Describing the environment of reading growth in a diverse sample: The Florida Twin Project on Reading, Behavior and EnvironmentSara A. Hart12, Chris Schatschneider12 & Jeanette Taylor2

1Florida Center for Reading Research 2Department of Psychology, Florida State University

Nature and Nurture of the Development of Reading Behavioral Genetics has started to

weigh in Petrill et al. (2010) , Logan et al. (in press)▪ genetics & shared environment= where start in

reading▪ genetics & shared environment = where grow▪ Genetics independent, shared environment

overlapping

Christopher et al. (2013), Christopher et al. (in press)▪ Genetics on intercept and slope▪ Some partial evidence for shared

environment (especially slope)▪ Genetics overlapping, shared environment

(when there) independent

Nature and Nurture of the Development of Reading

Nature and Nurture of the Development of Reading Hart et al., in press

h2 c2 e20

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interceptlinear slopequadratic slope

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Nature and Nurture of the Development of Reading What are these environmental

influences?

h2 c2 e20

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interceptlinear slopequadratic slope

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Possible sources

Family environment Family SES? (e.g., Sirin, 2005) CHAOS in the home? (e.g., Hart et al., 2007) Home Academic environment? (e.g., Griffin &

Morrison, 1997) School environment

School SES (e.g., Hart et al., in press) Teacher/classroom quality? (e.g., Taylor et al,

2010)

Florida Twin Project on Reading Sample

Ongoing cross-sequential study 5,184 MZ (N=1,734) and DZ (N=3,450) twins 50% free or reduced lunch

Procedure In-school state achievement testing 3 x year Parent and child questionnaire mailed home Highlighting the role of behavior and the environment on

reading

Participants 1186 pairs = 413 MZ, 773 DZ Mean age (1st grade) = 6.73 yrs, SD = .47 yrs Taylor et al., 2013

Present study DIBELS Oral

Reading Fluency Common measure

of reading ability in schools▪ Highly related to RC

Fall measurement, grades 1 through 4 (03/04 – 08/09)

Kim, Petscher et al., 2010

Measuring the Environment Family environment▪ Family SES▪ CHAOS in the home▪ Home Academic environment

School environment▪ School SES ▪ Teacher/classroom quality

Present study

Measuring the Environment Family environment▪ Family SES: Free and Reduced Lunch Status▪ CHAOS in the home▪ Home Academic environment

School environment▪ School SES ▪ Teacher/classroom quality

Present study

Measuring the Environment Family environment

▪ Family SES

▪ CHAOS in the home: Parent CHAOS questionnaire (2010)

▪ Home Academic environment School environment

▪ School SES ▪ Teacher/classroom quality

Present study

(Matheny et al., 1995)

Measuring the Environment Family environment

▪ Family SES▪ CHAOS in the home

▪ Home Literacy Environment :Parent questionnaire (2010)

School environment▪ School SES ▪ Teacher/classroom quality

Present study

(Griffin & Morrison, 1997)

Measuring the Environment Family environment

▪ Family SES▪ CHAOS in the home▪ Home Academic environment

School environment▪ School SES : Mean Free and Reduced Lunch

Status of all children in same school as twins (07/08)

▪ Teacher/classroom quality

Present study

Measuring the Environment Family environment

▪ Family SES▪ CHAOS in the home▪ Home Academic environment

School environment▪ School SES

▪ Teacher/classroom quality : ORF reading gain of classmates of twins in a school year (grade 1)

Present study

Initial descriptive results

Biometric Latent Growth Curve

Biometric Latent Growth Curve…with measured environments!

Purcell & Koenen, 2005

Results

h2 c2 e20

0.10.20.30.40.50.60.70.8

interceptlinear slope

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Biometric Latent Growth Curve Modeling

Results Family Environment

Intercept Slope0%1%2%3%4%5%6%7%8%9%

Family SESCHAOSHLE

*

*

Results School Environment

Intercept Slope0%

2%

4%

6%

8%

10%

12%

School SESTeacher Quality

*

Results Combined Home & School

Environment

Intercept Slope0

2

4

6

8

10

12

Teacher Qual-ityCHAOS

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Results Combined Home & School

Environment

Intercept Slope0

2

4

6

8

10

12

Teacher Qual-ityHLE

*

*

In total

Family environment (CHOAS and HLE) were significant predictors of where kids started

School environment (teacher quality) was a significant predictor of where kids grew

Combination models suggested that HLE and teacher quality worked additively

SES (family or school) was not a significant predictor

Limitations

The timing of each measure is not perfect New funding is allowing us to follow the

twins longitudinally with questionnaires

Conclusions It is possible to identify environmental

pieces, just like specific genes Given the importance of shared

environment to growth of reading, knowing what the c2 is will allow us to better understand what influences reading development

The home environment has a role too! Especially it seems on where kids start in

grade 1

Conclusions

The effect of each measured environment is small? But greater or in line with what

molecular genetics is finding!▪ The phenotype is messy▪ No reason to believe not many environments

of small effect in typical population?

Acknowledgements

National Institute of Child Health and Human Development P50 HD052120.

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ECA

Results-Individual differences in growth

Results-Mean Growth Line

Intercept: 26.55

Linear Slope: 54.10 Quadratic Slope : -

9.39

x2(df) = 267.21 (4) p <.001CFI .95, TLI .87, AIC 73882.73, BIC 73981.59RMSEA .14, SRMR .03