Poor academic performance is of great concern in that it is prognostic of overall low quality of life. Numerous studies have documented the relationship between literacy levels and health outcomes (Berkman et al., 2004). As a result, ways in which low reading achievement can be prevented or ameliorated are highly relevant to the public health sector. The purpose of the proposed study is to investigate how instructional context variables, specifically academic engagement with the teacher and engagement in reading print, relate to literacy development for kindergarten students at-risk for reading difficulties. In collaboration with the Florida LD Center, the proposed project will examine the relationship of these academic engagement variables and literacy development across kindergarten classrooms where the amount of professional development for enhancing classroom reading instruction varies. Specifically, the proposed project seeks to (a) determine the amount and quality of time kindergarten students at-risk for reading difficulties spend academically engaged with the teacher and in reading print during classroom reading instruction and whether there are differences in these variables across classrooms of teachers who differ in the amount of professional development provided, (b) link initial student level variables to the observational data collected on academic engagement, and (c) link the observational data collected on academic engagement to student reading outcomes. The proposed project will utilize 2 cohorts of kindergarten students at-risk for reading difficulties participating in the Florida LD Center. Using existing videotapes of each student during classroom reading instruction, the student's academic engagement with the teacher (number of minutes and quality) and engagement in the act of reading (number of minutes) during the 90-minute reading instruction block will be coded. For each cohort of students, differences in the amount and quality of time students spend academically engaged across classrooms that vary in the amount of professional development provided will be examined. In addition, the observational data collected on academic engagement will be linked with beginning and end of the year student level variables. A series of hierarchical linear models will be employed to account for the data's multilevel structure.
Poor academic performance is of great concern in that it is prognostic of overall low quality of life. Numerous studies have documented the relationship between literacy levels and health outcomes (Berkman et al., 2004). As a result, ways in which low reading achievement can be prevented or ameliorated are highly relevant to the public health sector.
