Journal
FIRST LANGUAGE
Volume 41, Issue 5, Pages 527-554Publisher
SAGE PUBLICATIONS LTD
DOI: 10.1177/0142723721989471
Keywords
Primary school; elementary school; tiered provision; universal provision; expressive language; social disadvantage
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Oral language skills are crucial for children's educational success and positive life outcomes, but many children, especially those from economically deprived areas, struggle with speaking and listening. A systematic review evaluates existing evidence on universal approaches to support children's language skills, identifying interactive book reading, structured vocabulary programs, and other methods as effective interventions to enhance oracy skills.
Oral language skills underpin children's educational success and enhance positive life outcomes. Yet, significant numbers of children struggle to develop competence in speaking and listening, especially those from areas of high economic deprivation. A tiered intervention model, graduating the level of provision in line with levels of need, has been posited as most appropriate for supporting children's language development. The first tier, or universal provision, is characterised by high-quality, evidence-informed language teaching for all. To date, our understanding of effective universal language delivery remains limited, particularly in the primary-school age range. This systematic review addresses this gap by identifying and evaluating existing evidence with the aim of informing practice and future research. Following PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines, a systematic search protocol was used to identify experimental and quasi-experimental studies evaluating universal approaches designed to support children's oracy skills. Thirty-one studies were identified for inclusion and their characteristics and findings are reported and their reliability evaluated. Studies provide indicative evidence for the effectiveness of interactive book reading, structured vocabulary programmes, manualised curricula and approaches involving speech and language therapists. The strengths and weaknesses of our current knowledge are outlined and implications for practice and research are discussed.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available