future research are discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Power of Literacy: Strategies for Effective Reading Instruction)
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21 pages, 1610 KiB  
Article
Teachers’ Insights into the Efficacy of the ‘Reading Circle’ Project Using English Language Teaching Graded Readers
by Inga Linde and Linda Daniela
Educ. Sci. 2025, 15(1), 91; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15010091 - 15 Jan 2025
Viewed by 1159
Abstract
The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2024, published by the United Nations, highlights quality education as a priority goal, emphasising its essential role in facilitating the achievement of other goals. Although there has been modest progress since 2019, several areas require further advancement, including [...] Read more.
The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2024, published by the United Nations, highlights quality education as a priority goal, emphasising its essential role in facilitating the achievement of other goals. Although there has been modest progress since 2019, several areas require further advancement, including the development of reading skills. Extensive reading plays an important role in foreign language acquisition, as it not only significantly enhances students’ vocabulary, text comprehension, reading, speaking, and writing skills, but also fosters the development of sustainable learning and self-regulated learning skills. In order to substantially increase students’ reading opportunities, the ‘Reading Circle’ (RC) project was initiated, allowing teachers and their students to read five to eight graded readers during English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classes throughout the school year. During the school year 2023/2024, 45 teachers and 1328 students of Grades 3–11 participated in the 9-month project. The aim of this study was to analyse teachers’ perceptions on the efficacy of the ‘Reading Circle’ project and the most common teaching techniques. The data indicate that the most commonly used teaching techniques across all levels of language learning were the text discussions and the completion of ready-made exercises, while a significant difference across the levels emerged in the techniques of students reading aloud versus reading silently. The findings of this study reveal that teachers highly evaluated the benefits of the project and observed positive improvements in students’ reading motivation, text comprehension, and advancements in their reading and speaking skills, and the outcomes imply that the ‘Reading Circle’ project is an effective method of enhancing sustainable learning and self-regulated learning skills. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Power of Literacy: Strategies for Effective Reading Instruction)
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21 pages, 265 KiB  
Article
Designing and Situating Text to Promote Textual Dexterity in the Context of Project-Based Science Instruction
by Miranda S. Fitzgerald and Annemarie Sullivan Palincsar
Educ. Sci. 2024, 14(9), 960; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14090960 - 31 Aug 2024
Viewed by 1279
Abstract
In this conceptual paper, we present a discussion of how we have embraced two challenges, posed by Aukerman and Schuldt, in their call for a more socially just science of reading, to which this special issue is responsive. Specifically, we share lessons learned [...] Read more.
In this conceptual paper, we present a discussion of how we have embraced two challenges, posed by Aukerman and Schuldt, in their call for a more socially just science of reading, to which this special issue is responsive. Specifically, we share lessons learned from years of designing texts that (a) advance knowledge-building in the context of project-based science teaching and (b) advance readers’ textual dexterity. Our research is conducted in the context of project-based learning in science, and we approach our inquiry from multiple theoretical perspectives. We argue for the importance of text in science instruction. We present theories, empirical support, and national standards consistent with the integration of text in science. We discuss the role that texts can play in project-based science instruction. We also illustrate the design and optimization of texts and tasks, as well as the role of the teacher in this instruction. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Power of Literacy: Strategies for Effective Reading Instruction)
22 pages, 984 KiB  
Article
Effects of a Teacher-Led Intervention Fostering Self-Regulated Learning and Reading among 5th and 6th Graders—Treatment Integrity Matters
by Nadine Schuler, Caroline Villiger and Evelyn Krauß
Educ. Sci. 2024, 14(7), 778; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14070778 - 17 Jul 2024
Viewed by 1756
Abstract
Self-regulated learning (SRL) is a crucial competence in our rapidly changing society, yet its systematic promotion in the classroom remains limited. Addressing this gap, this study reports on a teacher-led intervention to promote SRL within reading tasks among 5th and 6th grade students. [...] Read more.
Self-regulated learning (SRL) is a crucial competence in our rapidly changing society, yet its systematic promotion in the classroom remains limited. Addressing this gap, this study reports on a teacher-led intervention to promote SRL within reading tasks among 5th and 6th grade students. Although some interventions have been implemented to promote SRL, little attention has been paid to promoting SRL in primary schools. Building on a previous SRL intervention, the current study added cooperative learning among students and parental involvement, two aspects that are assumed to add value when fostering SRL. A randomized controlled field trial was designed to evaluate the effect of an intervention using pre-test, post-test and follow-up measures. A total of 757 students from 40 classes participated in the study. The data were analyzed using a multilevel approach. This study revealed no significant difference in SRL or reading comprehension outcomes in the post-test and the follow-up test between students of the experimental and control group. Further investigations showed that several aspects of treatment integrity had a significant impact on SRL outcome. This study encourages future SRL and reading intervention studies to assess and analyze the multiple aspects of treatment integrity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Power of Literacy: Strategies for Effective Reading Instruction)
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Review

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19 pages, 265 KiB  
Review
Fostering Equitable Disciplinary Literacy Practices
by Heather Waymouth and Kathleen A. Hinchman
Educ. Sci. 2025, 15(2), 225; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15020225 - 12 Feb 2025
Viewed by 649
Abstract
A burgeoning amount of research has recently been published to foster equitable disciplinary literacy practices in secondary schools. The literature review included in this paper examined this recent scholarship with a multistep qualitative analysis of 31 studies published between 2019 and 2024 to [...] Read more.
A burgeoning amount of research has recently been published to foster equitable disciplinary literacy practices in secondary schools. The literature review included in this paper examined this recent scholarship with a multistep qualitative analysis of 31 studies published between 2019 and 2024 to explore how these studies conceptualized and actualized attention to equity in discipline literacy instruction. The analysis revealed three overlapping themes reflecting the studies’ conceptualizations of how to address equity with disciplinary literacy. These included equity as access to disciplinary instruction, equity as scaffolding literacy for disciplinary learning, and equity as engaging in locally and culturally relevant inquiry. The Results Section summarizes how the studies reviewed addressed these themes. Studies situated disciplinary literacy in many types of instructional contexts, including subject-area classrooms and segregated settings for students with learning differences, suggesting a notion of equity as making disciplinary literacy instruction available to all students. Most disciplinary literacy instruction supported students’ reading, discussion, writing, and argumentation to report on results of disciplinary study, suggesting that equitable disciplinary literacy instruction was provided as needed support with a focus on students engaging in disciplinary studies. A few studies addressed, instead, school and classroom literacy culture or a focus on achievement that seemed to inhibit students’ ability to benefit from disciplinary literacy efforts. More than half of the studies reviewed focused on teachers’ orchestration of compelling, culturally relevant student inquiry, suggesting equitable disciplinary literacy instruction as needing to be relevant to students. Only a few studies delineated what such instruction would need to look like to build student independence over time and to include inquiry into multiple perspectives toward key disciplinary ideas. The paper ends with a summary, critique, and conclusion that encourages further long-term studies involving the schoolwide use of equitable disciplinary literacy approaches. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Power of Literacy: Strategies for Effective Reading Instruction)

Other

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10 pages, 1042 KiB  
Project Report
Ready and Healthy for Kindergarten: A Collaborative Multilingual Family Involvement Program Created by Teachers, Pediatricians, and Parents
by Lucia Lakata, Lesley Mandel Morrow, Maria Lattmer, Silvia Perez-Cortes, Usha Ramachandran, Shilpa Pai, Daniel Lima, Alicja Bator, Benjamin F. Crabtree, Maria B. Pellerano, Pamela Ohman Strickland, Nila Uthirasamy, Kevin Guerrero, Caroline Mendoza and Manuel E. Jimenez
Educ. Sci. 2025, 15(2), 209; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15020209 - 10 Feb 2025
Viewed by 646
Abstract
Ready and Healthy for Kindergarten is a Spanish/English multilingual family involvement program that is grounded in sociocultural and family literacy theories since it focuses on health and literacy development. The program’s development reflects a collaborative partnership of teachers, pediatricians, families, and an advisory [...] Read more.
Ready and Healthy for Kindergarten is a Spanish/English multilingual family involvement program that is grounded in sociocultural and family literacy theories since it focuses on health and literacy development. The program’s development reflects a collaborative partnership of teachers, pediatricians, families, and an advisory board of multilingual parents dedicated to preparing preschoolers and their families for kindergarten. Health themes are presented to introduce foundational literacy and social-emotional skills, and the program comprises eight one-hour virtual sessions intended to engage both children and their families through active participation in learning. The program highlights how parents, educators, and pediatricians can come together to align their expertise and impact family knowledge around child development needs. With this strong collaboration when designing and implementing the Ready and Healthy for Kindergarten program, we were able to successfully provide guidance and support for families, which helped them to establish routines that promote health and well-being, along with some literacy skills. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Power of Literacy: Strategies for Effective Reading Instruction)
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