RESEARCH ON SMALL-GROUP DIFFERENTIATED LITERACY INSTRUCTION Research generally finds that small-group instruction is associated with increased learning. Steenbergen-Hu et al. (2016) systematically analyzed 13 previous reviews of research on this topic and found that grouping students in K–12 based on their academic needs was associated with improved performance (ES = .25). One of the reviews included by Steenbergen-Hu et al. reported effects on reading outcomes in particular: Lou et al. (1996) found that within-class grouping for reading instruction was associated with more learning than no grouping (ES =.13). It may also be useful to review the results of a couple of individual studies that suggest benefits of small-group, differentiated literacy instruction in Tier 1 classrooms. Connor et al. (2006) observed instruction in 34 preschool classrooms and found that learning was 10 times greater for preschoolers who were engaged in small-group code-focused instruction than for preschoolers who were engaged in whole-class code-focused instruction. Al Otaiba et al. (2011) randomized 44 kindergarten teachers to receive either (a) extensive professional development, coaching, and software that focused on delivery of differentiated small-group instruction (the “treatment” condition) or (b) minimal professional development, such that they mostly continued delivering their “business-as-usual" instruction (the “comparison” condition). During the study, both groups of teachers were observed using small-group instruction, but the quality of small-group instruction differed: in the comparison group, each small group received the same instruction; in the treatment group, there was clear evidence of differentiation of instruction (i.e., each small group received something different). Al Otaiba and colleagues reported that students in treatment classrooms (i.e., those who received differentiated small-group instruction) outperformed their peers in the comparison classrooms on end-of-year reading measures. In addition to impacting reading outcomes, grouping students to differentiate instruction has been shown to positively impact student engagement (Connor & Morrison, 2016) and student attitudes about learning (Kulik & Kulik, 1992; Lou et al., 1996).
ALIGNING PRACTICE WITH RESEARCH TOPIC PAPER 4
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