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Early Literacy Research and Product Development
Our literacy research started in the mid-1990s. Working with
Mary Male, Ph.D., San Jose State University, we studied and
developed products to encourage reading comprehension, phonics,
and writing for students who struggle. We observed student interactions
with IntelliKeys® and software, and developed:
- Hands-On
Concepts: Animal Habitats,
for grades preK-1
Our next effort, the Hands-on Early Literacy Project (HELP), involved
a national research effort directed by Richard D. Howell, Ph.D., and associates
at Ohio State University, and Karen Erickson, Ph.D., Coordinator of the
Center for Literacy and Disability Studies, University of North Carolina,
Chapel Hill. Thirty-two first-grade experimental subjects with reading
challenges were identified by their teachers. For comparative purposes,
the study also included a criterion group of 23 general education first
graders.
Pre-and post-testing was conducted on onsets, rimes, word identification,
phonemic awareness, and word generation. After four months of usage, 30
minutes per day, the experimental group displayed amazing "catch-up"
and generally reached or exceeded the criterion group's starting point.
(Visit our Web site for complete research reports.)
Based upon the findings from these studies, we completed and published
two award-winning programs:
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