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ERIC Number: EJ876293
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2010-Feb
Pages: 11
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0022-0663
EISSN: N/A
"Teacher Effects" in Early Literacy Development: Evidence from a Study of Twins
Byrne, Brian; Coventry, William L.; Olson, Richard K.; Wadsworth, Sally J.; Samuelsson, Stefan; Petrill, Stephen A.; Willcutt, Erik G.; Corley, Robin
Journal of Educational Psychology, v102 n1 p32-42 Feb 2010
It is often assumed that differences in teacher characteristics are a major source of variability in children's educational achievements. We examine this assumption for early literacy achievement by calculating the correlations between pairs of twin children who either shared or did not share a teacher in kindergarten, Grade 1, and Grade 2. Teacher effects--or, more strictly, classroom effects--would show up as higher correlations for same-class than for different-class twin pairs. Same-class correlations were generally higher than different-class correlations, though not significantly so on most occasions. On the basis of the results, we estimate that the maximum variance accounted for by being assigned to the same or different classrooms is 8%. This is an upper-bound figure for a teacher effect because factors other than teachers may contribute to variation attributable to classroom assignment. We discuss the limitations of the study and draw out some of its educational implications. (Contains 3 tables. )
American Psychological Association. Journals Department, 750 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20002-4242. Tel: 800-374-2721; Tel: 202-336-5510; Fax: 202-336-5502; e-mail: order@apa.org; Web site: http://www.apa.org/publications
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Early Childhood Education; Grade 1; Grade 2; Kindergarten
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Australia; Colorado
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Woodcock Reading Mastery Test
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A