School of Education project scientist receives IES grant to study personalizing literacy instruction for English learners

​The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) awarded School of Education project scientist Jin Kyoung Hwang ‘15 a four-year, $1.69 million grant to study personalizing literacy instruction for English Learners.
 
Hwang and her research team will research literacy instruction among students who are in the process of acquiring English language and literacy skills. Their project will extend Hwang’s previous work, in which she assessed the use of A2i individualizing instruction technology and the Optimizing Learning Opportunities for Students (OLOS) observation system, which centered mostly on monolingual English-speaking students in mainstream classrooms.
 
“With growing numbers of English learners, it is important to address their instructional needs and help them to achieve proficient literacy skills to succeed in school and in life,” Hwang said. “The results from this project will help us gain a better understanding of how to better support English learners and inform literacy practices and education for teachers who interact with English learners daily.”

Jin Kyoung Hwang

​Hwang anticipates finding diverse interactions that occur among English learners and their teachers during literacy instruction and that certain interactions will be associated with English learners’ later language and literacy outcomes.
 
“I expect that the current A2i algorithms might be enhanced by considering English learners’ first language and literacy skills and other cognitive factors,” Hwang said. “This will help us accurately assess what English learners need to obtain proficient literacy skills and make it easier for teachers to personalize literacy instruction based on their students’ skills.”
 
Hwang will serve as principal investigator on the grant. UCI School of Education Professor Young-Suk Kim; along with Ashley Adams, assistant professor at San Diego State University; and Kevin Grimm, professor at Arizona State University, are serving as Co-PIs.
 
Hwang received her B.A. in English Language and Literature from Sookmyung Women’s University in Korea, her Ed.M. in Education from Harvard, and her Ph.D from the UCI School of Education. 


​The grant detailed above is 100% funded by the IES.