Jiang Hui, Logan Jessica
Ohio State University, Columbus.
J Speech Lang Hear Res. 2019 Aug 15;62(8):2812-2828. doi: 10.1044/2019_JSLHR-L-19-0015. Epub 2019 Aug 7.
Purpose This article includes results from a multistate randomized controlled trial designed to investigate the impacts of a language-focused classroom intervention on primary grade students' proximal language skills and distal reading comprehension skills. Method The sample included 938 children from 160 classrooms in 4 geographic regions in the United States; each classroom was randomly assigned to 1 of 2 experimental conditions (2 variations of a language-focused intervention) or business-as-usual control. For this study, the 2 experimental conditions were collapsed, as they represented minor differences in the language-focused intervention. All children completed assessments at multiple time points during the academic year. Proximal measures (curriculum-aligned measures of vocabulary, comprehension monitoring, and understanding narrative and expository text) were administered throughout the school year. Distal measures of reading comprehension were administered at the beginning and the end of the school year. Results Multilevel multivariate regression was conducted with results showing that students receiving the language-focused intervention significantly outperformed those in the control group in comprehension monitoring and vocabulary, with effect sizes ranging from 0.55 to 1.98. A small effect in understanding text (narrative) was found in 3rd grade only. Multilevel path analyses were then conducted to examine if the intervention had a positive impact on reading comprehension through the influence of proximal language outcomes. In all 3 grades, instruction impacted reading comprehension via the mediation of vocabulary, with sizable effects (1.89-2.26); no other indirect pathways were significant. Conclusions This study provides evidence that a language-focused intervention can positively impact students' performance on language measures that are closely aligned with the intervention, with indirect, large effects on distal reading comprehension measures. Theoretically, this study provides causally interpretable support for the language bases of reading comprehension.
目的 本文包含一项多州随机对照试验的结果，该试验旨在研究以语言为重点的课堂干预对小学低年级学生近期语言技能和远期阅读理解技能的影响。方法 样本包括来自美国4个地理区域160间教室的938名儿童；每间教室被随机分配到2种实验条件之一（以语言为重点的干预的2种变体）或常规对照组。在本研究中，将这2种实验条件合并，因为它们在以语言为重点的干预方面存在细微差异。所有儿童在学年期间的多个时间点完成评估。整个学年都进行了近期测量（与课程对齐的词汇、理解监测以及理解记叙文和说明文文本的测量）。阅读理解的远期测量在学年开始和结束时进行。结果 进行了多水平多元回归，结果显示接受以语言为重点干预的学生在理解监测和词汇方面的表现显著优于对照组，效应大小在0.55至1.98之间。仅在三年级发现了对理解文本（记叙文）的微小影响。然后进行了多水平路径分析，以检验干预是否通过近期语言成果的影响对阅读理解产生积极影响。在所有三个年级中，教学通过词汇的中介作用影响阅读理解，效应显著（1.89 - 2.26）；没有其他间接途径是显著的。结论 本研究提供了证据，表明以语言为重点的干预可以对与干预紧密相关的语言测量中的学生表现产生积极影响，并对远期阅读理解测量产生间接的、较大的影响。从理论上讲，本研究为阅读理解的语言基础提供了具有因果解释力的支持。
