Thesis--Wisconsin. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 145-149).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 1981. / Vita. Bibliography: leaves [240]-252.

In a comparative study of successful and unsuccessful readers near the end of first grade, reading achievement tests -were administered to one hundred nine subjects and those scoring in the upper and lower quarters of the ordered standard scores were designated as good and poor readers respectively. A battery of seven tests was administered to the fifty-four subjects thus selected. The battery was composed of two tests of visual perception (visual memory of symbols and reversal of symbols), three verbal coding tests (letters, transposition of consonant trigrams, and phonemes, blends, and phonograms), and two tests of meaningful association (vocabulary listening and sentence listening). It was found that good and poor readers were significantly different (.0001) on the subskills considered simultaneously and beyond the .02 level of significance on each of the seven subskills considered separately. Different patterns of correlation were evidenced with generally significant correlations within the clusters for poor readers but not for good readers. Regression analysis indicated that the verbal coding and meaningful association clusters made significant contributions to the prediction of reading category (successful or unsuccessful). The contribution of the visual perception cluster was also significant when it was entered before the verbal coding cluster. The subskill variables making the greatest contribution to the prediction of reading category were phonemes and vocabulary listening. All subskills with the exception of reversals were significant predictors if they were entered early in the regression analysis. Approximately 85 per cent of the variance in reading achievement as designated by successful or unsuccessful category was accounted for by the subskills tested. / Education, Faculty of / Graduate

This study explored the difference in field independent-dependent perception of good readers as compared with poor readers. To accomplish this, it was necessary to try to partial out or eliminate the effects of extraneous but influential variables. An attempt was made to experimentally control the following variables: (i) lack of familiarity with spoken English, (ii) visual defects, (iii) sex, (iv) age, and (v) number of years in school. The extraneous variable statistically controlled was nonreading verbal intelligence. A total of 49 second-grade boys constituted the sample of this study. Of these, 26 comprised the good-reader group and 23 the poor-reader group. They attended eight public elementary schools of Richmond, B.C. Three instruments were employed. These were the Metropolitan Achievement Test, Primary Battery II, Form B, "Reading Stories" subtest, the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (Verbal Scale), and the Children's Embedded Figures Test. The statistical techniques applied were one-way analysis of co-variance and multiple regression analysis. The main hypothesis predicted a significantly higher level of field independence among good readers than among poor readers with the effects of nonreading verbal intelligence controlled. The data did not uphold this hypothesis. A sub-hypothesis predicted a significant positive correlation between field independence and reading comprehension, when level of verbal IQ was statistically controlled. The data did not support this hypothesis. The single variable which correlated most highly with reading comprehension was nonreading verbal IQ. In addition, verbal intelligence was a considerably more valid predictor of field dependency than was reading comprehension, which accounted for almost none of the field dependency variance. The negative results and the almost non-existent relationship between reading comprehension and field dependency were discussed in terms of the scoring procedures for the CEFT. It was felt that the standardized procedure possibly invites a good deal of extraneous variance, particularly since it apparently rewards reflective responses and penalizes impulsive responses. An alternate scoring technique was proposed which might reduce the possibility of contamination by the extraneous variable of impulsivity-reflectivity in responding. / Arts, Faculty of / Psychology, Department of / Graduate

In all lessons, teachers communicate ideas orally in their daily contact with children. In this oral presentation teachers set models for children of correct pronunciation, intonation, and rhythm of speech. Listening to these speech patterns is of primary importance to children in developing comprehension in any language arts or communication skills program. Because it places primary emphasis on interpretation, oral reading by the teacher is one approach to reading instruction aimed at developing pupil's listening and reading vocabulary and comprehension. When the teacher reads orally to the children, she can alter her speed, use inflection, emphasis and pause, and create the atmosphere essential to making the lines sound as the author probably intended them to. It is assumed that this kind of reading not only helps to increase pupils’ listening and reading vocabulary, but makes them aware of the types of content juvenile literature can offer them. The major hypotheses of this study were: (1) to determine the effect of a program of oral reading by the teacher on children's silent reading achievement, listening vocabulary; attitude toward reading; (2) to determine the relationships between each of the following factors taken in turn: silent reading achievement; listening vocabulary; attitude toward reading; intelligence; socioeconomic status; (3) to determine the differences if any, in the silent reading achievement, listening vocabulary, and attitude toward reading of boys and girls. Eight grade five teachers, each teaching two reading classes in the Vancouver schools, were utilized in this experimental study. One class taught by each teacher served as the control class and the other the experimental class. In each case both classes got the same reading lessons from their teacher. However, in the experimental group the fifty minute reading lesson was shortened to forty minutes. The teacher read a children's novel for the remaining ten minutes. The program lasted for twelve weeks. As pretests, the Gates MacGinitie Reading Tests Survey D Form M-l, the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test Form A, and the San Diego County Inventory of Reading Attitude were given in the first week of January, 1968. Alternate forms of the Gates MacGinitie Reading Tests Survey D and of the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test together with the same form of the San Diego County Inventory of Reading Attitude were given as posttests in the last week of March, 1968. Analysis of covariance was used to determine any difference in the treatment. Product-moment correlation coefficients were calculated between the means of the gain scores on each of the dependent variables for both boys and girls in the experimental as well as in the control group. The findings did not show any significant difference in silent reading achievement, listening vocabulary and attitude toward reading between the treatment groups. In the experimental group, the boys seem to have benefited more than the girls in silent reading comprehension. The boys comprehended better than the girls after the treatment. The oral reading by the teacher seems to have nullified the influence of intelligence and socio-economic status of children of low IQ and socio-economic level. Children of these categories in the experimental group made significantly greater gains in silent reading comprehension and total silent reading achievement than children in the same categories in the control group. When socio-economic status was held constant, the relationships in the experimental group between intelligence and gain scores on each of the dependent variables were not significant. All the children in this group seemed to progress regardless of their intelligence. When intelligence was held constant, in the experimental group, the relationships between socio-economic status and gain scores on each of the dependent variables were not significant. However, the negative significant relationships between socio-economic status and gain scores in silent reading speed and accuracy and socio-economic status and total silent reading achievement for the girls of low socio-economic level indicates that these girls improved in these two aspects or reading achievement. Also, the boys as well as the girls of low socio-economic level progressed in their total silent reading achievement. These findings seem to suggest that boys particularly need some kind of reading materials which increase their background of reading vocabulary and comprehension. Also, children of low IQ and socio-economic level seem to need some acquaintance with unfamiliar words, phrases and sentence structures which provide background for their later silent reading. / Education, Faculty of / Graduate

A program for teaching reading for a fifth grade, if well done, will broaden the experience of the children. Effective reading instruction must be based on understanding the developmental needs of the learner and providing adequate guidance. The teaching program must provide large objectives which can be followed throughout the year. An effort must be made to find the best method of creating in the pupils the desire to read both for self-improvement and for leisure time. / Typescript. / "A Paper." / "Submitted to the Graduate Council of the Florida State College for Women in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts under Plan II." / "August 3, 1945." / Advisor: R. L. Eyman. / Includes bibliographical references.

"Reading may contribute to personal and social development and may greatly enrich personality. It may also produce undesirable results. For this reason, a well-conceived and intelligently directed reading program should aim to reduce undesirable responses to a minimum. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to help the writer think through and plan a reading program which will aid the child in developing personally and socially. The paper is intended to apply primarily to a fifth grade level, but may also be used for any upper elementary level"--Introduction. / Typescript. / "May, 1956." / "Submitted to the Graduate Council of Florida State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science." / Advisor: Marian W. Black, Professor Directing Paper. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 49-51).

The purpose of this study was to secure evidence of factors involved in learning to read. The factors considered for purposes of this study included (1) physical and mental growth and development; (2) peer-peer and socialization processes and factors; (3) emotional maturity.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Boston University.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Boston University.