# Presentation: 323877

## Archived Information

- The information in this presentation is archived for historical and reference purposes only.

## BILINGUALISM RESEARCH AT THE NICHD

**Peggy McCardle, PhD, MPH**
- Child Development and Behavior Branch
- National Institute of Child Health & Human Development

## LANGUAGE, BILINGUALISM AND BILITERACY DEVELOPMENT AND DISORDERS

## This research program will support high quality research studies in...

- Language development and disorders, second language acquisition, and written language development and
-    disorders in bilingual/multilingual children

## BILINGUALISM

**Will support research addressing...**
- factors that characterize, promote or impede the acquisition of languages in addition to the first language
- barriers to second language acquisition
- identify optimal timing and methods for the introduction of additional languages for children
- the interaction of bilingualism with language disorders

## BILITERACY

- Building on extant data and extending it to the study of bilingual language and reading development, seeks to...
-   study factors that promote or impede the acquisition of English-		language reading and writing abilities among children for whom 	English is a second language
-   obtain converging scientific evidence that ultimately can inform 	the development and application of assessment and instructional 	approaches and strategies to develop robust literacy skills and to 	prevent or remediate reading and writing difficulties and 			disabilities among children whose first language is not English

## Research-Based Evidence

- Research that guides educational policy should
-    be...
- 	-	methodologically rigorous
- 	-	representative, reliable, valid and replicable
- 	-	convergent: no single study is sufficient to
-         change how you teach

## Why Do Children Need To Read?

- Reading is a necessary element for success in today’s world
- Children learn to read so that they can read to        learn.

## What Happens When ChildrenDon’t Learn To Read Well?

- Limited learning in other areas
- Decreased self-esteem, self-concept and
-    motivation
- Limited potential for higher education
- Limited vocational options and opportunities

## The NICHD Reading Research Program

- 35 years of research relevant to reading...

## NICHD Reading Research: Guiding Questions

- How do children learn to read?
- Why do some individuals have difficulty         learning to read?
- For which children are which teaching approaches/strategies/methods most beneficial **at which stages of reading development?**

## NICHD Reading Research Network

- 42 sites in North America, Europe and Asia
- In 33 years, have studied 34,501 children and adults
- 21,860 good readers
- 12,641 with reading difficulty
- Some followed for 16 years

## Since 1985

- Studied K and grade 1 to learn risk factors
- Began early intervention and prevention trials
- 12 sites in  US and Canada
- 7,669 children  (1,423 good readers)

## Currently...Early Intervention Longitudinal Studies

- 7,669 children currently enrolled
- 1,012 classroom teachers
- 266 schools
- 985 classrooms
- in 9 states plus DC

##  Who Learns To Read and How? 

- ~ 5% of children in the US seem to learn to read effortlessly “on their own”
- 20-30% learn to read easily when exposed to formal instruction, regardless of instructional emphases

## Who Doesn’t?

- ~ 60%  find reading a formidable challenge
- Of these... 20-30% find reading the most difficult task they will encounter in school

## How Are Children Doing?1994 NAEP data

- Nearly half of 4th graders lack the knowledge and skills for basic reading activities
- 44% nationally
- 59% in California

## Which Children Are These? 1994 NAEP data

- In California...
- 71% of African American
- 81% of Hispanics
- 23% of Asians
- 44% of whites

## Summary of What We Have Learned From Our Research (1)

- Print awareness, phoneme awareness and alphabetic principle are building blocks
- Necessary but not sufficient
- Just as many girls as boys have difficulty learning to read

## What Have We Learned... (2)

- Genetics are involved -- we will study family hx to target interventions
- Early brain development involved -- the brain changes as reading develops

## What Have We Learned... (4)

- If we delay intervention until 9 years of age (fourth grade), ~75% of the children will continue to have difficulties learning to read throughout high school

## What Can We Do?  (1)

- Train teachers in crucial areas
- Reading development
- Reading difficulties
- Structure of the English language
- Base teacher training on methodologically strong research
- Maintain strong preservice and inservice training programs

## What Can We Do? (2)

- Educate parents, teachers, physicians
- Engage young children in language play
- Read to them
- Design balanced beginning reading programs based on rigorous, replicated research, to include
- phoneme awareness and phonics
- fluency and automaticity
- comprehension

## Development of English Literacy In Spanish-Speaking Children

** ****NICHD – **Child Development and Behavior Branch
**	****Dept of ED – **Office of Educational Research and
- 			       Improvement
**	****RFA - **$9 Million per year, for five years
**	****Projects to begin in FY 2000**

## Development of English Literacy In Spanish-Speaking Children

- “The major focus of this RFA is to identify the conditions under which English-language reading and writing skills are most efficiently and productively developed in children whose first language is Spanish.  This research program seeks to increase understanding of the specific instructional, linguistic, cognitive, sociocultural and socioenvironmental factors, and the interactions among these factors, that promote or impede the acquisition of English-language reading and writing skills in Spanish-speaking children.”

## Guiding Questions

**1) How do children whose first language is Spanish learn to read and write in English?  Specifically, what skills and abilities are required, what types of home, preschool, child care, school, and cultural experiences and environments are most supportive of English-language literacy development at different phases of development?**

## Guiding Questions

**2) Why do some Spanish-speaking children have difficulties acquiring English-language reading and writing skills?  What specific cognitive, linguistic, environmental, sociocultural, neurobiological, and instructional factors impede the development of accurate and fluent English-language reading and writing skills, and what are the most significant risk factors that predict difficulties in the development of literacy skills?**

## Guiding Questions

**3) For which children whose first language is Spanish are which instructional approaches and strategies most beneficial, at which stages of reading and writing development, and under what conditions?  Also, what teacher knowledge, teaching skills and instructional strategies are required to ensure optimal outcomes?**

## Development of English Literacy In Spanish-Speaking Children

- 	The RFA also called for...
- identification and/or development of reliable and valid measurement strategies and assessment instruments
- both descriptive and experimental studies
- quantitative and qualitative research methodologies, and combinations of these were encouraged
- longitudinal designs and cross-sectional studies, and combinations

## Development of English Literacy In Spanish-Speaking Children

** **Significant emphasis was placed on...
-    studies of the effects of different prevention,     			  intervention, and instructional approaches and 			  strategies at different phases of oral language and 		  reading development in both Spanish and English.

## Development of English Literacy In Spanish-Speaking Children

** **Projects should have...
- Samples _rigorously defined_ to allow complete independent replication
- Clearly documented and operationalized definitions for subject selection criteria
- Details on instructional methods studies
- Information on literacy experiences in preschool samples

## * This RFA is a first step... 

- $9 million commitment – half from each of the sponsoring agencies
- Applications received Nov. 1999
- To be reviewed in March-April 2000
- Awards will be made in Summer of 2000
- PI meetings annually to discuss methods, problem, and preliminary findings
- Hope to establish an interagency investigators’ network
- * This RFA is a first step...

## Research Project Grant (R01)

-    Unsolicited applications are welcome
-    Up to five years
-    Renewable through the submission of competing continuation
-     applications
-    $250,000 or less per year in direct costs Modular Budgets
-    Receipt dates for new applications are February 1, June 1, and
-     October 1

## NICHD Small Grant (R03)

-    Provides limited financial support for new projects
-    May not exceed two years
-    $50,000 direct costs per year

## Academic Research Enhancement Award (R15)

-    Support individual research projects
-    Conducted by faculty, and involving their undergraduate students
-    Schools not major recipients of NIH research funds
-    Support for small-scale research projects
-    Intended to create a research opportunity for scientists and
-      institutions otherwise unlikely to participate extensively in NIH
-      programs

## Academic Research Enhancement Award (R15) (cont’d)

-    Domestic institutions offering baccalaureate or advanced degrees
-      except those that have received grants from the NIH totaling more
-      than $2 million per year
-    To determine the eligibility consult the list of ineligible schools
-      **http://www.nih.gov/grants/funding/area_ineligibility.pdf**
-    Up to three years
-    Maximum total of $100,000

## Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Grant (Phase I/Phase II) (R43/R44)

-    A set-aside program
-    To support innovative research conducted by small businesses
-    Innovation and potential for commercialization are important
-    Receipt dates April 15, August 15, and December 15

## Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Grant (R41/R42)

-    A set-aside program
-    To support innovative research
-    Conducted cooperatively by a small business and research
-      institution
-    Innovation and potential for commercialization are important
-    Receipt dates April 15, August 15, and December 15

## Selection of The Best Science

- Dual level peer review using senior research scientists from the community
- Scientific and technical merit review
- National advisory council funding review
- Independent of NIH program staff

## Peggy McCardle, PhD, MPH

**Associate Chief, Child Development and Behavior Branch**
**National Institute of Child Health and Human Development**
**Phone:   301-435-6863/ FAX:  301-480-7773**
**Email: **_**pm43q@nih.gov**_