Silent reading fluency using underlining: Evidence for an alternative method of assessment

Assessing silent reading fluency in classroom environments is challenging. This article reports on a method of assessing silent reading using underlining, an approach that solves many problems other silent reading fluency assessment measures face. This method computationally monitors readers' silent reading fluency by the speed they underline words in a text. Traditional silent reading fluency measures were compared with the new underlining methodology. Fourth‐ and sixth‐grade students completed silent reading fluency measures (i.e., moving windows, underlining, and paper‐and‐pencil reading tasks), along with measures of their oral reading fluency, reading comprehension, and vocabulary knowledge. Strong alternate‐form reliability coefficients were found for underlining, which significantly correlated with other measures of silent reading fluency and reading comprehension. Underlining methodology also correlated with common language factors, such as word length and word frequency. Together, these results provide support for the psychometric properties of underlining and suggest that it is a promising alternative method of assessing silent reading fluency. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

The relations among L1 (Spanish) literacy skills,L2 (English) language,L2 text reading fluency,and L2 reading comprehension for Spanish-speaking ELL first grade students

We investigated the relations of L2 (i.e., English) oral reading fluency, silent reading fluency, word reading automaticity, oral language skills, and L1 literacy skills (i.e., Spanish) to L2 reading comprehension for Spanish-speaking English language learners in the first grade (N = 150). An analysis was conducted for the entire sample as well as for skilled and less skilled word readers. Results showed that word reading automaticity was strongly related to oral and silent reading fluency, but oral language skill was not. This was the case not only for the entire sample but also for subsamples of skilled and less skilled word readers, which is a discrepant finding from a study with English-only children (Kim et al., 2011). With regard to the relations among L2 oral language, text reading fluency, word reading automaticity, reading comprehension, and L1 literacy skills, patterns of relations were similar for skilled versus less skilled word readers with oral reading fluency, but different with silent reading fluency. When oral and silent reading fluency were in the model simultaneously, oral reading fluency, but not silent reading fluency, was uniquely related to reading comprehension. Children's L1 literacy skill was not uniquely related to reading comprehension after accounting for other L2 language and literacy skills. These results are discussed in light of a developmental theory of text reading fluency.     

A technique for tracking the reading rate to identify the e‐book reading behaviors and comprehension outcomes of elementary school students

Tracking individual reading behaviors is a difficult task, as is carrying out real‐time recording and analysis throughout the reading process, but these aims are worth pursuing. In this study, the reading rate is adopted as an indicator to identify different reading behaviors and comprehension outcomes. A reading rate tracking technique is thus developed with an Interactive E‐book Learning System (IELS), and this study examines whether the reading rate detected by this system can properly reflect the actual reading behaviors and comprehension outcomes of users. A total of 500 quantitative records were collected from the reading profiles of 43 fifth‐grade students, separated into two groups for oral and silent reading behaviors, and then analyzed to reveal the reading rates accounting for specific reading behaviors and comprehension outcomes. Our findings indicate that the reading rate can accurately reflect students' reading behaviors. In addition, a somewhat positive correlation between reading rates and comprehension outcomes was only found in the silent reading group. By using the technique presented in this work, the reading behaviors related to e‐books can be easily interpreted based on the reading rate over time throughout the reading process, something that is much more difficult when using printed books. Based on the results of this work, it is anticipated that educators can get better insights into students' behaviors with regard to reading, so as to deliver more personalized and effective instruction.     

Longitudinal predictors of reading comprehension in French at first grade: Unpacking the oral comprehension component of the simple view

According to the simple view of reading (SVR), reading comprehension relies on “decoding” (pseudoword, word reading) and “oral comprehension” skills. Testing 556 French pupils, we aimed at unpacking these two components and tracking their longitudinal development in first grade. We have found that: (1) lower level language skills (vocabulary, syntax) and discourse skills (oral text comprehension) emerged as two dimensions of “oral comprehension”; (2) lower level language skills longitudinally predicted reading comprehension outcomes, above code-related skills; (3) decoding precursors (letter knowledge, naming speed and phonemic awareness) predicted reading comprehension directly, and indirectly, through decoding skills (pseudoword, word reading, text reading fluency); (4) Oral comprehension skills did not favour the development of decoding. Our results support the independency of the SVR components. However, we suggest that a more fine-grained conceptualisation of oral comprehension skills would help to better understand the individual and pedagogical factors influencing the early development of reading comprehension.     

Relations Among Oral Reading Fluency,Silent Reading Fluency,and Reading Comprehension: A Latent Variable Study of First-Grade Readers

In the present study, we examined oral and silent reading fluency and their relations with reading comprehension. In a series of structural equation models with latent variables using data from 316 first-grade students, (a) silent and oral reading fluency were found to be related yet distinct forms of reading fluency, (b) silent reading fluency predicted reading comprehension better for skilled readers than for average readers, (c) list reading fluency predicted reading comprehension better for average readers than for skilled readers, and (d) listening comprehension predicted reading comprehension better for skilled readers than for average readers.     

Low-skilled adult readers look like typically developing child readers: a comparison of reading skills and eye movement behavior

Adults enrolled in basic education exhibit poor academic performance, often reading at elementary and middle-school levels. The current study investigated the similarities and differences of reading skills and eye movement behavior between a sample of 25 low-skilled adult readers and 25 first grade students matched on word reading skill. t tests for matched pairs found no significant differences on language comprehension, reading comprehension, or eye movement variables. Regression analyses revealed that language comprehension made greater contributions to reading comprehension for adults (verses children) in the simple view of reading model. Processing time (gaze duration) was found to account for unique variance in both passage reading comprehension and sentence comprehension efficiency after controlling for word reading and language skills for adults. For children, processing time was only a significant predictor for sentence comprehension efficiency.     

A yankee tutor in Gillingham’s court

Subjects were 224 elementary, middle, and high school special education students receiving Gillingham tutorial services during the academic year 1983–1984. The majority of students had received prior service. Some of the students were in semi-self-contained classes (nonmainstreamed for academics). All students were given an individual intelligence test. Pretest and posttest scores (ten school months interval) were obtained in oral and silent reading and in spelling. Younger students commenced tutoring with strengths in oral reading (decoding and comprehension). Progress was made at the rate of more than one-half the expectancy for the nonspecial education student. Students commenced tutoring with approximately one classroom grade deficiency in silent reading comprehension and progressed, too, at the rate of more than one-half the expectancy of nonspecial education students. Spelling showed the greatest deficit at the time tutoring commenced and the least improvement. The same overall pattern but at a lower skill level prevailed with the semi-self-contained students. Parents, administrators, and referring agents recognized the success of the program. The modest cost of the training program has implications for other school systems.     

Multisensory programs in the public schools: A brighter future for LD children

A longitudinal study followed the progress of a group of elementary SLD students as they were instructed using the Alphabetic Phonics (AP) curriculum. After a three year period, the AP curriculum produced positive results in reading comprehension for most SLD students, particularly those who began the program in first and second grade. Students in resource and self-contained settings made significant gains in reading comprehension, although the two types of students exhibited different patterns of progress. Students of different ability levels responded differently to the AP curriculum. Average and above average students made significant progress in reading comprehension, but below average students did not advance substantially in relation to their ability level. At the end of three years, classroom teachers had a significantly more positive view of students’ word attack, oral reading, and silent reading comprehension skills.     

A not-so-simple view of reading: how oral vocabulary and visual-word recognition complicate the story

The present study sought to clarify the relations amongst serial decoding, irregular word recognition, listening comprehension, facets of oral vocabulary and reading comprehension in two cohorts of children differing in reading level. In the process, the components of the simple view of reading were evaluated. Students in grades 1 (n = 67) and 6 (n = 56) were assessed on measures of phonological awareness, decoding, irregular word recognition, listening comprehension, oral vocabulary, and reading comprehension. Even when all other measures were controlled, vocabulary was found to explain reading comprehension in grade 6 but not grade 1. Vocabulary also predicted decoding in grade 6 and irregular word recognition in both grades. These results are interpreted as supporting a not-so-simple view of the constructs underlying reading comprehension that acknowledges complex connections between print skills and oral language.     

Fluency and comprehension of narrative texts in Turkish students in grades 4 through 8

The present study attempted to extend our knowledge of the role of reading fluency in contributing to reading comprehension among Turkish students in grades 4 through 8. One hundred students at each grade level were administered assessments of reading fluency, word recognition automaticity and prosody, and silent reading comprehension. Word recognition automaticity was found to be a significant predictor of comprehension at all grade levels tested. Prosody predicted comprehension at all grades levels except grade 4. Regression analyses at each grade level indicate that, except for grade 4, word recognition automaticity and prosody, together contribute to the prediction of reading comprehension. The magnitude of fluency’s prediction of comprehension ranged from approximately a quarter to a third of comprehension. The results are discussed in terms of policy and instructional changes that may be considered for reading instruction for Turkish students.     

Sources of variance in curriculum‐based measures of silent reading

Curriculum‐Based Measurement silent reading (CBM‐SR) items have been found to be reliable and valid for measuring reading comprehension skills This generalizability study reports the findings from administration of three CBM‐SR passages to fifth through eighth grade students in one school district. Using Repeated Measures Analyses of Variance (RMANOVA) procedures, the statistical probability of performance on the CBM‐SR task as a differential indicator of reading comprehension skill was found to be significant among students in different grade levels and between students who did and did not receive special education services. Follow‐up analyses were conducted using generalizability theory to estimate the amount of variance in CBM‐SR scores from individual score differences, grade levels, and special education status. The results indicated that on two of the passages, variability in CBM‐SR scores came primarily from grade level differences in scores on the tasks, while on the third passage, the differences were most attributable to individual differences in scores, regardless of grade level or special education services. Implications for the use of CBM‐SR items for routine assessment of students' reading skills are discussed. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 40: 363–377, 2003.     

What are the underlying skills of silent reading acquisition? A developmental study from kindergarten to the 2nd grade

Research on reading acquisition and on the processes underlying it usually examined reading orally, while silent reading, which is the more common mode of reading, has been rather neglected. As accumulated data suggests that these two modes of reading only partially overlap, our understanding of the natural mode of reading may still be limited. The present study was set out to explore the underlying skills of reading acquisition examined using silent measures of reading. To this end, children acquiring reading of the phonologically transparent vowelized Hebrew orthography were followed from kindergarten to the 2nd grade. The relations between a range of verbal and visual-spatial skills with measures of silent reading were tested. Phonological awareness, RAN and vocabulary explained a significant amount of variance in fluency in word recognition and in fluency in decoding of pseudo-homophones, while visual speed of processing of numeric symbols explained a notable amount of variance in fluency in word recognition only. Phonological awareness, morphological awareness and phonological working memory were the main skills explaining the variance in reading comprehension. The relations of these skills with the quality of oral reading have been widely established in the reading literature. Furthermore, a similar developmental picture was obtained in the relations between some of these skills and silent reading, as was found with oral reading. Therefore the role of these skills in reading may not be restricted to a certain mode of reading. Also consistent with findings on oral reading, the role of the visual non-orthographic skills in the measures of silent reading was insignificant to very small. Together these results imply that the processes underlying measures of silent reading are not substantially different from the ones underlying measures of oral reading, at least not at the early stages of reading acquisition of a transparent orthography.     

The role of word recognition,oral reading fluency and listening comprehension in the simple view of reading: a study in an intermediate depth orthography

Empirical research has provided evidence for the simple view of reading across a variety of orthographies, but the role of oral reading fluency in the model is unclear. Moreover, the relative weight of listening comprehension, oral reading fluency and word recognition in reading comprehension seems to vary across orthographies and schooling years. This study aims to examine the direct effects of these three variables on reading comprehension and to test for the existence of indirect effects of word recognition and listening comprehension on reading comprehension via oral reading fluency in European Portuguese, an orthography of intermediate depth. A sample of 264 students was assessed at the end of grades 2 and 4. Structural equation modeling analyses indicated that listening comprehension, word recognition and oral reading fluency predicted reading comprehension in both grade 2 and grade 4. Moreover, the three variables measured in grade 2 predicted later reading comprehension in grade 4. Listening comprehension was always the strongest predictor. Oral reading fluency mediated the relationship between word recognition and reading comprehension, but it was not a mediator variable in the relationship between listening comprehension and reading comprehension. These findings indicate that, similarly to what has been found for other orthographies, the simple view of reading is a valid framework to account for reading comprehension variability in European Portuguese and that interventions to increase reading comprehension levels should focus on word recognition, fluency, and, especially, listening comprehension.     

Matching and Multiple-Choice Cloze Tests

Abstract

Few reliable and valid measures of reading achievement are available to evaluate programs for elementary English-as-a-second-language (ESL) pupils. Four variations on the cloze procedure, which has been previously used with disadvantaged and ESL elementary pupils, were evaluated using randomly assigned groups of fourth and fifth grade students. Matching and multiple- choice variations were selected for comparison because they are in greater consonance with current psycho- linguistic theories of the reading process than are other types of reading comprehension measures. Although the overall results were quite similar for the four cloze variations examined, the matching cloze procedure seems to be preferable for elementary ESL students since these tests produced better item characteristics and were more easily constructed.     

Reading comprehension and information processing strategies

The present study investigated the relationship between the reading comprehension and information processing strategies of relatively fluent oral readers of Oriya orthography. The study was necessary, because Oriya orthography has some significant differences from English orthography and these differences could bear implications for the reading strategies and processes. Hence, it was envisaged that findings in the field of reading research using English orthography may not hold good for the readers of Oriya orthography. One hundred students of grade V were taken as subjects in the present study. Reading comprehension tasks simultaneous and successive information processing tasks and a nonverbal measure of intelligence were administered to all the subjects. Results show that good comprehenders were relatively more intelligent than the poor comprehenders. So far as their performance on simultaneous and successive information processing strategies were concerned good cornprehenders were better off on both types of coding tasks and these differences were found to be statistically significant even after the effect of intelligence was partialled out. However, no differential proficiency on either of these coding strategies was observed neither for the good nor for the poor comprehender group.     

The effect of age‐position and sex on academic performance: a study of secondary schools in Cyprus

The present study examined one aspect of the ‘season of birth’ phenomenon, the variations in educational achievement effected by a child's age‐position within the class. Sex differences in achievement were also examined. An analysis based on a sample of nearly 4,000 high school examination results was conducted. The research analysed the Greek language grade, mathematics grade and the overall ‘high school’ grade, obtained by 17+ year old students who graduated at the end of the 1992/93 and 1993/94 academic years. The presence of an age‐position related effect was found, but in contrast to similar research studies the youngest students, in most instances, outperformed the oldest students. Nevertheless, this finding is consistent with research studies related to the age‐position effect when framed within the context of the Cypriot educational policy of promotion by examination. It was found that the youngest‐born pupils in a year group made up the highest percentage of repeating, i.e. non‐promoted students. However, the findings do suggest a need for a re‐evaluation of the nature of the age‐position effect. It was also found that, in general, female students attained significantly higher grades than their male counterparts.     

Unpacking eye movements during oral and silent reading and their relations to reading proficiency in beginning readers

Our understanding about the developmental similarities and differences between oral and silent reading and their relations to reading proficiency (word reading and reading comprehension) in beginning readers is limited. To fill this gap, we investigated 368 first graders’ oral and silent reading using eye-tracking technology at the beginning and end of the school year. Oral reading took a longer time (greater rereading times and refixations) than silent reading, but showed greater development (greater reduction in rereading times and fixations) from the beginning to the end of the year. The relation of eye-movement behaviors to reading proficiency was such that, for example, less rereading time was positively related to reading proficiency, and the relation was stronger in oral reading than in silent reading. Moreover, the nature of relations between eye movements and reading skill varied as a function of the child’s reading proficiency such that the relations were weaker for poor readers, particularly at the beginning of the year. The relations between eye movements and reading proficiency stabilized in the spring for children whose reading skill was 0.30 quantile and above, but weaker relations remained for readers below 0.30 quantile. These findings suggest the importance of examining eye-movement behaviors in both oral and silent reading modes and their developmental relations to reading proficiency.     

An Examination of a Small‐Group Decoding Intervention for Struggling Readers: Comparing Accuracy and Automaticity Criteria

In this study, we compared methods to improve the decoding and reading fluency of struggling readers. Second‐grade poor readers were randomly assigned to one of the two practice conditions within a repeated reading intervention. Both interventions were in small groups, were 20–28 min long, took place 2–4 days per week, and consisted of phonemic awareness training, letter sound practice, and practice in word families. Students in the accuracy condition (n= 27) practiced each page until they reached 98 percent accuracy while students in the accuracy + automaticity condition (n= 29) practiced until they reached rate (30–90 cwpm) and accuracy criteria. Hierarchical linear modeling revealed no differences between practice conditions in decoding accuracy, reading comprehension, and grade‐level text reading fluency. Significant differences favoring the accuracy + automaticity group were found in measures of decoding automaticity.     

Minimum reading fluency necessary for comprehension among second‐grade students

The current study examined the relationship between oral reading fluency (ORF) and reading comprehension for students in second grade. A total of 84 participants were randomly assigned to one of four conditions that involved reading a grade‐appropriate passage with either 0%, 10%, 20%, or 30% scrambled words and answering subsequent comprehension questions. The correlation coefficient between ORF and the number of comprehension questions correctly answered was r = .54. Receiver operating characteristics were then used to empirically derive a minimum ORF score necessary for comprehension, indicating that when these students read 63 words correct per minute they successfully comprehended what they read. Finally, the diagnostic accuracy of the derived criterion of 63 words read correctly per minute was tested and resulted in overall correct classification of .80. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE EFFECT OF DATE OF BIRTH ON SUBSEQUENT SCHOOL PERFORMANCE

Eleven basic skills involved in effective listening and reading were isolated for study. These skills were believed to underlie an effective understanding of oral and written communications. It was hypothesized that training could improve the learning of these basic listening skills. After controlling for socio‐economic status and sex differences, pupils in grades 2 and 5 were randomly assigned to a training and a non‐training condition. The training consisted of a number of sessions whereby the student listened to pre‐recorded tapes composed around the 11 basic listening skills. Following training, all students were administered a 33‐item test consisting of questions measuring comprehension of the basic skills. Using analysis of variance techniques, the effectiveness of training in listening was analysed. Whereas the training was found to be highly effective at grade 2, it was only moderately effective at grade 5.