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The purpose of this study was to determine whether a read- aloud nonfiction picture books would increase fifth grade students' science comprehension as measured by a criterion reference test. Four questions guided the research in this study: 1. What are the benefits of reading aloud to fifth grade students? 2. According to the Fry Readability graph, what is the readability of the Harcourt textbook used in fifth grade and the readability of the nonfiction picture books chosen for this study? 3. Does the use of a read aloud nonfiction picture book increase fifth grade students' comprehension versus a round-robin instruction of the textbook? 4. What is the attitude of fifth grade students when exposed to read aloud picture books? The subjects in the study included eighty- seven students in four fifth grade classrooms. Four fifth grade teachers from two schools participated. Two fifth grade classes received the nonfiction picture book treatment and two received the textbook round robin instruction. Pretests were given before each lesson and posttests were given after each lesson or treatment. Based on the posttests scores of each group it was determined that the mean rate of change for students in the nonfiction picture book group exceeded that of the textbook group.

This study investigated the effects of 10 times of once a week computer-assisted oral reading while listening (ORWL) on listening comprehension, objective measures and subjective rater judgment of L2 oral reading fluency and L2 rehearsed speech fluency. In addition, how listening score gains relate to working memory, L2 oral reading fluency gains, or L2 rehearsed speech fluency gains were examined. ORWL is a task of listening, speaking and reading almost simultaneously and is usually incorporated with shadowing or oral reading instruction, but rarely be a focus of study. Forty-six first- and second-year, non-English major, low to intermediate English proficiency Japanese college students (Comparison group n = 24; Experimental group n = 22) participated in this study. Over the course of the semester, the comparison group received reading comprehension instruction twice a week (total of 16 times) whereas the experimental group received reading comprehension instruction once a week (total of 6 times) and ORWL instruction once a week (total of 10 times). In order to enhance the effects of ORWL, pronunciation analyses and self-evaluation of recording of oral reading were also conducted during the ORWL instruction. Data were obtained from conducting pre- and post-listening dictation tests, Momotaro oral reading pre- and posttest, Kaguyahime oral reading posttest, rehearsed speech pre-and posttest, and listening span (working memory) test. Before conducting the quantitative analysis, the dichotomous Rasch analysis was conducted to check the validity and reliability of the listening tests. The results showed that the experimental groups’ listening scores did not significantly improve compared to the comparison group. Regarding the effects on L2 oral reading, the experimental group significantly improved the gain scores of the objective measures of fluency compared to the comparison group. The significant improvement was also found for the mean length of runs and number of pauses per minute between the same passage pretest and posttest, but not between the two different passages. Furthermore, the significant difference was found for the subjective rater judgment of speed, pausing and prosody between the same passage pretest and posttest. Regarding the effects on L2 rehearsed speech, no significant difference was found between the comparison and experimental groups on the gain scores of the objective measures of fluency. On the other hand, the significant difference was found for the subjective rater judgment of speed, pausing and prosody between the L2 rehearsed speech pretest and posttest. Regarding the relationship between the listening score gains and working memory, L2 oral reading fluency gains, and L2 rehearsed speech fluency gains, the moderately strong significant negative correlation was found between the listening score gains and the gain scores of the number of pauses per minute. The results suggest that the computer-assisted ORWL instruction can contribute to pronunciation research because it improved students’ L2 oral reading and made their rehearsed speech more comprehensible by improving the impression of speed, pausing, and prosody. ORWL can also contribute to L2 speech processing research because it improved students’ ability to read aloud an L2 text with familiar vocabulary, and the improvement of this ability was found to be important for listening comprehension. / CITE/Language Arts

To insure academic success for students with learning disabilities, it is critical that educators are able to make timely and effective instructional decisions. The focus of this study was to evaluate the relationship and effectiveness of two different progress monitoring tools, a measure of oral reading fluency and the Wilson Reading System's level documentation against measures of reading achievement. Reading achievement was specifically, examined using cluster scores from the Woodcock Johnson Tests of Achievement - Third Edition (WJ-III) Broad and Brief Reading domains. The current study investigated archival data of 51 students, grades four through eight, enrolled in a small, private school for students with learning disabilities during the 2008-2009 school year. Oral reading fluency benchmark and regular progress monitoring scores were collected from students and the progress monitoring scores were converted into an overall rate of improvement. Data from students receiving instruction in the Wilson Reading System were also collected as levels mastered throughout the school year. All students received pre- and post-testing on the WJ-III Reading domain. No significant relationships were found between oral reading fluency rate of improvement and Wilson level. Additionally, only the oral reading fluency spring benchmark significantly predicted end of year WJ-III performance after pre-test scores were taken into account. Supplemental analyses did find that students who completed levels seven and eight in the 2008 - 2009 school year consistently performed better than peers who completed levels two through six at all oral reading fluency benchmark periods. Limitations to the study and implications for future research and practice are discussed. / School Psychology