Establishing validated science programs for students with or at risk for learning disabilities requires testing treatment effects and exploring differential response patterns. This study explored whether students\' initial mathematics and reading skills influenced their treatment response to a whole-class, second-grade science program called Scientific Explorers (Sci2). The original Sci2 study employed a cluster randomized controlled design and included 294 students from 18 second-grade classrooms. Differential effects of the program by initial mathematics and reading skill levels were not observed for an interactive science assessment and a distal science outcome measure. However, based on initial reading skill levels, moderation results were found on a science vocabulary measure, suggesting the effects of Sci2 were greatest for students with higher initial reading skills. Similar results were found using initial mathematics skill levels as a predictor of differential response such that students with higher mathematics skills reaped stronger treatment effects on the vocabulary measure. Further, we found initial mathematics skills also influenced outcomes on the proximal science content assessment, where students with higher initial mathematics skills led to higher outcomes. Overall, findings suggest Sci2 produced robust effects for all students (g = 0.24-1.23), regardless of initial skill proficiencies. Implications for exploring differential response in science intervention research are discussed.

This study focused on explicit instruction and evaluated the differences in task performance between participants who were instructed to employ the change and those who were not. Ninety-three healthy young adults were assigned to the accurate information group (AG; n = 31), misinformation group (MG; n = 31), and non-information group (NG; n = 31). All participants manipulated a mouse to track a moving target on a screen with a cursor. The cursor was rotated to 60° in the clockwise direction from the actual mouse position during the 1st to 5th blocks (i.e., motor adaptation task). Subsequently, in the 6th block (i.e., transfer task), we gradually changed the angle of rotation from 60° to 80° to prevent from noticing the change. Participants in the AG were instructed accurate experimental information. Participants in the MG were instructed that the angle of rotation was 60° during the 1st to 6th blocks. Participants in the NG were instructed to manipulate the cursor movement only. The results indicated that an average error distance in the AG was significantly lower than that in the NG in the 6th block. This study suggested that explicit instruction may impair the transfer of motor adaptation in this setting.

More than two-thirds of middle school students do not read proficiently. Research has shown that targeted interventions using explicit instruction methods can improve reading outcomes for struggling readers. A central feature of explicit instruction is the systematic implementation of instructional interactions, but it is not clear what specific instructional interaction practices lead to stronger outcomes for middle school readers. This study used a regression discontinuity design to compare the frequency and impact of instructional interactions experienced by U.S. eighth-grade students who received a targeted reading intervention (n = 1,461) with those who did not (n = 4,292). Results indicated that students who received intervention experienced far more instructional interactions with their teachers than did students who did not. However, the association between rates of interaction and student need in the intervention group was minimal, and the relationship between the rate of instructional interactions and reading growth was mixed. Implications for intervening with struggling students in the middle grades are discussed.

Computer-mediated explicit Instruction (CMEI) is effective in promoting second language development, particularly in the area of speech acts. However, more information is needed about the role of learners\' language proficiency and perceptions in the effectiveness of CMEI. This study aimed to investigate the effect of CMEI on EFL learners\' knowledge of speech acts, specifically apologies, thanks, and requests, and to examine the moderating role of language proficiency and learners\' perceptions of the Instruction. A mixed-method research design was used. The study involved 180 EFL learners who were recruited from Wenzhou Medical University. The participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups: (1) the computer-mediated explicit instruction (CMEI) group, which received explicit Instruction on speech acts through a computer program; (2) the non-CMEI group, which received explicit Instruction on speech acts through traditional classroom instruction; and (3) Control group, which did not receive any explicit instruction on speech acts. The participants\' language proficiency was assessed using the Oxford Quick Placement Test (OQPT) prior to the intervention. The quantitative phase employed the pretest-posttest design, and data were collected using a speech act recognition and production test and an interview checklist to measure learners\' perceptions of the Instruction. Results showed that CMEL was more effective than non-CMEI. Participants also had positive perceptions of CMEI. Findings have theoretical and practical implications for English language teachers and applied linguists.

Scholars have underscored the importance of raising students\' awareness and understanding of stance-taking in academic writing. However, studies on the effects of the pedagogical intervention are just a few. To strengthen this line of inquiry, this paper reports on an intervention study with explicit instruction of stance metalanguage based on the Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) Engagement framework and its effects on EFL students\' perceptions of stance as well as on their beliefs about academic writing. A treatment group (n = 26) and a comparison group (n = 24) were involved. An eight-week writing intervention was provided in the treatment group, while the comparison group received regular curriculum-based instruction. Data from multiple sources were collected prior to and after the writing intervention, including two five-point Likert-scale questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and reflective journals, to examine possible changes in students\' self-reported perceptions of stance and writing beliefs. Results showed that the intervention was effective in enhancing students\' stance awareness and transactional writing beliefs. Qualitative results further revealed that while the comparison group retained a preference for tentative stance after the writing instruction, intending to avoid potential challenges from readers, the treatment group exhibited a shift in preference for assertive stance valuing the strengths of claims. The treatment group further exhibited an inclination to adopt a wider range of stance options for various rhetorical purposes. Pedagogical suggestions are discussed.

Successful interaction in the target language requires L2 learners to use and understand the grammatically correct language. At the same time, the language used is expected to produce socioculturally appropriate utterances that it refers to their Pragmatic competence. The latter entails acquiring pragmatic competence, which has proved to be very challenging for L2 learners. This is because they gain limited exposure to the use of language for real communication in an authentic social setting. Moreover, instruction has been found to influence the functional abilities in L2 as it equips the learners with the ability to produce and comprehend L2 in different situations. Focusing on the research conducted on the role of explicit and implicit instruction on L2 pragmatic competence, this study aimed to give a summative description of the empirical studies carried out on teaching pragmatics. The investigation ends up with a conclusion, instructional implications, and suggestions for future research.

This mixed methods research study investigated if explicit instruction could affect EFL teachers\' perceptions and practices of classroom justice considering its three-dimensional conceptualization based on the social psychology theories of justice, encompassing the distributive, interactional, and procedural justice. To this end, 77 Iranian English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers, chosen through maximum variation sampling, attended a four-session online justice-training course. The data were collected both before and after the course intervention through close- and open-ended questionnaires. Quantitative data analysis results, obtained through running paired samples t-tests and Wilcoxon signed ranks tests, indicated that except for the distributive component, the treatment was effective in significantly enhancing the Iranian EFL teachers\' procedural, interactional, and total classroom justice perceptions. Content analysis of the posttest qualitative data, done through MAXQDA, revealed that the participants approved the course usefulness, its significance, and uses of justice enactment strategies in their classroom. Furthermore, they confirmed positive changes in their conceptions and practices of justice because of attending the course and showed enthusiasm in attending more such courses in the future. The convergence of the quantitative and qualitative results in this study demonstrated the effectiveness of the justice-oriented training course for enhancing EFL teachers\' just classroom behaviors. Hence, the results would be fruitful for teacher educators aiming to promote the pre- and in-service EFL teachers\' professional effectiveness through explicit instruction on classroom justice and its use in teacher education programs.

In this article, I offer my perspective on several elements of Engelmann\'s Direct Instruction. I hypothesize Engelmann\'s thinking about the schooling environment that arguably provoked his theoretical, philosophical, and conceptual insights into the design of Direct Instruction. I also examine the research on Direct Instruction as a national educational model, but only as an extension of Engelmann\'s commitment to falsifying his own thinking. In addition, I survey the research on the design of instruction to highlight how greatly different disciplines can find common ground around \"faultless communications.\" Along the way, I offer examples and descriptive analyses of selected design of instruction elements of Direct Instruction. Finally, I conclude with a brief ode to Engelmann.

This article describes the development and technical adequacy of the Classroom Observations of Student Teacher Interactions (COSTI) instrument, a tool for measuring the frequency and rate of explicit instructional interactions, such as those used in Direct Instruction curricula, for teaching children basic reading and math skills. COSTI was originally developed to provide teachers with coaching feedback to improve their explicit reading instructional practices, and has been shown in multiple studies to be a reliable and valid predictor of student gains in beginning reading and math skills. This article discusses potential uses of the instrument for training and coaching across curricula with varying instructional design features, and lays out a future research agenda to further improve COSTI and related observation tools for studying explicit instructional practices and their contribution to student learning.

Students with disabilities are less likely to be proficient with basic academic skills compared to peers, indicating a need for more quality instructional time. Parent tutoring has been identified as a promising practice for supplementing instruction to improve child outcomes. However, educators are not sufficiently prepared to collaborate with and provide guidance to parents in how to support academic goals at home. We describe how an academic assessment and intervention clinic trains future school personnel to work with families to develop and implement explicit instruction parent tutoring interventions. A case example illustrates the process.