Anna Steenberg Gellert

Primary fields of research

Reading abilities, reading disabilities, dyslexia, vocabulary, second language acquisition, vocabulary instruction, testing, dynamic assessment.

Current research

1. Short-term and long-term effects of two vocabulary instructions on the word knowledge and reading comprehension of fifth-graders with poor vocabulary 

332 Danish fifth-graders with relatively poor vocabulary were assigned to one of three conditions: 1) instruction in the morphological structure of words to develop a morphological strategy for comprehending unfamiliar words during text reading; 2) direct instruction in meanings of semantically related words in combination with instruction in deriving word meanings from context during reading; 3) control condition. Each intervention was delivered in 24 sessions with small groups. Tests of word knowledge and text comprehension were administered before and after intervention to assess short-term effects. Follow-up data were collected ten months after intervention to assess long-term instructional effects. 

The project is headed by assoc. prof. Anna Steenberg Gellert (University of Copenhagen) and is implemented in collaboration with assoc. prof. Elisabeth Arnbak (Danish School of Education, Aarhus University) and professor Carsten Elbro (University of Copenhagen).

• Gellert, A. S. & Elbro, C. (2013). Do experimental measures of word learning predict vocabulary development over time? Learning and Individual Differences, 26, 1-8. 

2. Early identification of children at risk of reading disabilities

Preferably, children at risk of reading disabilities should be identified before the onset of formal reading instruction, in order to provide early intervention and avoid delays and loss of motivation. However, traditional early test batteries have been found to be quite inaccurate. Therefore, there is a need for research to improve early testing instruments. One possibility is to include dynamic tests developed to assess children’s ability to learn, rather than just their present knowledge and skills. The aim of a recent longitudinal Danish study was to investigate whether children’s performance in dynamic tests can enhance the prediction of later reading difficulties over and above traditional predictors in kindergarten. We followed 158 children from kindergarten (2012) to the end of second grade (2015). We administered traditional as well as experimental dynamic tests to these children. We found that a dynamic test of decoding administered before the onset of formal reading instruction added significantly to the prediction of reading disabilities at the end of Grade 2 after rigorous control for traditional kindergarten predictors.

The project was headed by assoc. prof. Anna Steenberg Gellert (University of Copenhagen) and was implemented in collaboration with professor Carsten Elbro (University of Copenhagen). The project was funded by the Danish foundation Trygfonden and the Danish Ministry of Education.

• Gellert, A. S., & Elbro, C. (2018). Predicting reading disabilities using dynamic assessment of decoding before and after the onset of reading instruction: A longitudinal study from kindergarten through Grade 2. Annals of Dyslexia, 68(2), 126-144
• Gellert, A. S. & Elbro, C. (2017). Try a little bit of teaching. A dynamic assessment of decoding as a kindergarten predictor of word reading difficulties at the end of Grade 1. Scientific Studies of Reading, 21(4), 277-291.
• Gellert, A. S., & Elbro, C. (2017). Does a dynamic test of phonological awareness predict early reading difficulties? A longitudinal study from kindergarten through Grade 1. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 50(3), 227-237.
• Elbro, C., Daugaard, H. T., & Gellert, A. S. (2012). Dyslexia in a second language? A dynamic test of reading acquisition may provide a fair answer. Annals of Dyslexia, 62(3), 172-185.

CV

Recent employment (University of Copenhagen)

2014-2019: Associate professor

2012-2014: Postdoc

2009-2012: PhD fellow

2006-2012: Research assistant

Primary fields of research

Reading disabilities, reading development, vocabulary acquistion, second language learning, language testing, dynamic assessment
 

Teaching

Jeg har tidligere undervist på følgende kurser:

• Sprogtestning (Audiologopædi, INSS, KU)
• Dynamisk testning (Audiologopædi, INSS, KU)
• Læsning og læseundervisning (Dansk, INSS, KU)
• Læsning og læsevanskeligheder (Logopædi, ISK, SDU)
• Skriftsproglige færdigheder (Audiologopædi, INSS, KU)