"Reading growth in high-poverty classrooms: The influence of teacher practices that encourage cognitive engagement in literacy learning"áby Taylor,áPearson, Peterson, and Rodriguezá(2003). Taylor et al. (2003) investigated the effects of a program that teach students reading (based on cognitive engagement of the students). To provide support for their study, background information was presented. Taylor et al. reported that U.S. children continue to demonstrate inadequate reading proficiency levels and there is therefore a focus on teaching children how to read in the elementary school grades. These authors also provided findings from the national Reading Panel Report, regarding factors related to the effectiveness of reading interventions. These successful program factors include: phonemic awareness instruction; explicit and systematic phonics instruction; repeated oral reading practice; direct/indirect vocabulary instruction; and comprehension strategies instruction. Within this context the writers sought to understand program components related to positive outcomes and they evaluated the efficacy of the cognitive engagement framework for teaching reading instruction.
The framework for the investigation provided an important basis of study. This framework included a focus on maximizing student cognitive engagement in literacy learning to increase reading achievement. CIERA (Center for the Improvement of Early Reading Achievement) School Change study data was used. This program included the cognitive engagement model and practices that support higher-level thinking, independent use of word recognition and comprehension strategies during reading, use of student support stances during lessons, and promotion of active rather than passive student involvement in literacy activities.
For the current study observation of the teachers sought to evaluate the contributions of curricular and teaching variables on student readi...