Denyse Hayward

Assistant Professor

Educational Psychology
dhayward@ualberta.ca

Research and Interests /or Research Interests

My current research examines the assessment and instruction of language and literacy skills in young children with and without language learning difficulties.

Investigating the Inclusion of Constitutive Aspects of Spelling in Alberta’s Spelling Curriculum

Historically, spelling was considered a core subject but has suffered a decline over several decades. Many people still believe that spelling is primarily a visual skill which has led to a resistance to explicitly teach spelling in schools. However, there is mounting evidence showing spelling to be a complex language skill requiring knowledge of phonology (sounds and syllables), orthography (letters), morphology (word parts), semantics (word meaning), syntax (grammar), and pragmatics (context). Spelling helps us understand underlying difficulties in reading and writing.

In this study I will examine ministry of education curriculum guidelines for spelling, and commercial spelling programs used in Albertan schools to determine if they incorporate the language components that comprise spelling.

The Design and Development of an Early Language and Literacy Screening Test

Building on existing research, our goals are to develop a national early language and literacy assessment instrument, the Test of Early Language and Literacy (TELL) and a complementary intervention program. National norming of the TELL is almost complete. Work is currently underway on the Environmental and Print Awareness teaching modules.

The Accuracy of Reading Classification: Comparison of Conventional and Dynamic Measures of Word Reading

In this study we examine the contributions of an alternative assessment model, referred to as Dynamic Assessment, to the assessment of phonological awareness and word reading skills in beginning readers from non-mainstream backgrounds.

Representative Publications and/or Presentations

Instruments

Schneider, P., Dubé, R. V., & Hayward, D. (2005). The Edmonton Narrative Norms Instrument (ENNI).
The ENNI provides local norms for story development for children with and without language learning difficulties aged 4-9. The ENNI is being used by researchers and clinicians around the world to investigate children's storytelling in a number of languages.
The instrument is available for free distribution from the ENNI website.

Articles

Hayward, D., Gillam, R., & Lien, P. (2007). Retelling a script-based story: Do children with and without language impairments focus on script and story elements? American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 16(3), 235-245.

Hayward, D., Das, J.P., & Janzen, T. (2007). Innovative programs for improvement in reading through cognitive enhancement: A remediation study of Canadian First Nations children. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 40(5), 443-457.

Das, J.P., Hayward, D.V., Georgiou, G.K., Janzen, T., & Boora, N. (2008). Effects of phonics and cognitive enhancement training on reading improvement: A study of Canadian First Nations students failing in reading. Journal of Cognitive Education and Psychology, 7(2), 199-222.

Hayward, D.V., Schneider, P., & Gillam, R.B. (2009). Age and task related effects on young children's understanding of a complex picture story. Alberta Journal of Educational Research, 55(1), 54-72.

Kramer, K., Mallett, P., Schneider, P., & Hayward, D.V. (2009). Dynamic Assessment of narratives with Grade 3 children in a First Nations community. Canadian Journal of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, 33, 119-128.

Schneider, P., & Hayward, D. (2010). Who does what to whom: Introduction of referents in children's storytelling from pictures. Language, Speech and Hearing Services in Schools, 41(4), 459-473.

Books/Book Chapters

Hayward, D.V., Stewart, G.E., Phillips, L.M., Norris, S.P., & Lovell, M.A. (2008). Language, Phonological Awareness, and Reading Test Directory. London, ON: Canadian Centre for Research on Literacy and Canadian Language and Literacy Research Network.

Hayward, D.V., & Phillips, L.M. (2009). Considering research quality and applicability through the eyes of stakeholders. In M. C. Shelley II, L. D. Yore, & B. Hand (Eds.), Quality research in literacy and science education: International perspectives and gold standards (pp. 139-148). Dordrecht, The Netherlands, Springer.

Phillips, L.M., Hayward, D.V., & Norris, S.P. (2011). Persistent reading disabilities: Challenging six erroneous beliefs. In A. McGill-Franzen & R. Allington (Eds.). The Handbook of Reading Disability Research (pp. 110-119). New York: Routledge.

Riveros, A., Norris, S.P., Hayward, D.V., & Phillips, L.M. (in press). Dispositions and the quality of learning. In J.R. Kirby & M.J. Lawson (Eds.), The Quality of Learning. Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press.

Courses Taught

EDPY 301 Inclusive Education: Adapting Instruction for Students with Special Needs
EDPY 458 Assessment and Programming for Children with a Specific Reading Disability
EDPY 472 Introduction to Language Development
EDEL 404 Developing Literacy: Pre-school to Grade Three

Academic Qualifications and Background

I began my professional career as a speech-language pathologist working in clinical and educational settings to support young children with speech and language delays. I completed my doctoral studies at the University of Alberta (Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine) specializing in narrative comprehension in young children with and without language impairments. Following my doctorate, I completed two post-doctoral fellowships. The first with Dr. Ron Gillam in the Dept. of Communication Disorders at the University of Texas at Austin and the second with Dr. Linda Phillips in the Dept. of Elementary Education at the University of Alberta.