The Power of Children's Learning in Their Reading
We invite children who are between 4.5 and 6 years of age to take part in a study investigating if young children can learn the spellings and meanings of new words during shared book reading. Children who are enrolled in school must be receiving instruction in English. Children enrolled in French Immersion, French First, or other school programs in which the primary language of instruction is not English are not able to take part as the focus of this study is on learning to read in English.
This exciting study is being conducted by Dr. Hélène Deacon, Dr. Nicole Conrad, Savannah Heintzman, and our team at the Language & Literacy Lab (LLL) at Dalhousie University. The study will take place in person at the Language and Literacy Lab at Dalhousie University. The activities take ~30 minutes per child to complete with the visit taking about 45 minutes from start to finish.
Interested in taking part?
Please pick a date and time from our availability calendar below that work best for you and your child(ren) to take part. If you have more than one child they can take part one right after another or on different days/times, whatever is the most convenient for you! You can then complete and submit the below sign up form and a LLL team member will respond as soon as possible to confirm the date and time of your visit.
What do you receive for taking part?
Children will receive a small prize such as a colourful pencil or book mark, a certificate, and a $10 Amazon gift card after the completion of the session as a token of our appreciation. You will also have the option to receive a letter with your child’s reading level based on a standardized test of word reading. This feedback will indicate whether your child’s performance is appropriate for their age-level.
Where does the study take place?
The study will take place in person at the Language and Literacy Lab at Dalhousie University. We have a reserved parking spot and a playroom for siblings to wait in. Click here for instructions on how to get to the lab.
What Happens at the Visit?
A friendly LLL team member will meet you and your child(ren) and welcome you to our activity room. The LLL team member will provide you with a copy of the consent form, review the details of the study with you, and answer any questions you may have. If you agree to take part, you will sign the consent form and return it to the LLL team member. They will spend some time interacting with your child and then ask them if they would like to complete some activities with them. You are welcome to observe while your child completes the activities with the LLL team member. We also have a waiting room that doubles as a playroom for siblings. Following the activities, the LLL team member will provide your child with a certificate and some small prizes and thank them for taking part.
Want to know more?
More information about the study and what you and your child will be asked to do can be found below in our FAQ section along with a copy of the consent form that you will be asked to sign when you arrive for your visit.
Questions
If you have any questions about taking part or any other aspect of the study, please contact Lab Manager Stef Hartlin at [email protected].
Please pick a date and time from our availability calendar below that work best for you and your child(ren) to take part. If you have more than one child they can take part one right after another or on different days/times, whatever is the most convenient for you! You can then complete and submit the below sign up form and a LLL team member will respond as soon as possible to confirm the date and time of your visit.
What do you receive for taking part?
Children will receive a small prize such as a colourful pencil or book mark, a certificate, and a $10 Amazon gift card after the completion of the session as a token of our appreciation. You will also have the option to receive a letter with your child’s reading level based on a standardized test of word reading. This feedback will indicate whether your child’s performance is appropriate for their age-level.
Where does the study take place?
The study will take place in person at the Language and Literacy Lab at Dalhousie University. We have a reserved parking spot and a playroom for siblings to wait in. Click here for instructions on how to get to the lab.
What Happens at the Visit?
A friendly LLL team member will meet you and your child(ren) and welcome you to our activity room. The LLL team member will provide you with a copy of the consent form, review the details of the study with you, and answer any questions you may have. If you agree to take part, you will sign the consent form and return it to the LLL team member. They will spend some time interacting with your child and then ask them if they would like to complete some activities with them. You are welcome to observe while your child completes the activities with the LLL team member. We also have a waiting room that doubles as a playroom for siblings. Following the activities, the LLL team member will provide your child with a certificate and some small prizes and thank them for taking part.
Want to know more?
More information about the study and what you and your child will be asked to do can be found below in our FAQ section along with a copy of the consent form that you will be asked to sign when you arrive for your visit.
Questions
If you have any questions about taking part or any other aspect of the study, please contact Lab Manager Stef Hartlin at [email protected].
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Frequently Asked QuestionsConsent Form
For more detailed information about the study, please download and review the consent form. You may keep this copy for your records. 
What Will This Study Contribute?
Reading is central to children’s academic and life outcomes; even in elementary school, teachers expect children to be able to learn from what they read. We are investigating whether children in pre-primary and primary can learn the spellings and meanings of new words during shared book reading. We are also investigating how these abilities are related to early word reading skills We are working with a wide range of learners, to understand the skills that different children use. This knowledge will inform curriculum design, including how to support all children in reaching literacy success. Who Can Take Part? All children aged 4.5, 5, or 6 who are enrolled in English instruction are invited to participate. Participation is completely voluntary. We will only work with your child if you agree by signing the consent form, and if your child agrees to take part when you visit the lab. What Will You and Your Child Do? Your child will be asked to complete a variety of language and reading activities designed to be fun and age appropriate. Children will engage in shared book reading with our research assistants as well as complete several language-based activities – for example, they would be asked to name some letters of the alphabet and attempt to read some simple words . Some activities are audio-recorded. In total, these activities will take 30 to 45 minutes. We make it clear to the children that we are interested in how they do these activities rather than whether they get things right. Based on our experience, children find these activities fun and engaging, and enjoy working one-on-one. We thank children for their participation with prizes, such as colourful pencils, erasers, and stickers, as well as a certificate and $10 Amazon gift card. What Will We Do With Your Information? The information gathered from this project is for research purposes. The findings from your participation will help us better understand how children learn from what they read. Findings from your child’s participation will only be shared based on results of all the participants together; these group-results will be shared with the research team. We may present our findings, based on results of all the participants together, in academic journals and education conferences; we may also share them with the centre for education and department. We may also contrast these group results to other groups, such as adults. Relevant materials to this research project and an anonymized data file may be uploaded to an online data repository. As a parent/guardian, you have the option of receiving a letter explaining our findings for this part of the study for the group as a whole. You also have the option to receive your child’s reading level based on a standardized test of letter identification. This feedback will indicate whether your child’s performance is appropriate for their age-level. Please note that these results cannot be used for diagnostic purposes. | ||
How To Find Us
The LLL provides reserved parking for all visiting families. Directions to our parking spot and Language and Literacy Lab can be found below. Note that one side of Alumni Crescent is currently blocked due to construction. This is not updated on Google Maps. The only entrance to Alumni Crescent from South Street is indicated with green arrows below. Google Maps pin to our parking space can be found here: goo.gl/maps/zxvE8QjvEysYBEBv6.
The LLL provides reserved parking for all visiting families. Directions to our parking spot and Language and Literacy Lab can be found below. Note that one side of Alumni Crescent is currently blocked due to construction. This is not updated on Google Maps. The only entrance to Alumni Crescent from South Street is indicated with green arrows below. Google Maps pin to our parking space can be found here: goo.gl/maps/zxvE8QjvEysYBEBv6.
