Reading Research Reports
A Comparison of the Effects of Two Phonetically Regular Text Types on Young English Learners’ Literacy
Elfrieda H. Hiebert, TextProject & University of California, Santa CruzCharles W. Fisher, University of Michigan, Ann ArborLong after Chall (1967/1983) described the choice of reading pedagogy for beginning reading as “the great debate,” the topic of the kinds of texts that best support beginning readers continues to generate controversy (Allington, 1 …
Hiebert, E.H. & Fisher, C.W. (2016). A Comparison of the Effects of Two Phonetically Regular Text Types on Young English Learners’ Literacy (Reading Research Report 16.01). Santa Cruz, CA: TextProject, Inc.
Download: TextProject-RRR-16.01-A-Comparison-of-the-effects
The State of the Field: Qualitative Analyses of Text Complexity
P. David Pearson, University of California, Berkeley; Elfrieda H. Hiebert, TextProject, Inc. & University of California, Santa CruzThe purpose of this review is to examine the function, logic, and impact of qualitative systems, with a focus on understanding their benefits and imperfections.
Pearson, P.D., & Hiebert, E.H. (2013). The State of the Field: Qualitative Analyses of Text Complexity. (Reading Research Report 13.01). Santa Cruz, CA: TextProject, Inc.
Download: TextProject-RRR-13-01-Qualitative-Analyses-of-Text-Complexity-v.1.0
Growing Capacity with the Vocabulary of English Language Arts Programs: Vocabulary Megaclusters
Elfrieda H. Hiebert TextProject Inc.The typical approach to teaching vocabulary in English/Language Arts programs has been to focus on six to eight words per text. Even though these words may add meaning to a particular story, the target words are often rare and their generalizability is limited. The Vocabulary Megaclusters provides a framework for selecting and teaching words according to their shared meaning and function in stories.
Hiebert, E.H. (2011). Growing Capacity with the Vocabulary of English Language Arts Programs: Vocabulary Megaclusters (Reading Research Report 11.02). Santa Cruz, CA: TextProject, Inc.
Download: TextProject_RRR-11.02_Vocabulary-Megaclusters
What Differences in Narrative and Informational Texts Mean for the Learning and Instruction of Vocabulary
Elfrieda H. Hiebert TextProject, Inc. Gina N. Cervetti University of Colorado at BoulderThis report compares features of the words in fourth grade ELA and science texts and suggests instructional methods suitable to the vocabulary in each type of text.
Hiebert, E.H. & Cervetti, G.N. (2011). What Differences in Narrative and Informational Texts Mean for the Learning and Instruction of Vocabulary (Reading Research Report 11.01). Santa Cruz, CA: TextProject, Inc.
Download: TextProject_RRR-11.01_Vocabularies-of-Narrative-and-Informational-Texts
Using Multiple Sources of Information in Establishing Text Complexity
Elfrieda H. Hiebert TextProject, Inc. & University of California, Santa CruzThe Common Core State Standards/English Language Arts use Lexiles as the single measure of text complexity, but an analysis using the two component measures of Lexiles along with a third measure suggests that conclusions about text complexity vary considerably when multiple quantitative measures are used, rather than a single, omnibus index.
Hiebert, E.H. (2011). Using Multiple Sources of Information in Establishing Text Complexity (Reading Research Report 11.03). Santa Cruz, CA: TextProject, Inc.
Download: TextProject_RRR-11.03_Multiple-Sources-of-Text-Complexity
An Examination of Current Text Difficulty Indices with Early Reading Texts
Elfrieda H. HiebertTextProject, Inc.P. David PearsonUniversity of California, BerkeleyThis report examines the difficulty of early reading texts over the years as measured by today’s prevailing indices.
Hiebert, E.H. & Pearson, P.D. (2010). An Examination of Current Text Difficulty Indices with Early Reading Texts (Reading Research Report 10.01). Santa Cruz, CA: TextProject, Inc.
Download: TextProject_RRR-10.01_Text-Difficulty-Indices