IES Predoctoral Program Seminar: Dr. James Kim

The University of Pennsylvania Predoctoral Training Program in Interdisciplinary Research Methods for Field-based Research in Education, sponsored by the Institute for Education Sciences (IES), welcomes Dr. James Kim to our weekly seminar series.

Learning from Replication Failure to Improve a Multi-Year Content Literacy Intervention: The  Importance of Transfer Measures
Presented by Dr. James Kim, Professor of Education, Harvard Gradauate School of Education

The purpose of this study was to examine whether a multi-year implementation of a first- and second-grade content literacy intervention with could promote transfer on science comprehension outcomes for second-grade children. The Model of Reading Engagement (MORE) is content literacy instruction designed to improve reading comprehension and domain knowledge by fostering children’s engagement with science and social studies content at school and home. We investigated transfer effects through a longitudinal cluster (school) randomized trial involving 30 elementary schools in one urban school district in the southeastern United States. Treatment group children participated content literacy instruction that provided a framework for learning more general schemas in grade 1 science (i.e., animal survival) that were foundational to learning more specialized topics in grade 2 science (i.e., mass extinctions of dinosaurs) and extended learning in the summer by reading content books and completed app-based digital activities on science and history topics. Hierarchical linear models revealed a statistically significant impact on transfer measures of domain specific measures of reading comprehension in science (ES = .19). Comparison of effects across passages revealed that there were effects were larger on measures of near transfer (ES = .24) and mid-transfer (ES = .15) than on far transfer (ES = .06).  Results from interviews with a subsample of second-grade teachers suggest that treatment group teachers were more likely to provide opportunities for incidental word learning by providing opportunities for children to hear and see words through shared book reading and use science words in discussion. Both direct instruction of related science words and incidental exposure through shared reading and discussions may support student as they use their knowledge of word associations to read science texts with understanding.

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The IES Predoctoral Program's weekly seminar series connects program fellows and affiliates to scholars and practitioners who engage in educational research and the development of research methods.

Seminars are likely of interest to doctoral students and faculty. If you are interested in attending, please email Melanie Bahti.