Early literacy interventions: The relative roles of storybook reading, alphabetic activities, and their combination

The study examined the differential contributions on vocabulary and alphabetic skills of three literacy programs: (a) storybook reading program; (b) alphabetic skills program; and (c) a combined program. It was expected that storybook reading would enhance primarily vocabulary while alphabetic skills training would promote primarily alphabetic skills. Program by age interactions were examined in two age groups (3–4 and 4–5 years old) to test whether the storybook reading program may be more productive for the younger children whereas alphabetic skills program more productive for the older children. Twelve low-SES preschools participated in the study, three in each program and three as a comparison group. Results indicated that the children in the three intervention programs progressed significantly more than the comparison group on name writing, letter knowledge and phonological awareness. Further, the alphabetic skills program outperformed the other groups on word writing, letter knowledge and initial letter retrieval, whereas the storybook reading program outperformed only the comparison group. Results on the combined program were mixed – enhancing more initial letter retrieval and book vocabulary than storybook reading program. In general, no differences emerged in the progress of younger versus older children except on receptive vocabulary – the younger surpassing the older in all programs.     

The Effects of the Functional Use of Certain Skills in Seventh-Grade Social Studies

Abstract

This study examined the causal relationships between three measures of reading achievement: phonics, reading comprehension, and vocabulary. Measures were obtained from 504 second-grade students at the beginning and end of the school year. A causal relationship was indicated if change in one of the three variables measured at the beginning of the year tended to precede change in the other variables measured at the end of the year. A cross-lagged panel analysis was used to test for such a pattern between the three variables. The findings indicate that phonics knowledge has a causal impact on both reading comprehension and vocabulary gains; reading comprehension has a causal effect on vocabulary gains. Further analysis of the data, using a path analysis model, verified these causal relationships. A second set of data obtained from 1,585 second-grade students at the beginning and end of another school year were used to examine these causal relationships once more. Path analysis findings again verified the relationships found in the first set of data. We concluded that phonics instruction designed to help students recognize the consistent graphophonic patterns in the English language should be emphasized in early elementary-grade reading instruction. We also determined that children’s early reading experiences should be “comprehension focused”; that is, children should be encouraged to make sense out of what they read. Additional research is suggested on the causal relationship between these variables using other assessment instruments, on the causal relationship between other reading variables, and on the relationship of these variables at higher grade levels.     

Easy maths v4.1.1

Abstract

Phonemic awareness, or the ability to recognise spoken words as a sequence of individual sounds is thought to have a positive correlation with early reading success. This case study was developed to investigate incorporating phonemic awareness strategies into programs of reading acquisition, for students experiencing difficulties with learning. The study targeted two eleven year old girls who were classified as non readers at the beginning of the year of the study (1996). The two students were observed as members of two separate groups, one using the JHRASS program (Teaching Handwriting, Reading and Spelling Skills) which is based on phonemic awareness strategies and the other DI (Direct Instruction).

These were administered over an eight week period to determine the nature and extent of differences arising between the programs, including transfer into other work areas. The comparative data was generated from a participant observer's activities, including observational notes and reflections kept in a teacher diary, together with gains measured via a series of pre and post tests administered to each student.

Results indicated that the student on the phoneme‐grapheme based program THRASS appeared to make more significant gains than her matched partner receiving Direct Instruction, even in the short time period of this study. The THRASS program was observed to increase accessibility to everyday reading material, provide an easy modeling tool for adult assistance in spelling and reading and provide a more consistent basis on which to make judgments or choices of graphemes‐phonemes without having to learn a variety of rules or sayings.

The study findings provide strong evidence to suggest further investigation into THRASS and other phonemic awareness based programs.     

TRIMODAL READING INSTRUCTION WITH INEFFICIENT LEARNERS

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the teaching effectiveness of the Trimodal Programmed Instruction in Reading with those inefficient learners who were making limited or no progress in their elementary school reading programs despite other remedial procedures. Based on their performance on a criterion pretest, nine second, third, and fouth graders were assigned to either a full remedial program, consisting of 25 lessons or to a partial program consisting of between 14 and 17 programs. Each child interacted at the Teledesk (the main piece of equipment) on a daily basis, for approximately 15 minutes; one program per day was permitted. The Trimodal Reading Instruction approach employs a programmed technique using the whole word method of reading instruction. Word recognition and comprehension skills are fostered by having the pupil actively construct sentences by placing plaques associated with whole words on an interface. A policy of limited supervision and limited directive guidance was employed. Results indicated that subjects in both full and partial programs dramatically improved on word recognition and comprehension tasks, when post‐tested.     

A pilot study of the Australasian Readwell program

Abstract

The “Readwell” program is an Australian‐designed approach to remediation of children's reading difficulties. Although used in most Australian states, the program has not been evaluated. This quasi‐experimental pilot study reports on a first phase of an evaluation of the program. It involves a preliminary examination of the program with a group of 18 grade six and seven students with significant reading delays. It was conducted over a ten‐week period during which students received 45‐minute group instruction with the Readwell program each day. In addition, interviews with the students and their teachers were conducted to examine perceived outcomes of the program. Surveys with selected parents of students who had completed the program 12 months previously were also conducted to gauge the endurance of students’ gains in reading competence. Some comparisons with the literature reporting on Reading Recovery programs are also included and some initial conclusions are draw in relation to the place of the Readwell program in remediation practices for students with a reading difficulty.     

An Experimental Study of Formal Reading Instruction at the Kindergarten Level

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of formal reading instruction on kindergartners with respect to reading achievement, attitude toward reading, and attitude toward school.

Altogether 220 children, classified on intelligence and reading readiness variables, were randomly assigned to formal reading and readiness programs for four months. Criterion data respecting to achievement and attitudes were collected by means of the California Reading Test and constructed attitude inventories.

Analyses of data reveal that in terms of reading achievement, the reading program was more effective than the readiness program, but that attitudes toward school and reading were a function of intelligence and reading readiness when attitudes were measured by a teacher-reporting scale. When measured by a pupil self-reporting scale, attitudes were a function of the type of instruction, with children in the readiness program showing more favorable attitudes.     

Three Studies of Predicted Gender Differences in Processes of Word Reading

ABSTRACT

Three studies were conducted to examine individual differences among young children in the extent of use of alternative cognitive processes for word reading. The expectation was that boys, of the same reading attainment level as girls, tend to rely more than girls on access to phonological segments of words. In Study I a predicted pattern of gender differences was tested with 87 seven-year-old children reading pseudohomophones graphemicalty different and graphemically similar to lexically matched words. In Study II predicted differences were tested with the same children reading words of regular and exception grapheme-phoneme relationships. For 84 six-year-old children in Study III predicted differences were examined in the relationship of word reading accuracy to phonological consistency of initial segments of words. The results of the three studies supported the expectation.     

Behavioral Attention: A Longitudinal Study of Whether and How It Influences the Development of Word Reading and Reading Comprehension Among At-Risk Readers

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which teacher ratings of behavioral attention predicted responsiveness to word reading instruction in first-grade and third-grade reading comprehension performance. Participants were 110 first-grade students identified as at risk for reading difficulties who received 20 weeks of intensive reading intervention in combination with classroom reading instruction. Path analysis indicated that teacher ratings of student attention significantly predicted students’ word reading growth in first grade even when they were competed against other relevant predictors (phonological awareness, nonword reading, sight word efficiency, vocabulary, listening comprehension, hyperactivity, nonverbal reasoning, and short-term memory). Also, student attention demonstrated a significant indirect effect on third-grade reading comprehension via word reading but not via listening comprehension. Results suggest that student attention (indexed by teacher ratings) is an important predictor of at-risk readers’ responsiveness to reading instruction in first grade and that first-grade reading growth mediates the relationship between students’ attention and their future level of reading comprehension. The importance of considering ways to manage and improve behavioral attention when implementing reading instruction is discussed.     

Applying Structural Modeling to Some Component Processes of Reading Comprehension Development

The causal relationship between the phonological, word recognition, reading rate, and comprehension components of the reading process were explored using structural equation modeling procedures to verify the relationships among these processes as suggested by previous research. The sample consisted of 101 learning disabled children, ranging in age from 6 to 11 years and varying in reading ability. The results indicated that some proficiency in the phonological skills is important for the development of word recognition ability which in turn is a significant contributor to the comprehension of connected discourse.     

Beginning Word Recognition: Benefits of Training by Segmentation and Whole Word Methods

In 2 studies, we compared the effectiveness of 4 different methods for acquiring initial reading vocabulary. Training emphasized similarity of word beginnings (onset plus vowel), similarity of word endings (rimes), phoneme segmentation and blending, or simple repetition of whole words. These 4 training regimes were compared with a control group given only regular classroom instruction. Beginning nonreaders acquired the trained words fastest in the onset and rime conditions, and most slowly in the whole word condition. Retention was excellent after 1 week and after 4 to 6 months, with no differences due to method of acquisition when only children who met the learning criterion were considered. Generalization to reading new words and nonwords was 40% to 50% on the first encounter for all children who acquired the entire word set during learning. In Experiment 2, the same pattern of results was obtained for delayed readers in Grade 2.     

An Experiment with the SRA Reading Laboratory at Grade Two

Abstract

In phases one and two, 954 second graders followed similar basal reading programs during the school year, but 534 of the pupils had added, as a criterion variable, the SRA Reading Laboratory. Difference-in-mean tests of significance were applied to gains made in the areas of ten diagnostic subtests in phase one, and in phase two to gains made by three ability groups in three gross achievement areas. Eighteen classes participated in phase three to test by analysis of variance the effectiveness of the Laboratory as a total program. The study failed to disclose a single facet of reading achievement at Grade 2 for which the SRA Reading Laboratory is better suited than is a regular developmental program.     

Evaluation of a Computer‐based Program to Teach Reading and Spelling to Students with Learning Difficulties

Abstract

There are a number of computer‐based programs to enhance spelling skills. This paper reviews literature on the relationship between spelling, typing, and computer‐based instruction, and demonstrates the plausibility of such programs improving skills in students for whom conventional instruction has failed. The paper reports a small study on the effects of an integrated touch‐typing, spelling and reading program on the reading and spelling skills of a group of students aged between 8 and 16. The results showed improvements in spelling and some aspects of reading, and in touch typing ability. Variation in Individual results seemed likely to be owing to program administration rather than to the program itself. The results support the efficacy of integrating visual, auditory and kinaesthetic inputs in a computer‐based spelling program, and also emphasises the importance of continual positive reinforcement in a program for previously unsuccessful students.     

Computer-based exercises for learning to read and spell by deaf children

There is a surprising lack of systematic research evaluating the effects of reading exercises for young deaf children. Therefore, for this article, two computer-based exercises were developed and learning effects were determined by posttests. One (spelling oriented) exercise was to select the correct word among three orthographically similar alternatives that corresponds to a drawing or a sign (digital video). The other (meaning oriented) exercise was to select the correct sign or picture among three alternatives that corresponds to a written word. Eleven deaf Dutch children with a mean age of 7 years 10 months participated in the study. A first question was whether in single-word exercises the meaning or the spelling of a word should be emphasized. A second question was whether there was any effect of using drawings or signs to refer to the meaning of the word. The results reveal that emphasizing the word spelling is most effective for learning to read for deaf children and the findings also suggest that drawings are more efficient in the current exercises.     

Effects of a two-phase reading intervention on three orthographic-phonological code connections

According to the Multiple Connections Model, children bring to the task of learning to read varying degrees of skill in three orthographic coding procedures for written words (whole words, single letters, and letter clusters) and in three phonological coding procedures for spoken words (phonetic or name codes, phonemes, and syllables) and thus in ability to form connections between corresponding orthographic and phonological codes: whole word-phonetic/semantic code, letter-phoneme, and letter cluster-syllable/subsyllable. In Phase I of this intervention study only orthographic and phonological coding were remediated. In Phase II explicit teaching in reading was provided that emphasized the multiple orthographic-phonological connections above. Overall the group improved from about one standard deviation below the mean to approximately the mean standard score for grade in reading real words (whole word and subword connections) and in reading nonwords (subword connections only) after an average of 28.7 sessions of about 40 minutes each. Overall 70% of the individuals showed significant gains in reading real words and 90% of the individuals showed significant gains in reading nonwords. The intervention was most effective in creating whole word-phonetic/semantic connections and least effective in creating letter-phoneme connections. These results demonstrate that theory-driven intervention during a critical developmental period in reading acquisition may prevent more serious reading disabilities.     

Preventing a summer slide in reading – the effects of a summer school

ABSTRACT

Researchers have found that summer reading loss contributes to the reading achievement gap between low and high socioeconomic (SES) children. This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of a 3-week summer intervention in addressing this slide for 36 low SES children compared with another 36 children in a matched control group from one New Zealand school. The program involved one-to-one tutoring with explicit phonics instruction, high-frequency word-reading practice and application of these skills in reading age-appropriate texts. Results showed that although the mean reading comprehension slide was 5.8 months for both groups, the summer school group had higher word reading scores than the control group. The summer school participants showed improvements in phonological recoding ability, word reading, spelling and passage reading accuracy. These were not sufficient to stop the reading comprehension slide, but the program did make inroads. With further emphasis on comprehension strategies, the achievement gap may narrow.     

Reading Disabled Students’ Word Recognition Abilities: An Elementary and Secondary Perspective

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to describe and compare three word recognition abilities of reading disabled students. One hundred and fifty (150) reading disabled pupils, 75 elementary and 75 high school, were randomly selected to participate in this study. Correlated t‐test procedures were used to process the data. The dependent variables were the students’ analytical, phonics, and context analysis word recognition abilities as measured by the Wide Range Achievement Test, Stanford Diagnostic Reading Test, and 12 cloze passages. Results indicated that elementary and secondary reading disabled pupils have significant differences in their ability to use the three different word recognition abilities investigated. Implications for minimum competency testing in reading were discussed.     

A randomized experiment of a mixed-methods literacy intervention for struggling readers in grades 4–6: effects on word reading efficiency, reading comprehension and vocabulary, and oral reading fluency

The purpose of this study was (1) to examine the causal effects of READ 180, a mixed-methods literacy intervention, on measures of word reading efficiency, reading comprehension and vocabulary, and oral reading fluency and (2) to examine whether print exposure among children in the experimental condition explained variance in posttest reading scores. A total of 294 children in Grades 4–6 were randomly assigned to READ 180 or a district after-school program. Both programs were implemented 4 days per week over 23 weeks. Children in the READ 180 intervention participated in three 20-min literacy activities, including (1) individualized computer-assisted reading instruction with videos, leveled text, and word study activities, (2) independent and modeled reading practice with leveled books, and (3) teacher-directed reading lessons tailored to the reading level of children in small groups. Children in the district after-school program participated in a 60-min program in which teachers were able to select from 16 different enrichment activities that were designed to improve student attendance. There was no significant difference between children in READ 180 and the district after-school program on norm-referenced measures of word reading efficiency, reading comprehension, and vocabulary. Although READ 180 had a positive impact on oral reading fluency and attendance, these effects were restricted to children in Grade 4. Print exposure, as measured by the number of words children read on the READ 180 computer lessons, explained 4% of the variance in vocabulary and 2% of the variance in word reading efficiency after all pretest reading scores were partialed out.     

Development and evaluation of an adult literacy program in Turkey

In this paper, we discuss the Functional Adult Literacy Program (FALP) that we have developed in Turkey. FALP, which is taught by volunteer instructors, focuses on individuals who have had very little or no schooling. The two evaluation studies of the first three cohorts of the program indicate that FALP is significantly more effective than the existing programs in developing word recognition and reading comprehension. However, the longevity of the gains depended on the initial levels of the participants and the extent of literacy use after the course was over. On the basis of the evaluation data and our observations, we discuss the implications for adult literacy programs in general.     

Preventative Reading Interventions Teaching Direct Mapping of Graphemes in Texts and Set-for-Variability Aid At-Risk Learners

We evaluated two experimenter-delivered, small-group word reading programs among at-risk poor readers in Grade 1 classes of regular elementary schools using a two-arm, dual-site-matched control trial intervention. At-risk poor word readers (n = 201) were allocated to either (a) Direct Mapping and Set-for-Variability (DMSfV) or (b) Current or Best-Practices small-group reading programs, typically for 10–11 hr over 10 weeks. Students were matched on baseline reading and language abilities, parent demographic measures, and observed regular classroom teaching quality. Results of hierarchical data modeling showed advantages for the DMSfV program (p < .05 for word reading and spelling at posttest and word reading and sentence comprehension at 5-month delayed posttest), with discernible valued added for the DMSfV condition across all follow-up measures. Results support the use of small-group preventative literacy intervention models that teach both direct mapping of grapheme–phoneme correspondences in text and set-for-variability.