Faculty Research - Dr. Peggy Semingson

Addressing the "4th grade slump"

Dr. Peggy Semingson, Assistant Professor in the Curriculum and Instruction Department of the College of Education and Health Professions, was recently awarded the 2009-2010 Jeanne S. Chall Research Grant by Harvard University. The purpose of this grant is to provide a stipend for a scholar to spend a period of time (from 2-8 weeks) at Harvard University to conduct research utilizing the Jeanne S. Chall Collection on the Teaching of Reading at the Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Monroe C. Gutman Library, as well as other extensive reading resources available at the Library and elsewhere at the University. 

Dr. Semingson will be addressing what Jeanne Chall has identified as the “4th grade slump” in describing what happens when students who perform well in 2nd and 3rd grade fail to achieve in 4th grade and up (Chall, Jacobs, & Baldwin, 1990).  She will use the valuable resources at the Gutman library and other library resources on the Harvard campus to research the literature that relates to the reasons why students--particularly low-income students--face this “4th grade slump” that significantly impacts their later literacy learning and academic achievement.  Additionally, through close and careful readings of the resources that are available in the Jeanne Chall collection on the teaching of reading, Dr. Semingson will synthesize the information on what instructional strategies are best supported by the research to enable at-risk readers from low-income households to gain the skills they need to succeed.