Training of poor readers' phonological decoding skills: Evidence for syllable-bound processing

A flash card computer program designed to increase decoding speed in reading was evaluated with a sample of 55 eight- to twelve-year-old Dutch poor readers by using a pretest-training-posttest control group design. The reading level of the poor readers was comparable to the reading level of normal readers in grade two. After 8 weeks of practicing (twice a week) for 30 minutes per session, children in the training group showed substantial improvements in decoding speed not only on pseudowords directly practiced during the training, but also in untrained pseudowords and in existing words. The no-training control group did not improve in decoding speed from pre- to posttest. The results, furthermore, indicate that syllable-bound processes play a role in phonological decoding in Dutch, and that the flash card method used in this study stimulates poor readers to decode letter strings into syllabic units, which leads to an increase in decoding speed. The role of the syllable in phonological decoding and the potential of a specific flash card technique as a means to improve decoding skills of poor readers are discussed.     

Effects of Learning and Teaching in a Foreign Language

In countries with a small ‘language area’, internationalization may lead to increased use of foreign languages in engineering education. This paper investigates the possible effects of learning and teaching in a foreign language. To arrive at an answer, it reviews research into the relationship between academic success and foreign language proficiency. It concludes that, for engineering programmes, learning and teaching in a foreign language will reduce the quality of education. Not only should a considerable drop in study results be expected, but also an increased workload for both students and teachers.