Abstract
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine whether exposure of See the Sound/Visual Phonics (STS/VP) in first grade would have an effect on selected second-grade literacy assessments. There is some evidence to suggest that the use of STS/VP as an adjunct to literacy instruction may increase decoding abilities of kindergarten and first grade students. We are unaware of evidence of the longevity of such an effect.
Subjects: Informed assent forms were secured from fifty-one children, randomly assigned to three second grades. Seventeen of the children had been in a first-grade class where literacy instruction was supplemented with STS/VP (experimental group). The remaining thirty-four children had been in two first grades where STS/VP was not used. (control group). All fifty-one children were identified by a district-assigned student number.
Method: Permission was secured, via agreed-upon St. Ambrose University IRB procedures approved on August 23, 2014. This permission was in the form of a signed assent form, in which parents allowed us to access results of district-wide assessments, as part of the Common Core state goals, for their child. The assessments were completed in the Fall, Winter, and Spring, and given to all students. Results from four assessment instruments were used: Adaptive Reading, Curriculum-Based Measurement of Reading, Explanatory Performance Assessment, and District Unit Writing Assessment. Mean and standard deviation values for each assessment were generated for each group for the three assessment periods. Comparison scores were made of the Fall-Winter, Winter-Spring, and Fall-Spring assessment periods. Two types of assessment are presented. First, descriptive assessments, in terms of tables and charts, indicated no particular trend in the data. The second type of assessments were inferential. A one-way, between group, ANOVA was conducted to compare the effect of exposure in first grade to STS/VP on scores from District-Wide Assessments in second grade. In addition, effect size was measured, following the guidelines discussed by Cohen (1988).
Results/Discussion: Mean scores for both groups on the assessments were similar. This may indicate a lack of residual effect of first grade exposure to STS/VP on second grade literacy assessment. Results of the ANOVA indicated that the null hypothesis could not be rejected. This indicated scores from both groups were more alike than different. Effect size was small in all instances. It may also be that other forms of measurement, such as curriculum-based probes, may be more sensitive to differences resulting from use of STS/VP. Since many educators are using STS/VP as an adjunct to literacy instruction, it appears there is need for further data on whether this technique has lasting or transient benefit.