Kristen McMaster - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Kristen McMaster

Routledge eBooks, Feb 17, 2015

Journal of Learning Disabilities, Jun 27, 2023

We examined the efficacy of a Technology-Based Early Language Comprehension Intervention (TeLCI) ... more We examined the efficacy of a Technology-Based Early Language Comprehension Intervention (TeLCI) designed to teach inferencing in a non-reading context. First- and second graders identified as at risk of comprehension difficulties were assigned randomly to a business-as-usual control group or to use TeLCI over an 8-week period. TeLCI comprised three learning modules per week that involved (a) learning new vocabulary, (b) watching fiction or nonfiction videos, and (c) answering inferential questions. Students also engaged in small-group read-alouds with their teachers once per week. Students who experienced TeLCI improved their inferencing and benefited from scaffolding and feedback provided during the intervention. Students’ pre- to posttest inferencing gains were comparable with those of control students. Female students and those receiving special education services appeared less likely to benefit from TeLCI, whereas multilingual students were more likely to respond. Further work is needed to determine the optimal conditions under which TeLCI will benefit young children.

Springer eBooks, Sep 22, 2015

This chapter provides a description of Peer-Assisted Learning Strategies (PALS), a scientific, re... more This chapter provides a description of Peer-Assisted Learning Strategies (PALS), a scientific, research-based classwide intervention that can be used as part of core instruction provided in multi-tiered models of prevention and intervention. Specifically, the extent to which Reading PALS (a) addresses critical academic skills that align with core academic standards, (b) provides opportunities to differentiate instruction, (c) is supported by evidence of efficacy for diverse learners, (d) includes supports for teachers to implement PALS with fidelity, and (e) can be adapted to meet specific classroom and student needs is described. Implications for research and practice within a response to intervention (RTI) framework are discussed.

26 Identifying Children at Risk for Reading Failure: Curriculum-Based Measurement and the Dual-Di... more 26 Identifying Children at Risk for Reading Failure: Curriculum-Based Measurement and the Dual-Discrepancy Approach Douglas Fuchs Lynn S. Fuchs Kristen N. McMaster Stephanie Al Otaiba This chapter begins with two uncontested facts:(1) Reading is a foundational skill ...

Exceptional Children, Apr 1, 2011

P roficient reading relates strongly to academic success throughout primary and secondary schooli... more P roficient reading relates strongly to academic success throughout primary and secondary schooling (Snow, 2002; Snow, Burns, & Griffin, 1998). However, reading difficulties are among the most common challenges that school-aged children, particularly those at risk for or identified as having disabilities, confront. In fact, 80% of students with learning disabilities have a reading deficit (Lyon et al., 2001). The prognosis for struggling readers is poor unless effective reading intervention is in place early (Francis, Shaywitz, Stuebing, Shaywitz, & Fletcher, 1996; Juel, 1988). Although this population is in great need of effective literacy intervention, few researchers have examined the effectiveness of early literacy interventions specifically for students with disabilities (cf. Fuchs et al., 2002). Because reading problems tend to permeate all areas of learning and become increasingly difficult to remediate, early identification and intervention are essential to student success (Morocco, 2001; Torgesen, 1998). Current educational policies and reforms are also calling for research to examine the effectiveness of classwide general education curricula that 299

Reading Research Quarterly, Oct 20, 2022

Elementary School Journal, Mar 1, 2013

In this study, a school district adopted Kindergarten Peer-Assisted Learning Strategies (K-PALS),... more In this study, a school district adopted Kindergarten Peer-Assisted Learning Strategies (K-PALS), a scientifically based, class-wide peer-tutoring program for reading. Sixteen new K-PALS teachers were assigned randomly to receive ongoing support from a university expert or from experienced K-PALS teachers within the district. K-PALS teachers who received university support implemented K-PALS with somewhat higher (d = .41), but not reliably different, fidelity compared to those who received district support. K-PALS teachers' student reading outcomes did not differ significantly based on whether they received university or district support. However, K-PALS teachers' students reliably outperformed historical controls on beginning reading measures (d = .24 to 1.29). Implications for further research and for schools' adoption of K-PALS are discussed.

Reading & Writing Quarterly, 2006

Learning Disabilities: A Contemporary Journal, 2007

This article provides an overview of Peer-Assisted Learning Strategies (PALS) for reading. First,... more This article provides an overview of Peer-Assisted Learning Strategies (PALS) for reading. First, specific activities and research supporting PALS for Grades 2 through 6, High School, Kindergarten, and First Grade are described. Then, research addressing the characteristics of students who have not responded to PALS, as well as approaches to identification and further intervention for PALS nonresponders, is summarized. Finally, current PALS research directions are briefly presented, followed by recommendations for PALS implementation in general education classrooms and ways to obtain PALS materials and training.

Policy insights from the behavioral and brain sciences, Jan 13, 2016

Reading comprehension is multidimensional and complex. The persistent challenges children, adoles... more Reading comprehension is multidimensional and complex. The persistent challenges children, adolescents, and even adults face with reading comprehension call for concerted efforts to develop assessments that help identify sources of difficulties and to design instructional approaches to prevent or ameliorate these difficulties. Doing so requires drawing on extant research to understand the core components and processes of reading comprehension. This article reviews the theoretical and empirical literature on the construction of meaning during reading comprehension and derives implications for research, practice, and policy related to instruction and assessment. We focus specifically on the inferential processes that extract meaning from text and the sources of knowledge that facilitate the extraction and construction of meaning.

Springer eBooks, Jun 14, 2018

The Reading Teacher, Jul 17, 2023

Generating accurate inferences is crucial for the successful comprehension of text and is a skill... more Generating accurate inferences is crucial for the successful comprehension of text and is a skill that needs to be supported starting in the early grades. Teachers can support inference‐making during read‐aloud lessons by asking inferential questions and providing scaffolding and feedback on students' inference‐making. In this article, we describe instructional principles to support students' inference‐making specifically during read‐alouds. We also share findings from our research in K‐2 classrooms that show how inferential questions, scaffolding, and feedback in read‐aloud lessons can support primary‐grade students' inference‐making. Finally, we describe steps to design and implement read‐aloud lessons for supporting the development of inference‐making in primary‐grade students.

Reading and Writing, Dec 30, 2022

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the role of the Early Language Comprehension Individuali... more The purpose of this study is to evaluate the role of the Early Language Comprehension Individualized Instruction (ELCII) program in supporting kindergarteners' learning of inference-making during the COVID-19 pandemic. Two different cohorts of pre-and in-pandemic students completed the ELCII program, which was designed to teach them how to make inferences. Results suggest that kindergarteners during COVID-19 made slower growth over the course of the intervention compared to their counterparts who completed the intervention before the pandemic. However, when growth rates between the two cohorts were compared accounting for the scaffolding and feedback provided by the ELCII program, the growth rates were similar. These findings suggest that the individualized scaffolding and feedback component of ELCII may have supported kindergarteners' learning of inference-making during the pandemic.

Scientific Studies of Reading, Apr 5, 2021

ABSTRACT We examined the extent to which the timing of inferential questioning influenced kinderg... more ABSTRACT We examined the extent to which the timing of inferential questioning influenced kindergartners’ inferencing performance in a non-reading context, while also taking into account individual differences in language comprehension and executive function. Students completed the eight-week Early Language Comprehension Individualized Instruction (ELCII) application by responding to audiovisual inferential questions administered in one of two timing conditions: either (1) during video watching at various points (online) or (2) after the video was finished (offline). Results suggest that online questioning fostered greater overall gains in inferencing skill from pretest to posttest. Moreover, students with higher executive function demonstrated greater gain in inferencing than students with lower executive function. Likewise, students with higher language comprehension skills demonstrated greater gains in inferencing than students with lower language comprehension skills. Theoretical and instructional implications of the findings and areas for future research are discussed.

Learning and Individual Differences

The Elementary School Journal

This study examines factors that influence readers' cognitive processing (i.e., inference generat... more This study examines factors that influence readers' cognitive processing (i.e., inference generation) and the development of a mental representation of text: comprehension skill and working memory (WM). Elementary students (N p 61) participated in causal questioning conditions with narrative texts to examine text-and knowledgebased inferences generated when probed during versus after reading. Recalls were examined to assess readers' mental representations of texts after-reading and answering questions. Skilled comprehenders generated more goal-and subgoal-related text-based inferences during and after reading and included more original text information and less background knowledge in their recalls of texts than did less-skilled comprehenders. Skilled comprehenders with high WM also generated more goal-related text-based inferences than did those with low WM. Findings support and extend previous research regarding how readers struggle with inference generation and may further inform the development of causal questioning interventions to help improve struggling readers' comprehension of narrative texts.