“Lost in Translation? Challenges in Connecting Reading Science and Educational Practice”
Mark S. Seidenberg, Matt Cooper Borkenhagen, and Devin M. Kearns discuss many of the issues related to bridging the findings of basic research to practice. The authors state, “We have three concerns about current efforts to use this science to improve reading outcomes. First, there is a need for additional translational research to establish closer connections between theory and practice. We know more about the science of reading than about the science of teaching based on the science of reading. Second, we are concerned about how reading science has been characterized in educational contexts: It can be oversimplified in ways that slow progress by seeming to sanction practices that are only loosely connected to it. Finally, the science of reading is a moving target because it continues to progress. Theories have grown increasingly complex and counterintuitive, creating additional translational challenges.” The authors illustrate these concerns with many examples, including an interesting example related to how readers read words, arguing for a combination of “implicit learning of the statistical structure of mappings between form (orthography and phonology) and meaning” and “explicit instruction [that] can be seen as enabling statistical learning, and timely, targeted instruction [that] can further accelerate it.” Overall, this article emphasizes the complexity of reading and how nuanced understandings of the research and context can inform translation of findings to classrooms.


1. Pursue cross-disciplinary collaborations. Summarizing findings and expecting others to pursue the implications has not been an effective strategy in reading science. Many types of scientific research require teams of individuals with complementary types of expertise. Translating reading science into verifiably effective educational practices does as well. Such teams are more likely to succeed at employing basic insights about reading and learning in ways that can be utilized by educators in the classroom.

 

2. Work towards a new science of teaching. Any theory of learning, including the one we’ve outlined here, should provide the following necessary information in the formation of a science of teaching. The result of such research should be the how of learning via teaching, accomplished by specifying what needs to be learned (the relevant sources of knowledge), when learning of a particular kind needs to occur, and for whom.

 

3. Avoid a narrow focus on phonics. Discussions about connecting the science of reading to education are often limited to phonics. The considerable research on this issue is only one part of a much larger body of research that addresses the many other elements of skilled reading and its development, including the many factors that affect children's progress. The science does speak to the importance of integrating print and sound early in development and to the role of instruction. However, it does so in the context of other skills and knowledge, their dependence on each other, and the time course of learning.

 

4. Invest in early learning. Many children are at risk for reading difficulties on the first day of school (Loeb & Bassok, 2007), due in large part to individual differences in knowledge of spoken language and the world it is used to communicate about (Muter, Hulme, Snowling, & Stevenson, 2004; Hoff, 2013). Increased translational research about what can be done in early learning contexts prior to the start of school will help fill in our knowledge of what we can do, when, and for which learners.

 

5. Develop a science of reading that applies to all readers. Most research on the science of reading is conducted with individuals from a narrow range of backgrounds. Conclusions based on this research cannot be assumed to generalize to understudied groups, including racial/ethnic minorities and individuals from low SES backgrounds. Deeper understanding of the impact of these individual difference factors is necessary to advance the science and its impact on education.

 

6. Examine existing systems of learning. Curricula and instruction can be assessed with respect to their coherence with known mechanisms of learning. Existing systems – from formal curricula to informal practices by individual teachers – should be examined and augmented in a way that moves them closer to what we know about how learners learn.

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