Identifying first graders at risk of reading and writing difficulties : creating a group-based screening tool in kiswahili in Tanzania
Kalanje, Ephreim (2011-05-18)
Kalanje, Ephreim
Åbo Akademis förlag - Åbo Akademi University Press
18.05.2011
Julkaisu on tekijänoikeussäännösten alainen. Teosta voi lukea ja tulostaa henkilökohtaista käyttöä varten. Käyttö kaupallisiin tarkoituksiin on kielletty.
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https://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-951-765-591-0
https://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-951-765-591-0
Tiivistelmä
Early identification of beginning readers at risk of developing reading and
writing difficulties plays an important role in the prevention and provision of
appropriate intervention. In Tanzania, as in other countries, there are children in
schools who are at risk of developing reading and writing difficulties. Many of
these children complete school without being identified and without proper and
relevant support. The main language in Tanzania is Kiswahili, a transparent
language. Contextually relevant, reliable and valid instruments of identification
are needed in Tanzanian schools. This study aimed at the construction and
validation of a group-based screening instrument in the Kiswahili language for
identifying beginning readers at risk of reading and writing difficulties. In
studying the function of the test there was special interest in analyzing the
explanatory power of certain contextual factors related to the home and school.
Halfway through grade one, 337 children from four purposively selected primary
schools in Morogoro municipality were screened with a group test consisting of
7 subscales measuring phonological awareness, word and letter knowledge and
spelling. A questionnaire about background factors and the home and school
environments related to literacy was also used. The schools were chosen based
on performance status (i.e. high, good, average and low performing schools) in
order to include variation. For validation, 64 children were chosen from the
original sample to take an individual test measuring nonsense word reading,
word reading, actual text reading, one-minute reading and writing. School marks
from grade one and a follow-up test half way through grade two were also used
for validation. The correlations between the results from the group test and the
three measures used for validation were very high (.83-.95).
Content validity of the group test was established by using items drawn from
authorized text books for reading in grade one. Construct validity was analyzed
through item analysis and principal component analysis. The difficulty level of
most items in both the group test and the follow-up test was good. The items
also discriminated well. Principal component analysis revealed one powerful
latent dimension (initial literacy factor), accounting for 93% of the variance.
This implies that it could be possible to use any set of the subtests of the group
test for screening and prediction. The K-Means cluster analysis revealed four
clusters: at-risk children, strugglers, readers and good readers. The main
concern in this study was with the groups of at-risk children (24%) and
strugglers (22%), who need the most assistance. The predictive validity of the
group test was analyzed by correlating the measures from the two school years
and by cross tabulating grade one and grade two clusters. All the correlations
were positive and very high, and 94% of the at-risk children in grade two were
already identified in the group test in grade one.
The explanatory power of some of the home and school factors was very strong.
The number of books at home accounted for 38% of the variance in reading and
writing ability measured by the group test. Parents´ reading ability and the
support children received at home for schoolwork were also influential factors.
Among the studied school factors school attendance had the strongest
explanatory power, accounting for 21% of the variance in reading and writing
ability. Having been in nursery school was also of importance.
Based on the findings in the study a short version of the group test was created.
It is suggested for use in the screening processes in grade one aiming at
identifying children at risk of reading and writing difficulties in the Tanzanian
context. Suggestions for further research as well as for actions for improving the
literacy skills of Tanzanian children are presented.
writing difficulties plays an important role in the prevention and provision of
appropriate intervention. In Tanzania, as in other countries, there are children in
schools who are at risk of developing reading and writing difficulties. Many of
these children complete school without being identified and without proper and
relevant support. The main language in Tanzania is Kiswahili, a transparent
language. Contextually relevant, reliable and valid instruments of identification
are needed in Tanzanian schools. This study aimed at the construction and
validation of a group-based screening instrument in the Kiswahili language for
identifying beginning readers at risk of reading and writing difficulties. In
studying the function of the test there was special interest in analyzing the
explanatory power of certain contextual factors related to the home and school.
Halfway through grade one, 337 children from four purposively selected primary
schools in Morogoro municipality were screened with a group test consisting of
7 subscales measuring phonological awareness, word and letter knowledge and
spelling. A questionnaire about background factors and the home and school
environments related to literacy was also used. The schools were chosen based
on performance status (i.e. high, good, average and low performing schools) in
order to include variation. For validation, 64 children were chosen from the
original sample to take an individual test measuring nonsense word reading,
word reading, actual text reading, one-minute reading and writing. School marks
from grade one and a follow-up test half way through grade two were also used
for validation. The correlations between the results from the group test and the
three measures used for validation were very high (.83-.95).
Content validity of the group test was established by using items drawn from
authorized text books for reading in grade one. Construct validity was analyzed
through item analysis and principal component analysis. The difficulty level of
most items in both the group test and the follow-up test was good. The items
also discriminated well. Principal component analysis revealed one powerful
latent dimension (initial literacy factor), accounting for 93% of the variance.
This implies that it could be possible to use any set of the subtests of the group
test for screening and prediction. The K-Means cluster analysis revealed four
clusters: at-risk children, strugglers, readers and good readers. The main
concern in this study was with the groups of at-risk children (24%) and
strugglers (22%), who need the most assistance. The predictive validity of the
group test was analyzed by correlating the measures from the two school years
and by cross tabulating grade one and grade two clusters. All the correlations
were positive and very high, and 94% of the at-risk children in grade two were
already identified in the group test in grade one.
The explanatory power of some of the home and school factors was very strong.
The number of books at home accounted for 38% of the variance in reading and
writing ability measured by the group test. Parents´ reading ability and the
support children received at home for schoolwork were also influential factors.
Among the studied school factors school attendance had the strongest
explanatory power, accounting for 21% of the variance in reading and writing
ability. Having been in nursery school was also of importance.
Based on the findings in the study a short version of the group test was created.
It is suggested for use in the screening processes in grade one aiming at
identifying children at risk of reading and writing difficulties in the Tanzanian
context. Suggestions for further research as well as for actions for improving the
literacy skills of Tanzanian children are presented.
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