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A standardised test of young children’s understanding and production of language

Summary of the impact

Language impairment is common in children and, without effective early intervention, presents a risk for educational, social and emotional disturbance. The team used their considerable experience in child language research to produce a novel assessment of child language development — The Reynell Developmental Language Scales 3 (RDLS3) — the first test of child language development to be standardised in the U.K. to assess both understanding and production of language in young children. Use of the test has improved language assessment and diagnosis for children with language impairments and, as such, has enabled health and education professionals to target therapy and monitor the effectiveness of interventions to improve child language development. The test has been widely used in the U.K. and is now also being used widely internationally. Recent research by the team has informed a revised version of the test — The New Reynell Developmental Language Scales (NRDLS). Sales figures of the RDLS3 and the commissioning of the NRDLS are testament to its outstanding reputation and enduring legacy worldwide.

Submitting Institution

University of Reading

Unit of Assessment

Psychology, Psychiatry and Neuroscience

Summary Impact Type

Societal

Research Subject Area(s)

Medical and Health Sciences: Public Health and Health Services
Psychology and Cognitive Sciences: Psychology, Cognitive Sciences

Supporting children and young people with language and communication needs

Summary of the impact

Language and communication disorders affect about 7% of children in countries where assessments are undertaken such as the UK and USA. Difficulties with language and communication severely limit children's social participation, school attainment and life chances, with repercussions for their families and wider society. Research at City University London has had major impacts on clinical and educational policy and practice and the support available to children of all ages with language and communication needs. For example:

  • It has supported the planning, commissioning and delivery of services for language-impaired school children through incorporation in the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT) Resource Manual for Speech, Language and Communication Needs and elsewhere.
  • It has been influential in supporting Government to provide training to school staff in language therapy, resulting in enhanced educational attainment and improved behaviour.
  • It has led to improved support for children and their families, including the development with the National Deaf Children's Society (NDCS) of a new Family Sign Language Curriculum (FSLC).

It has led to a validated tool for school-based professionals working with deaf children to identify, monitor and evaluate the needs of those with poor language skills.

Submitting Institution

City University, London

Unit of Assessment

Allied Health Professions, Dentistry, Nursing and Pharmacy

Summary Impact Type

Societal

Research Subject Area(s)

Medical and Health Sciences: Clinical Sciences, Public Health and Health Services
Psychology and Cognitive Sciences: Psychology

Literacy and language development: working together to close the attainment gap

Summary of the impact

Literacy and language work reciprocally to support children's learning and attainment. Professors Morag Stuart and Julie Dockrell, in complementary and sometimes co-authored work, have had a substantial influence on the way children of all abilities and with a range of needs are taught to read and develop their broader oral language and literacy skills. Their work influenced national programmes in England on early reading, dyslexia and spoken language (National Literacy Strategy and National Curriculum) and speech, language and communication needs (the Better Communication Research Programme). Their findings provided educational professionals and speech and language therapists with the conceptual understanding that underpins good practice, and helped equip teachers to identify difficulties and intervene.

Submitting Institution

University College London

Unit of Assessment

Education

Summary Impact Type

Societal

Research Subject Area(s)

Medical and Health Sciences: Public Health and Health Services
Psychology and Cognitive Sciences: Psychology, Cognitive Sciences

4 Improving services for children with speech, language and communication impairment

Summary of the impact

Professor Sue Roulstone's research has contributed significantly and widely to a growing political appreciation of the crucial role that language plays in children's development, socially, emotionally and educationally. The research has contributed evidence to underpin policy initiatives to monitor language as an indicator of successful child development, to support the importance of children's early language development and to ensure services for those with impairments are evidence-based. These initiatives have in turn impacted upon the development of services and the use of parent and child perspectives in service design and development.

Submitting Institution

University of the West of England, Bristol

Unit of Assessment

Allied Health Professions, Dentistry, Nursing and Pharmacy

Summary Impact Type

Societal

Research Subject Area(s)

Medical and Health Sciences: Clinical Sciences, Public Health and Health Services

Widening opportunities for socially disadvantaged children through language and literacy support

Summary of the impact

Children from areas of socio-economic disadvantage are at risk of underachievement at school because of impoverished language and literacy development. Teaching staff do not feel equipped to deal with the needs of these children, who may also have English as an additional language.

Our research findings have heightened awareness of the relationship between social disadvantage, language and literacy. They have led directly to the development and delivery of programmes which can train teaching staff to enhance the spoken and written language skills of their pupils. These programmes also enable teaching staff to identify pupils who are in need of additional support thus increasing access to the curriculum and subsequent life choices.

Submitting Institution

University of Sheffield

Unit of Assessment

Modern Languages and Linguistics

Summary Impact Type

Societal

Research Subject Area(s)

Education: Specialist Studies In Education
Psychology and Cognitive Sciences: Psychology

Trouble talking: changing policy and practice for the language delayed child

Summary of the impact

Research at Newcastle on speech language and communication needs (SLCN) has significantly extended the range and quality of evidence in this field. The research is significantly informing high level policy makers, and has been used to set up an accessible database which is having impact on the practice of a range of different professionals. It has contributed to a new programme of work which has produced positive outcomes for schools, children and young people and has been used as an evidence base to secure charity funding for a third sector organisation.

Submitting Institution

Newcastle University

Unit of Assessment

Modern Languages and Linguistics

Summary Impact Type

Societal

Research Subject Area(s)

Psychology and Cognitive Sciences: Psychology

Bilingualism Matters

Summary of the impact

Bilingualism Matters (BM) was set up as a proactive public engagement programme by Prof. Antonella Sorace in order to make the results of her research, showing the benefits of bilingualism, accessible and useful to the general public. BM offers advice and information particularly on early bilingualism; it combats misconceptions about bilingualism, especially regarding cognitive development in children. It has made current research accessible, practically usable and of benefit to different sections of society, including children, parents, educationalists, health professionals, businesses and policy makers. In consequence, it has changed public attitudes, and helped shape education policy both in the UK and elsewhere in Europe.

Submitting Institution

University of Edinburgh

Unit of Assessment

Modern Languages and Linguistics

Summary Impact Type

Societal

Research Subject Area(s)

Psychology and Cognitive Sciences: Cognitive Sciences
Language, Communication and Culture: Linguistics

Language gains for children with persisting developmental language disorders through use of an intervention programme and support model for teachers.

Summary of the impact

Strathclyde researchers developed, via a randomised controlled trial, a replicable effective language intervention programme (SLIP) for primary-school children with persisting developmental language disorders. This was followed by a cohort study investigating SLIP's implementation in schools, and an evaluation study providing information for speech and language therapists and teachers on implementing SLIP in the classroom: the Language Support Model (LSM). The Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists included the research outcomes in commissioned economic evaluations and in their Resource Manual for commissioning and planning Speech and Language Therapy Services. Also, many speech and language therapy and education groups have requested presentations and training on SLIP and LSM. The impact of the research has been upon speech and language therapy education internationally; on therapists and teachers using SLIP and the LSM; on service commissioners; and on improved language intervention for children.

Submitting Institution

University of Strathclyde

Unit of Assessment

Education

Summary Impact Type

Societal

Research Subject Area(s)

Education: Curriculum and Pedagogy, Specialist Studies In Education

Promoting Foreign Languages in Primary Schools

Summary of the impact

The University of Southampton's research into the teaching of modern foreign languages (MFLs) in UK schools has helped shape government education policy and contributed to an improvement in the way children acquire knowledge of other languages and cultures. By studying teaching methods in the classroom and devising tests to measure how effective they are in giving children the ability to communicate in another language, the researchers contributed to the current widespread acceptance of the importance of introducing language learning at primary level. They have also built a comprehensive set of resources which are being used by teachers and other education practitioners to improve the teaching of foreign languages.

Submitting Institution

University of Southampton

Unit of Assessment

Modern Languages and Linguistics

Summary Impact Type

Societal

Research Subject Area(s)

Education: Curriculum and Pedagogy, Specialist Studies In Education

Changing Attitudes to Children’s Text Messaging and Literacy

Summary of the impact

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:

  • Public attitudes, by challenging media accounts of the alleged detrimental impact of texting on children's understanding of standard English;
  • Public policy on literacy in England by informing Department for Education and National Literacy Trust reports and research regarding the value of informal language use to written language skills;
  • Practitioners in the UK and worldwide, who now use text language as a way of teaching English to young people.

Submitting Institution

Coventry University

Unit of Assessment

Psychology, Psychiatry and Neuroscience

Summary Impact Type

Societal

Research Subject Area(s)

Medical and Health Sciences: Public Health and Health Services
Education: Specialist Studies In Education
Psychology and Cognitive Sciences: Psychology

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