Australian Schools

In 2006 Sonic Learning (a branch of Sonic Hearing) conducted research into the Fast ForWord® programme in four Western Australian public schools. On average, Fast ForWord programme participants made significantly greater gains on a battery of language and literacy tests than a comparison group who received the standard curriculum alone.

  • Literacy Skills improved from 12th to 25th percentile.
  • Receptive Language Skills improved from 12th to 21st percentile.
  • Expressive Language Skills improved from 10th to 18th percentile.

Improved Lanuage and Literacy

Literacy

Methodology
The gold-standard research involved a single blind randomized control study with pre and post testing conducted by Speech Pathology and Occupational Therapy students who were trained in the assessment process by qualified Speech Pathologists. Study participants used the Fast ForWord® program for one school term.

A single blind randomized control study is among the most highly regarded and reliable methods of research. In this single blind randomized control study, half of the study participants were randomly assigned to the control group (who participated in the general curriculum for the trial period) and the other half to the experimental group (who participated in the Fast ForWord® program during the trial period). Students were randomly assigned to each group using randomization software. The independent assessors were ‘blind’ to (or unaware of) which students were in the control and experimental groups in order to prevent biased test results.

Measures
Study participants were assessed using the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals - Fourth Edition - Australian Standardised Edition (CELF-4) and the Queensland University Inventory of Literacy (QUIL).

The CELF-4 is a comprehensive language test widely used to measure a student's ability to understand words and sentences, follow directions, recall and formulate sentences, and understand relationships between words and categories.

The QUIL is a standardized clinical tool used to assess the phonological awareness skills of school age children as they pertain to literacy.

Source
Sonic Hearing (2007). Improved Language and Literacy Skills in Students who used Fast ForWord® Programs at State Primary Schools in Western Australia.