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An investigation of hierarchical relationships in children’s literacy attainments at baseline
Author(s) -
Sainsbury Marian,
Schagen Ian,
Whetton Chris,
Caspall Louise
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
journal of research in reading
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.077
H-Index - 51
eISSN - 1467-9817
pISSN - 0141-0423
DOI - 10.1111/1467-9817.00068
Subject(s) - psychology , literacy , scale (ratio) , baseline (sea) , reading (process) , developmental psychology , point (geometry) , mathematics education , pedagogy , geography , linguistics , oceanography , philosophy , geometry , cartography , mathematics , geology
This paper describes one element of the research basis for the Baseline Assessment Scales now published for optional use in baseline schemes nationally (SCAA, 1997a). The aim in developing these scales was to provide a range of criteria that would allow almost all children to show some attainment, whilst also acknowledging the attainments of the most able. For this purpose, four‐point scales were required. The first point would be attainable by over 80 per cent of children in their first term of school, and the fourth by only 20 per cent or fewer, with two intermediate points. Four such scales were trialled for reading, and one for writing. As part of the trial analysis, an investigation was undertaken into the hierarchies amongst the items on each scale – that is, to what extent was it possible for a child to attain a more difficult item, whilst failing an easier item on the same scale? A ‘coefficient of dependency’ was calculated for each pair of items on each scale. The percentages of children achieving each item are reported, and the strength of the hierarchies amongst them. This provides some evidence as to the interrelationships between children’s literacy attainments at the start of school.