Abstract of

Investigating the Effectiveness of an Integrated Learning System on Early Emergent Readers

Wendy A. Paterson

Julie Jacobs Henry

Karen O'Quin

Maria A. Ceprano

Elfreda V. Blue

This article presents the results of a one-year study of the effectiveness of the Waterford Early Reading Program on kindergarten and first-grade children in a large urban school district in New York state. To determine the effects of the Waterford program on reading achievement in eight classrooms compared with eight similar non-Waterford classrooms, we used mixed methods. Through constructivist inquiry we defined three teacher variables from observational, survey, and interview data. We performed multivariate between-subjects analysis on the main effect of the Waterford system using Brigance Screen scores as a covariate. We then tested each of the teacher variables for effects. Results indicated no significant difference on any of the subtests for the Waterford main effect. However, the Brigance Screens remained a predictor of end-of-the-year success, and the teacher variables were important contributors to reading success. Our discussion considers these results from the emergent literacy and social constructivist theoretical frameworks. We conclude that the Waterford program failed to outperform non-Waterford classrooms in part because it did not simulate or encourage the social constructions and interactions necessary for growth in early emergent reading and writing. [See also a letter to the editors regarding this article, and the authors' and a reviewer's response: http://dx.doi.org/10.1598/RRQ.39.1.1]

Abstract from Paterson, W.A., Henry, J., O'Quin, K., Ceprano, M.A., & Blue, E.V. (2003). Investigating the Effectiveness of an Integrated Learning System on Early Emergent Readers. Reading Research Quarterly, 38(2), 172–207. doi: 10.1598/RRQ.38.2.2