This year, we celebrate the 20th year of the What’s Hot in Literacy Survey, published in the latest issue of Literacy Today. Results from previous surveys have been cited in numerous publications, translated into multiple languages, and replicated in several countries including Denmark, Rumania, and the United Kingdom.
In addition, previous results of the annual survey have guided professional development within schools and have played a key role in situating the timeliness of current research. In a brief overview, we share how the 2016 survey was constructed, the approaches used to select this year’s respondents, and the methods used while analyzing the results.
Each year, a purposeful sample of 25 literacy leaders completes the survey. The literacy leaders who responded to the 2015 survey played a key role in constructing this year’s edition by reviewing the items listed on the 2015 survey and making suggestions for revisions. This process resulted in a 30-item survey for 2016. In addition, three topics appeared for the first time: oral language, teacher evaluation for literacy, and teacher preparation and certification.
The 2016 literacy leaders all hold a national or international perspective on literacy. Many of them have served on boards of prominent literacy organizations, or as editors of major journals. Together the 25 leaders create a diverse group representing various ages and job categories such as classroom teachers, administrators, and college professors.
The percentage of ILA members in each region of the United States determines the number of literacy leaders interviewed in that region. Representing the East for 2016 were Julie Coiro, Rona Flippo, Donald J. Leu, Jill Lewis-Spector, Barbara Marinak, Susan B. Neuman, and Marcie Craig Post. From the Southeast were Richard Allington, Donna Alvermann, Estanislado Barrera IV, and Linda Gambrell. The Great Lakes area was represented by Nell Duke, Patricia Edwards, Timothy Rasinski, William Teale, and Timothy Shanahan. Julianne Scullen represented the Plains area, while the West was represented by Diane Barone, Douglas Fisher, and P. David Pearson. Other areas included the Southwest, represented by Katy Landrum and Chase Young; the Rocky Mountains, represented by Ray Reutzel; Canada, represented by Shelley Stagg Peterson; and outside North America, represented by Bernadette Dwyer.
We interviewed the literacy leaders by phone, Skype, or in person during the summer months. Each interview began with the reading of a standard 178-word paragraph explaining that a rating of “hot” and “not hot” would not be a measure of his or her personal interest in a topic, but instead would refer to the amount of attention the item was currently receiving. Next, each of the 30 items from the survey were read aloud to the respondent and a rating of “hot” or “not hot” was assigned. In addition, the respondent stated whether the item “should be hot” or “should not be hot.”
The final step was analyzing the results. This involved tallying the collected ratings. Items receiving 100% consensus among the literacy leaders were reported as “extremely hot” or “extremely cold.” Items receiving 75% consensus were reported as “very hot” or “very cold,” while those receiving 50% consensus were reported as “hot” or “not hot.”
Read about the results of the What’s Hot in Literacy Survey in Literacy Today magazine (formerly Reading Today).