Description
The purpose of this pilot study was to investigate the use of a mathematics-focused read-aloud routine (Teaching Early Math by Providing Language Exploration [TEMPLE]) delivered by preschool teachers (n = 50) with the children (n = 654) in their classrooms. Teachers were randomly assigned to implement TEMPLE Read-Alouds in either the fall or spring semester. Participating teachers were provided with 14 mathematics-focused books to use over 12 weeks. Each week, teachers read the same book at least three times with their class. Over the week, teachers emphasized the mathematics vocabulary in the selected book and conducted three mathematics activities to extend children’s understanding of the mathematics concepts in the book. From pretest to midtest, children in fall TEMPLE classrooms outperformed children in business-as-usual (i.e., spring TEMPLE) classrooms on researcher-developed and standardized measures of mathematics knowledge, with no differences on a mathematics-language measure. From midtest to posttest, children who participated in the spring TEMPLE program showed increased mathematics knowledge, but the fall TEMPLE children continued to show an advantage on two measures of mathematics knowledge.
Data
Download the data files from this study using the link at left.
Citation
Powell, S. R., Moore, C. E., Forsyth, S. R., Fall, A.-M., & Roberts, G. (in press). The impact of mathematics-focused read-alouds on mathematics outcomes for preschool children: A pilot study. Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness.