Language and literacy skills are key indicators of future outcomes for children. That’s why identifying children who may be at risk of future reading difficulties and intervening early is so important. To this end, numerous interventions have been developed for educators to use in supporting children’s skill development. The Let’s Know!2 research project will examine the effects of a Tier 2 intervention aimed at language-focused comprehension skills for elementary school students.
Tier 2 interventions are additional supports for students that go beyond standard curriculum. Let’s Know!2 will specifically examine the effects of a particular language-focused comprehension intervention for elementary students whose language skills are below average and who may be at risk for future reading comprehension difficulties.
The project builds off of work from Language and Reading Research Consortium, of which three lead investigators (Drs. Piasta, Hogan, and Bridges) were members. Let’s Know!2’s team of investigators span multiple institutions including The Ohio State University, Massachusetts General Hospital Institute of Health Professions, and the University of Kansas/University of Kansas Medical Center. The project is a five-year project funded by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders at the National Institutes of Health.
LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR PARTNERS
-
Learn more about the Speech and Language (SAiL) Literacy Lab at Massachusetts General Hospital Institute of Health Professions by visiting their website.
- Get to know the Reading, Language, and Learning Lab at the University of Kansas Medical Center by visiting their site.
PROJECT OBJECTIVES
Grade 1 students in Ohio and Massachusetts will complete language screenings to identify those who may benefit from additional language and comprehension support. Some students will be randomly assigned to receive intervention from Let’s Know!2 research staff. All students will complete language and reading assessments in Grades 1, 2, and 3. The goal is to determine whether the intervention increases reading and language skills and thereby improves reading comprehension.
AIM 1:
Determine the efficacy of Let’s Know!2 for promoting the language skills of Grade 1 students who are at risk for comprehension difficulties due to low language.
AIM 2:
Determine the efficacy of Let’s Know!2 for promoting the comprehension skills of Grade 1 students who are at risk for comprehension difficulties due to low language.
AIM 3:
Determine the extent to which intervention effects are moderated by implementation and child factors.
Publications, Media, and News
PODCASTS
Dr. Shayne Piasta spoke about this work with Dr. Tiffany Hogan on the “See Hear Speak” podcast.
Dr. Piasta spoke on the “Now at Ohio State” podcast on Re-Evaluating and Refining Childhood Literacy.
NEWS
Dr. Hogan was interviewed by Education Week for an article on “A Missing Link in the ‘Science of Reading’ Conversation.”
Read the Crane Center announcement, “Dr. Piasta and colleagues awarded grant to translate research into school-based practice.”
Read Massachusetts General Hospital Institute of Health Professions’ article, “New Research Grant Could be a Game Changer for Struggling Readers.”
RESEARCH
Research published in Language Speech Hearing Sciences in the Schools on “Adapting curricula for children experiencing comprehension difficulties due to low language.”
Meet the Project Team
Tiffany Hogan, PhD
Co-Principal Investigator
Massachusetts General Hospital
Institute of Health Professions
Shayne Piasta, PhD
Co-Principal Investigator
The Ohio State University
Mindy Bridges, PhD
Co-Investigator
University of Kansas Medical Center
Kandace Fleming, PhD
Co-Investigator
University of Kansas
Mary Rasner
Lab Manager
Massachusetts General Hospital
Institute of Health Professions
Caitlin Florek
Project Coordinator
The Ohio State University
Zeynep Arslan Ozkaynak
Graduate Research Associate
The Ohio State University
Ye Shen
Dean’s Diversity Postdoctoral Fellow
The Ohio State University
Nora McIntosh
Interventionist
The Ohio State University
Natalie Day
Lab Administrator
The Ohio State University
Additional Team Members: Emma Wilson (interventionist and undergraduate research assistant), Zoe Lightcap (undergraduate research assistant), Olivia Rein (undergraduate research assistant)