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Professor Usha Goswami's research on reading development and dyslexia and in the relatively new field of educational neuroscience has gained her international renown as an expert in this field that brings together research in neurobiology and education. Her literacy research, which she and her group have undertaken in the Departments of Education and Psychology in the University of Cambridge, has focused on cross-linguistic factors underpinning reading development and developmental dyslexia, producing innovative data. She has also been an influential critic of the Government's focus on `synthetic phonics'. During this REF impact period, Professor Goswami's work has had significant impact on UK Government educational and other public policy, on public debate and understanding about reading and dyslexia, and on practitioners and services concerned with written material in every language.
Research in dyslexia carried out within the Unit has had impacts on practitioners and services in education, health and welfare. Pioneering research by Dr Bahman Baluch and Dr Maryam Danaye-Tousi (University of Guilan, Iran) on Farsi, and the relationship between orthography and the process of learning to read, has made a significant contribution to the ways in which reading is taught in Iran throughout the curriculum. Research on a common underlying deficit in dyslexia by Dr Nicola Brunswick, which lead to her appointment as Trustee of the British Dyslexia Association (BDA), has helped improve services for people with dyslexia in the UK.
The Centre for Research into Inclusion and Vulnerable Learners' research on dyslexia and multilingualism in schools (Tilly Mortimore, Mim Hutchings and Anny Northcote) has influenced the public policy of several Local Authorities in England and of the South African Association of Learning Differences (SAALED), through which it has also impacted upon the practice of teachers, psychologists and facilitators in both countries. Mortimore's research on dyslexia and learning style in higher education is part of her wider body of research in this field which has influenced the curriculum and policies of several UK universities, and has also made an impact upon the policy and training offered by professional associations such as the British Dyslexia Association (BDA) and Professional Association of Teachers with SpLD (PATOSS).
There are over 3 million dyslexic people in the UK. Without support, disproportionate numbers of dyslexic children end up with low literacy skills, unemployed, and with significantly higher incidence of mental health problems. Low literacy is a major cost both to schools and subsequently.
It is now well established that early identification and intervention is the most effective method of reducing these problems. Sheffield researchers have been pioneers in 'translational dyslexia' — developing theory and turning it into applied action. They were the first in the world to use the science of learning to develop a theory of dyslexia; the first to publish a normed screening test that could be used by teachers for effective early diagnosis; and the first to develop and validate a combined screening and support package that could be used by teachers for early intervention.
These innovations have led to impacts on a range of levels: the screening tests have been used for hundreds of thousands of children in the UK, and translated into eight further languages; and the interventions have been cited as examples of best practice for practitioners in England and Wales, and in India.
Research led by Professor Bob Burden at the Graduate School of Education at the University of Exeter has demonstrated the value of infusing thinking skills into the curriculum of schools across the age range. A criterion-referenced approach to the evaluation of this `whole thinking school' approach has been developed and applied. Particular attention has been devoted to the standardisation and use of the Myself-As-a-Learner-Scale (MALS) which has been used in schools across the UK and abroad to increase achievement and improve the formative evaluation of students and teaching. An additional benefit of the MALS has been its wider use in examining the learning self-concepts of dyslexic students, thereby contributing to informed education policy change through the influential Rose Report on early identification and teaching of dyslexic children, which led the Labour government to invest £10 million embarking on a national programme to provide 4000 specialist dyslexia teachers. Specifically, Burden's research has had impact through:
Having conducted novel research into developmental dyslexia amongst Japanese children, Professor Wydell led the development of the first Screening Test of Reading and Writing (STRAW- 1), a systematic/comprehensive tool for diagnosing children with dyslexia across primary schools in Japan. The test also identifies areas of cognitive deficits enabling appropriate intervention programmes tailored for each dyslexic child's needs. As the first and only standardised test available, nearly 9,000 institutions in Japan use STRAW-1, including educational authorities, primary schools, schools for special needs education, local children's welfare centres, hospitals, clinics, and universities.
Wood and Plester conducted the first empirical research into the impact of text messaging on children's literacy abilities, the results of which have impacted on:
Approximately 3-6% of children in the UK have literacy difficulties and are at high risk of educational underachievement. Basic scientific investigation of reading and language development and disorders led to the design and evaluation of school-based interventions for children with language and literacy difficulties. The findings have fed into government reports on the teaching of literacy in schools, dyslexia and the assessment and monitoring of children's progress in phonics in the form of the nationally-introduced Phonics Screening Test. The interventions, delivered by teaching assistants, were implemented and evaluated in Cumbria and North Yorkshire. They are now recommended by the Department for Education and are commercially available from Down Syndrome Education International, and have influenced the procedures of the Special Educational Needs/Tribunal Service.
University of Reading research on precocious (young early) readers identified phonemic awareness (the ability to hear, identify and manipulate small units of sound) as being important for success in learning to read words. These findings have impacted on national recommendations about the teaching of phonics in the early years; influenced the development of a series of television programmes for pre-school children; influenced the teaching of reading in English in Malaysia; and led to involvement in the development of a phonics screener for Year 1 children. The work has also had an impact on classroom assessments and the training of teachers.
This case study demonstrates enhanced early literacy through the application of a novel music-based literacy programme (Tune Time) developed by the submitting unit. In two Year 1 classrooms that have implemented the intervention, children have benefited in terms of enhanced phonological awareness as a result of Tune Time. The benefit is disproportionately stronger for those with weaker pre-intervention literacy skills, thereby reducing variability in literacy levels in the classrooms. Teachers also benefit from improved pedagogical practice and educational outcomes.