Year: 2009
Type: other
Abstract: The rationale for the research derives from concern about the number of\nchildren with reading difficulties in Irish classrooms, despite the commitment to\nreading instruction in the schools. The purpose of the research was to investigate how\nchildren with reading difficulties were supported in learning to read in first class. It\nwas conducted on seven children, who were identified as having difficulties in\nlearning to read, in four primary schools. The children were observed in their learning\nsupport and mainstream classroom settings over a period of 12 weeks. An observation\nschedule was designed and coded to ensure that the observation of teaching and\nlearning to read was standardised across learning support and classroom settings. The\ndata from the schedule were triangulated with interviews of teachers, principals,\nparents/guardians and children, and with the policy and planning documents of the\nschools and teachers.\nThe research methodology was designed to capture the process of teaching\nand learning to read, using a case study approach. A thematic approach was used to\nanalyse the research findings, which highlighted how learning support can be made\nmore effective for struggling readers. Reading support was dominated by a separation\nbetween learning support and classroom instruction. The reading skills that the\nchildren learned in learning support were not transferring to classroom reading. This\nwas an organisational rather than a structural issue. The main findings called for\ncollaborative planning between teachers, updating of policies, the use of assessment\nas the driving force of reading instruction, and a more balanced approach to the\nteaching of reading. The importance of schools upskilling parents/guardians to\nsupport their children to read at home was recognised. The importance of children\nbeing successful in learning to read in junior classes as an essential skill for later\nlearning and development underlies the study
Author: Bairbre Tierman
Language: English
Subfield: Developmental and Educational Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2891648517