What Works for Children with Literacy Difficulties? - Digital ...

3.17 Somerset Self-esteem and Reading Project
This was a series of four studies all conducted by Denis Lawrence, who was at first a
specialist remedial teacher, and then from 1974 to 1981 (see Lawrence, 1988, biographical
note opposite title page) Chief Educationalist Psychologist, in the county. He was convinced
that low self-esteem had a detrimental effect on children’s attainment, and that it was absurd
to tackle only the low attainment.
Schemes
Lawrence’s studies were specially-designed experiments rather than initiatives to which
evaluations were added. And in this analysis they constitute the only series of studies, where
each built on the preceding. The fourth study was on a large scale, involving 335 children in
all; the others were much smaller. In each study, the children in the experimental group
received some form of Rogerian self-esteem counselling plus a specific reading intervention.
Otherwise the studies have in the main to be described separately.
Somerset (1)
Here the counselling was provided by a professional psychologist who was a remedial
specialist (presumably Lawrence himself), and the specific reading intervention was the
remedial teaching already provided within the school, which was mainly phonics. A control
group received no extra intervention, and there were two alternative intervention groups: one
received only counselling, while the other received only the remedial phonics teaching.
Lawrence (1971, p.120) gave a half-page description of the counselling, and summarised it as
follows: ‘This involved a responsible, sympathetic adult, with status in the eyes of the child,
communicating to the child that he enjoyed his company.’ The fullest account of Lawrence’s
approach and recommendations is in Lawrence (1988).
Somerset (2 and 3)
In each of these, there were only two groups. The children in the experimental groups
received counselling plus remedial teaching, while those in the control groups received only
remedial teaching (and were therefore alternative intervention, rather than no-intervention
groups). The counselling appears to have been intended to be identical to that in the first
study, except that it was provided by non-professionals: ‘The head teacher of each school
contacted a woman in the area whom he considered to be a suitable person for the
experiment’ (Lawrence, 1972, p.49). These non-professionals were trained by ‘the
psychologist’ (presumably again Lawrence himself).
Somerset (4)
There were four groups of pupils: a no-intervention control group, and three groups who all
received DISTAR. One group received only that intervention, while the other two received in
addition one of two ‘therapeutic’ interventions designed to boost pupils’ self-esteem about
reading.
The DISTAR-only group received instruction in the skills of reading through the Direct
Instructional Teaching technique devised by Engelmann et al. (1969). The teachers involved
in using DISTAR with this and the other two relevant groups were all trained in the technique
by a manager of the scheme’s UK promoters. The children were taught in groups of 6-10,
according to the number identified in each school as low attainers, for one hour, 3 times per
week. In this technique, children sit in a semi-circle within touching distance of the teacher.
The lowest-attaining children are placed in the centre. They interact continuously with the
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