About

Jackie Eunjung Relyea, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Early Literacy and Teacher Education in the College of Education at North Carolina State University. She directs The CLICK Lab (Cultivating Literacy, Inquiry, and Content Knowledge) and co-directs The Literacy Space, collaborative initiatives that bring together researchers, educators, and district partners to advance equitable, evidence-based literacy practices. She also serves as a Faculty Associate at READS Lab at Harvard Graduate School of Education. Her research program examines how instructional conditions and individual differences interact to shape reading development, with particular focus on the mechanisms through which content knowledge, vocabulary networks, and cross-linguistic resources support reading comprehension for multilingual learners. She conducts design-based implementation research and randomized controlled trials to develop and evaluate content-integrated literacy instruction across Tier 1 classroom and Tier 2 small-group settings, examining how such instruction fosters knowledge building, language and literacy development, and engagement in the elementary grades. Her collaborative intervention research includes the Model of Reading Engagement (MORE), a sustained and spiraled Tier 1 content literacy curriculum across grades 1-3 that has demonstrated positive effects on vocabulary knowledge depth, reading comprehension, argumentative writing, and transfer to mathematics achievement, and the Building Knowledge, Language, and Inquiry (K.L.I.) Tier 2 intervention designed to accelerate literacy learning for grades 3-5 multilingual learners through structured small-group instruction emphasizing informational text comprehension, academic language development, and content knowledge building. Her research has been funded by prominent organizations including the Institute of Education Sciences, NSF, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, and others. Her scholarly work has appeared in leading peer-reviewed journals, and she has received multiple awards, including the 2025 Dina Feitelson Research Award from the International Literacy Association and the 2024 Jerry Johns Promising Researcher Award from the Association of Literacy Educators and Researchers. She has been recognized as NC State's 2025 University Faculty Scholar and 2021 Impact Scholar for her research-practice partnerships and community-engaged scholarship.

Research topics

• Psychology
• Mathematics education
• Pedagogy
• Computer Science
• Linguistics

Selected publications

• The Knowledge-Comprehension Connection

  2026-03-04

  book-chapter

  In this chapter, the authors conceptualize reading comprehension as a knowledge-driven process in which activation, construction, and revision of knowledge function as interdependent and recursive mechanisms. Drawing from cognitive, sociocultural, and epistemic perspectives, we propose a broadened definition of knowledge that includes conceptual, linguistic, experiential, and epistemic dimensions that readers use to make sense of texts. We examine instructional designs that support these processes, including the use of text sets, refutation texts, and epistemic prompts. Further, we consider how curricular and policy decisions shape which knowledge is included and whose perspectives are represented. Viewing knowledge as central, not ancillary, to reading comprehension, we argue for instructional approaches that position students’ varied knowledge resources as essential to meaning-making and conceptual development. We conclude with implications for research, instructional practice, curriculum, and policy, emphasizing that centering knowledge in comprehension instruction is foundational to equitable classroom learning and broader civic participation.

  PublisherDOI

• Usability of a Reading Intervention for Upper-Elementary English Learners: Building Reading Comprehension Through Knowledge, Language, and Structured Inquiry (K.L.I.)

  AERA Open · 2025-03-22 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  To accelerate literacy learning for upper-elementary multilingual children designated as English learners (ML-ELs), teachers need instructional tools that create sustained opportunities for reading and discussing informational texts, examining the language encountered in those texts, and building new content knowledge. To address this need, we developed a multicomponent small-group intervention to build ML-ELs’ reading comprehension by emphasizing knowledge, language, and structured inquiry (K.L.I.). We describe our iterative design process and report findings related to usability, which we argue is an essential but often unreported step in examining the internal logic of new interventions. Using design-based research, we developed K.L.I. through repeated design-implement-observe-revise cycles in collaboration with 15 teachers over 2 years. We analyzed teacher interviews and ratings of lessons implemented during afterschool supplemental instruction. Findings suggest pressure points and enhancing factors affecting the usability of K.L.I. These findings can inform future efforts to design and implement similar multicomponent reading comprehension interventions.

  PublisherDOI

• Bidirectional relations of reading with social studies and science domain knowledge among Korean students

  Reading and Writing · 2025-08-07

  articleOpen access

  Abstract The present study investigated the directionality of the relations of reading with science and social studies domain knowledge from fourth through seventh grade in Korean students, an underrepresented sample in reading research. We analyzed Jeonnam Educational Longitudinal Study Panel 1 by using the Random-Intercept Cross-Lagged Panel Model. The study replicated the positive bidirectional relation between science domain knowledge and reading, suggesting that the reciprocal relation extends beyond elementary years. Notably, this study provides the first evidence demonstrating a positive bidirectional relation between social studies domain knowledge and reading. Moreover, to explore potential domain-specific differences, we compared the trajectories of domain knowledge development in relation to reading development by domain. The results revealed the dynamic nature of the reciprocal relation between domain knowledge and reading. Whereas the role of reading in predicting knowledge development was consistent across both domains, the role of social studies domain knowledge in predicting subsequent reading was more pronounced, compared to that of science domain knowledge in a time point from fourth to fifth grade. Collectively, the results highlight the importance of simultaneously supporting reading and domain knowledge of science and social studies.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Unpacking heterogeneity: Executive function and reading development in U.S. multilingual children from kindergarten to third grade

  Learning and Individual Differences · 2025-04-15 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  This study investigated the heterogeneity in English reading developmental trajectories among U.S. multilingual learners (MLs; N = 2896) from kindergarten through third grade, focusing on how early executive functions (EFs) contribute to variations in reading trajectories. Using a nationally representative sample and person-centered approach, this study identified four distinct reading growth profiles, revealing the heterogeneous nature of MLs' reading development and highlighting varied pathways within this population. Findings indicate that working memory emerged as the strongest predictor of membership in higher reading proficiency trajectories, supporting both immediate and sustained gains, while inhibitory control and cognitive flexibility uniquely contributed to distinguishing higher- from lower-performing profiles. The findings suggest that understanding the diverse cognitive and linguistic needs of MLs is essential for supporting their reading development. This study underscores the importance of incorporating EF-focused approaches into early literacy instruction and offers insights into instructional practices in increasingly diverse classrooms.

  PublisherDOI

• Toward an equitable implementation of the science of reading: K-5 teachers' sensemaking and support needs

  Teaching and Teacher Education · 2025-11-01 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  This study investigates how elementary teachers conceptualize and navigate equitable implementation of the Science of Reading (SoR) amid U.S. state-mandated reforms. Drawing on open-ended survey responses ( n = 275) and interviews ( n = 14), we examine teachers' understanding of equity, multilevel barriers and enablers across individual, school, and system contexts, and support needs for responsive instruction. Findings reveal equitable SoR implementation as an adaptive, context-sensitive practice shaped by differentiation, systematic instruction, and institutional conditions. Teachers emphasized the importance of practice-embedded professional development, interdisciplinary collaboration, and coherent systemic support. The study extends sensemaking theory by demonstrating how institutional conditions shape teachers' interpretive work during high-stakes literacy reform and showing that principled adaptation can constitute fidelity to equity goals. Beyond the U.S. context, the findings contribute conceptual and empirical resources to international scholarship on literacy reform implementation, teacher sensemaking, and the relationship between standardization and equity as SoR-aligned mandates proliferate globally. • Teachers view equity in the Science of Reading as adaptive and context-sensitive. • Differentiation and institutional support shape equitable reading implementation. • Multilevel barriers constrain, while collaboration enables, responsive literacy. • Teachers seek practice-based professional development and interdisciplinary support. • Study advances understanding of teachers as sensemakers in literacy reform.

  PublisherDOI

• Evaluating the Impact of the Knowledge, Language, and Structured Inquiry (K.L.I.) Intervention on Reading Comprehension in Upper Elementary Multilingual English Learners

  The Journal of Experimental Education · 2025-11-20

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Asset‐Based Implementation of Structured Adaptations in an Online Third‐Grade Content Literacy Intervention

  Reading Research Quarterly · 2025-08-21 · 2 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  ABSTRACT Scaling up evidence‐based educational interventions presents challenges, particularly in adapting to new contexts while maintaining fidelity. Structured adaptations that integrate the strengths of experimental science (high fidelity) and improvement science (high adaptation) represent a novel design framework for supporting the equitable implementation of research‐based practices and programs. This preregistered study examined the effectiveness of structured adaptations to a Tier 1 content literacy intervention, Modeling of Reading Engagement (MORE), on Grade 3 students' ( N = 1914) engagement in asynchronous digital app and print‐based reading activities, the quality of synchronous student–teacher interactions during Zoom‐delivered lessons, and student learning outcomes during the COVID‐19 school closures. Using a cluster randomized trial design, 95 teachers and their students in 26 elementary schools were randomly assigned to either a high‐fidelity core treatment or a structured adaptation condition. In the latter, teachers participated in Team‐Based Learning activities that tightly coupled knowledge acquisition and application, with a focus on improving student engagement. Students in the structured adaptations condition outperformed students in the core treatment condition on science reading comprehension (ES = 0.07) and science background knowledge (ES = 0.09). Implementation analyses of the synchronous lessons indicate that the structured adaptations also improved norms of social interaction between students and teachers, resulting in stronger engagement, better feedback, and dialogic questioning. These findings suggest the importance of intentionally building in opportunities for teachers to adapt instruction within a clear framework. When teachers have support to work together and combine research‐based strategies with classroom knowledge, they can more effectively engage students and improve learning outcomes.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Feasibility of the Knowledge, Language, and Inquiry (K.L.I.) intervention for multilingual English learners

  The Journal of Educational Research · 2025-01-09 · 1 citations

  article1st authorCorresponding

  This study evaluated the feasibility of the Knowledge, Language, and Inquiry (K.L.I.) intervention, designed to support Grades 3–5 multilingual students classified as English learners (ML-ELs) in building content knowledge, language skills, and reading comprehension through inquiry-based small-group instruction. Feasibility was examined across five dimensions—acceptability, practicality, integration, implementation fidelity, and effectiveness—using teacher interviews, ratings, lesson observations, and student and teacher learning outcome assessments. Findings suggest that the intervention was generally well-received by teachers, with structured lesson plans and resources facilitating implementation. Teachers demonstrated increased knowledge in reading instruction and the intervention following professional development, and students showed gains in vocabulary, text structure awareness, and topic-specific knowledge. However, time constraints during standardized testing periods limited consistent implementation. These findings inform the refinement of the K.L.I. intervention for broader application, emphasizing the need to address contextual challenges and conduct future evaluations to support its larger-scale implementation and improve ML-ELs’ literacy outcomes.

  PublisherDOI

• Transactional development of science and mathematics knowledge and reading proficiency for multilingual students across languages of instruction.

  Developmental Psychology · 2024-11-07 · 4 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  This longitudinal study explored the reciprocal relations between students' domain-specific knowledge (science and mathematics) and reading proficiency from kindergarten to Grade 5. We compared these relational trajectories across both domains in the overall sample and examined the domain specificity of these relations within a multilingual subsample with varying language instruction backgrounds. Using latent curve modeling with structured residuals on a nationally representative data set, we identified two key patterns. In the overall sample, higher reading proficiency at kindergarten was associated with greater growth in science and mathematics knowledge, with a particularly pronounced effect in science. The predictive power of science knowledge on reading proficiency strengthened significantly from Grades 2 to 5, while reciprocal relations in mathematics intensified over time. For multilingual students, outcomes varied by the language of instruction. Those receiving English-only instruction showed early correlations between science and mathematics knowledge and reading proficiency; however, initial science and mathematics knowledge did not predict long-term growth in reading proficiency. Conversely, multilingual students who received instruction in their native language showed no immediate correlations at kindergarten. Nonetheless, their early science and mathematics knowledge significantly predicted later growth in reading proficiency. The findings underscore the critical role of native-language instruction in providing an accessible, vital cognitive and linguistic foundation that supports deeper domain knowledge building, highlighting the enduring benefits of native-language scaffolding. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

  PublisherDOI

• Teachers’ language ideologies and practices on the use of Spanish in science classrooms

  Language and Education · 2024-06-06 · 1 citations

  article

  This study explores teachers' use of Spanish in sixth-grade bilingual science classrooms at an urban middle school in Texas. We used a case study approach to study how two Spanish-English bilingual teachers utilized Spanish during instruction in a unit on space exploration and their beliefs on Spanish use in English-dominant science classrooms. The results showed that the teachers used Spanish mainly for classroom management purposes like redirecting behavior and reiterating instructions previously given in English. There were inconsistencies between teachers' practices and beliefs regarding Spanish use. The school's English-centered policy and a lack of validation of language as a resource for science learning hindered the use of Spanish as a tool for science learning. The implications of the findings for teacher professional development were discussed.

  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Jill Fitzgerald

  United States Naval Academy

  19 shared

• James S. Kim

  16 shared

• Jeff Elmore

  MetaMetrics (United States)

  10 shared

• Mary Burkhauser

  10 shared

• Ma. Glenda Lopez Wui

  Ateneo de Manila University

  8 shared

• Ethan Scherer

  Harvard University

  7 shared

• Jie Zhang

  University of Houston

  7 shared

• Sissy S. Wong

  University of Houston

  5 shared

Labs

• The CLICK LabPI

Education

• Ph.D., School of Education

  University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

  2015

• B.A.

  Kyung Hee University

  2004

Awards & honors

• 2025 Dina Feitelson Research Award, The International Litera…
• 2024 The Jerry Johns Promising Researcher Award, Association…
• 2024 Editorial Fellowship, Journal of Educational Psychology
• 2022 Outstanding Young Alumnus Award, UNC-Chapel Hill
• 2022 NC State University Outstanding Engagement Award