The major purpose of this investigation was to determine if there are similarities and differences in the critical reading abilities of elementary education majors. A secondary purpose was to identify the differences in the ability to detect specific reasoning fallacies between elementary and secondary majors. / Preservice teachers must be able to detect fallacious statements in order to become successful role models in the area of critical reading. The population tested on the Fallacies in Reasoning Test was composed of 75 elementary and 38 secondary education majors classified as juniors and seniors at the Florida State University, Spring Semester, 1984. / Distribution of item responses and t tests were used to determine the significance of mean difference between both education majors' scores on the specific reasoning fallacies tested. The level of confidence was alpha .05 level. / The null hypothesis was rejected for the hypothesis that stated there is no significant difference between the mean total scores of the elementary and secondary education majors' scores on the Fallacies in Reasoning Test. Also rejected were the either-or, improper data, appeal to conformity, part-whole, and sexism fallacies hypotheses. The null hypothesis was not rejected for the false authority, self-contradiction and stereotyping fallacies. / Secondary education majors as a group scored better, percentage-wise, on each fallacy of reasoning tested. / The self-contradiction subtest was answered incorrectly most often by both groups. The appeal to conformity subtest was answered correctly most often by both groups. / Recommendations following this study included a need to develop other reading diagnostic instruments that could measure the level of reading competency required of preservice teachers to diagnose reading capabilities for their future students. It was suggested also that other reading tests be developed to determine if additional critical reading differences exist between elementary and secondary education majors. / Since teachers must understand students' reading competencies and difficulties throughout the spectrum of education, this study stated the need for future preservice and inservice reading education programs at the university level. A move to strengthen teacher education programs in general is suggested. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 45-11, Section: A, page: 3314. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1984.

This applied research project consisted of three interrelated strands of inquiry concerning the performance of students in two Tallahassee high schools on the first two administrations of the Florida Functional Literacy Test (F.L.T.). A quasi-experiment of the remedial programs provided for the failers of the 1977 F.L.T. was conducted using two dependent variables: F.L.T. percent correct and total reading score from the Woodcock Reading Mastery Test (W.R.M.T.). Results found that remediation led to significant improvements in F.L.T. performance but not in basic reading ability. / An analysis of the amount of gain in F.L.T. test scores between the two testing sessions which can be attributed to regression to the mean was also conducted. This analysis showed that up to 10 percentage points of F.L.T. improvement can be attributed to regression; and that a considerable number of remedial students will pass the F.L.T. on their second attempt because of this artifact. / Those students who passed the F.L.T. by a narrow margin (ten raw score points or less) were found to be reading at a 4.6 grade level. Those students who failed on their first attempt were reading at the 3.5 grade level. All groups showed similar gain in reading skills during the study; at the reading posttest the remedial students were reading at a 3.9 grade level; well below the pretest mean for the near passers. Despite this lack of growth in reading, all but 5 of 42 remedial students passed the second F.L.T. Considerable overlap between the groups in the distribution of reading abilities was also reported. / The concurrent validity of the F.L.T. was estimated as .63 based on the pretest correlation between it and the W.R.M.T. The overall test-retest correlation for the F.L.T. was .61 which can be considered acceptable given the one year delay between testing sessions. The classification reliability of the F.L.T. was estimated as .85 for borderline passers and .95-1.00 for the rest of the near passer continuum. / The reading achievement histories of these two groups of students, and a third which passed the F.L.T. by a safe margin, were described after a search of each student's cumulative record folder. As early as the end of the second grade, the mean reading level from the C.T.B.S. of the eventual safe passers was significantly better than that of the eventual failers. The near passers and failers did not reliably diverge in mean reading ability until the end of the fifth grade. The relative deficiency in reading ability reported for the failers arose from three time periods in their educational history. These periods were: prior to the third grade; during the fifth grade; and the period between the end of the seventh and the end of the tenth grades. The reading achievement of the failers was found to be the most stable of all three groups. This was due to the rarity of these students ever rising above the 30th percentile of the normative population. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 41-03, Section: A, page: 1003. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1980.

This investigator studied the relationships of the ability to detect written fallacies in reasoning, overall level of career aspiration, and reading achievement of twelfth-grade students. Specifically, answers to the following questions were sought: (1) Is there a relationship between the ability to detect written fallacies in reasoning and the overall level of career aspiration of twelfth-grade students? (2) Is there a relationship between the ability to detect written fallacies in reasoning and the reading achievement of twelfth-grade students? (3) Is there a relationship between the overall level of career aspiration and the reading achievement of twelfth-grade students? / The sample for this study was drawn from the population of seniors in a rural county in Northern Florida. A total of 210 students participated in the study. The sample consisted of 103 males, and 107 females who had between 4.0 and 13.6 reading grade-equivalent levels. / Three instruments were utilized in this study: the Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills: Reading (CTBS) instrument, of which the total reading score was used to measure an individual student's level of reading achievement; the Occupational Aspiration Scale (OAS), an eight-item multiple choice instrument designed by O. A. Haller (1963) to measure level of occupational aspiration; and the Fallacies in Reasoning Test (FRT), which was originally developed by Gall (1973), and extended by Johnson (1974), Hurst (1977), Mosley (1978), and this investigator. The FRT consists of 56 multiple-choice items, with seven questions for each of the following eight fallacies: false authority, either-or, improper data, self-contradiction, appeal to conformity, part-whole, stereotyping, and sexism. / The data were analyzed using the Pearson Product-Moment Correlation Coefficient, an index of the degree of linear relationship between two variables. Three null hypotheses were tested, all of which were rejected at the .001 alpha level. On the basis of the data obtained, the following conclusions are substantiated: (1) There is a statistically significant relationship between the ability to detect written fallacies in reasoning and the overall level of career aspiration of twelfth-grade students. Within the sample, the Medium Group (students with total reading scores in the middle 40%, between the 31st and the 70th percentile) appeared to be the most significantly influenced segment in the association of the FRT and OAS. Students in this range appeared to be more realistic in their career aspirations. This realistic approach to their career choices is in line with the students' ability to recognize written fallacies in reasoning. (2) There is a statistically significant relationship between the ability to detect written fallacies in reasoning and the reading achievement of twelfth-grade students. Within the total sample, the Medium and Low Groups (students with total reading scores between the 1st and the 70th percentile) appeared to be the most significantly influenced segments in the association of the FRT and CTBS. Students in the Medium and Low Groups appeared to be affected by their reading achievement in their critical reading skills. (3) There is a statistically significant relationship between the overall level of career aspiration and the reading achievement of twelfth-grade students. Within the Total Group, the Low Group (students with total reading scores between the 1st and the 30th percentile) appeared to be the most significantly influenced segment in the association of the OAS and CTBS. This may indicate that students with low levels of reading achievement are most affected by their reading ability in their career choices. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 41-05, Section: A, page: 2033. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1980.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of value analysis instructional procedures upon students' achievement in reading comprehension. Students were randomly assigned to one of two treatments: reading instruction using a basal approach or reading instruction using a value analysis approach. A model of value analysis originally developed by Fraenel was adapted to design materials in the value analysis group. Literal reading comprehension and higher reading comprehension were tested separately. In addition, the factor of retention over time and the interaction between treatment and time was tested. Sample treatment sessions were taped and rated to insure consistency of approach of the researchers. The two treatment groups were compared through a simple t-test procedures to substantiate the claim that the two treatment groups were equivalent with regard to ability. Students were administered the McGuire-Bumpus Reading Comprehension Test (form X) immediately after the treatment ended and a parallel form of the same test (form X) of the same test two weeks after the treatment ended. / A total of 108 students participated in this study. All students attended the Developmental Research School in Tallahassee, Florida, The students population at this school is carefully chosen through computer analysis to reflect the socio-economic and ethnic composition of the State of Florida. / An analysis of variance design with repeated measures on the dependent variable was chosen to ascertain the difference between the means for the value analysis treatment group and the basal treatment group. / With respect to the literal level of reading comprehension, no significant difference between the means for the value treatment group and the basal treatment group was found. Also, no significant differences were observed between the first and second post-tests and the interaction between treatment and time. However, trends in the obtained data show that the sample mean for the value analysis treatment group appeared to be higher on the delayed post-test than the sample mean of the basal treatment group. One possible explanation for this finding is that discussion of the value issues inherent in the stories helped students to recall and to organize information around a central theme. / While no significant difference for higher level reading comprehension was found, there was a tendency for participants in the value analysis treatment group to perform better on both tests than the basal treatment group. These results suggest that both the processes of reading comprehension and valuing may encompass what may be called the critical process; analyzing, applying and integrating information. / The effect of the treatment over time for higher level reading comprehension, produced no significant difference between the means of the first and second post-test although there was a trend for the scores on the second post-test to be lower. This tendency may be due merely to the passage to time. The interaction between time and treatment for higher level reading comprehension was found to be non-significant. / The findings of this study may tentatively suggest that if teachers focused on the many value issues inherent in basal reading material, reading comprehension at higher levels may be improved. It was further recommended that publishers and teacher educators should consider providing the necessary tools of value analysis to classroom teachers. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 41-07, Section: A, page: 3025. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1980.

The purposes of this study were: (1) To determine whether there is a significant difference in the ability to detect reasoning fallacies between Thai university humanities and sciences majors. (2) To determine whether there is a significant difference in the ability to detect reasoning fallacies between female and male Thai university freshmen. / The instrument used in this study was the Critical Reading Test which consisted of four subtests, these are: fact and opinion fallacy, either-or fallacy, stereotyping fallacy, and false cause fallacy. / A two-way analysis of variance was used to test for a significant difference in group means at the .05 Alpha level. The findings indicated that sciences majors obtained a statistically significant higher mean scores on the total test and on the fact and opinion fallacy subtest than did humanities majors. Females obtained a higher total mean score than did males. However, the difference was not significant. Females obtained statistically higher mean scores on the stereotyping and false cause fallacy subtests. It was also found that the false cause fallacy was the most difficult to detect followed by stereotyping, either-or, and fact and opinion. Recommendations were given for further studies and practices. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 41-10, Section: A, page: 4347. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1980.

The problem of this investigation was to determine if: (1) there are differences between black eleventh grade students and white eleventh grade students in the ability to interpret proverbs, (2) either the socio-economic status of the student or the educational level of the student's parents has a significant effect on the ability to interpret proverbs, (3) there are differences between the two groups' (black, white) comprehension of specific proverbs. / The population was composed of 90 eleventh grade students; 33 black students and 57 white students. All students had met the criterion of functional literacy as defined by the Florida Statewide Assessment Test, Part II (Communications Skills Section). / The instrument used in this study was The Proverb Test developed by the researcher. The instrument was field-tested for reliability and validity. / Four hypotheses were tested. Hypothesis one stated that there is no significant difference between the mean scores of literate black eleventh grade students and literate white eleventh grade students in the ability to interpret proverbs. This hypothesis was tested, along with hypotheses two and three, in an analysis of covariates. The null hypothesis was rejected. / Hypothesis two stated that there is no significant difference between the mean scores on a test of proverb comprehension of subjects of different socio-economic levels. The null hypothesis was accepted. / Hypothesis three stated that there is no significant difference between the mean scores of subjects with parents of differing educational backgrounds on a test of proverb comprehension. The null hypothesis was rejected. / Hypothesis four stated that there is no difference between the scores of literate black eleventh grade students and literate white eleventh grade students on individual proverb items. This hypothesis was tested using a frequency table. A difference of 10% between the two groups in correctness of response was considered significant. The null hypothesis was rejected. / The conclusions from this study were: (1) that linguistic characteristics associated with race constitute a factor in the ability to understand and apply the common proverbs used in this study; (2) that family income is not a factor in an adolescent's ability to understand and apply common proverbs; (3) that educational level of the subject's parents is a factor in the ability to understand and apply the proverbs used in this study; (4) that there is a difference between the racial groups on individual proverb items. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 42-01, Section: A, page: 0155. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1981.

Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 40-09, Section: A, page: 4980. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1979.

The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the development in the critical reading ability of students in grades four, eight, and twelve in the public schools of Puerto Rico. / Specifically, the research was conducted to determine: (1) If there is growth in the critical reading ability of Puerto Rican students from the elementary level through the high school level. (2) If there is a significant difference in the critical reading ability of Puerto Rican male and female students. (3) If there is a significant difference in the critical reading ability of male and female fourth, eighth, and twelfth grade Puerto Rican students. (4) What types of reasoning fallacies Puerto Rican male and female students most often fail to detect. / The .05 alpha level of significance was used as the criterion for the 24 hypotheses, which were tested using a two-way analysis of variance. The hypotheses stated that there were no significant differences in the critical reading ability of Puerto Rican students due to grade, sex, and the interaction between grade and sex. / The Test of Reasoning Fallacies was administered to 259 subjects enrolled at three different schools, located in the city of Carolina, Puerto Rico. / The results revealed some growth from the elementary school through the junior high school level, and no growth from the junior high school through the high school level. No significant differences were found between males and females in the ability to detect written fallacies; but a significant difference in the ability to detect the Appeal-to-Conformity Fallacy was found. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 42-07, Section: A, page: 3087. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1981.

Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 40-09, Section: A, page: 4979. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1979.

Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 40-09, Section: A, page: 4979. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1979.