There is no abstract available for this dissertation.

There is no abstract available for this dissertation.

There is no abstract available for this dissertation.

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between dependency and reading achievement.Dependency was defined as a form of social behavior which is exhibited when a student often seeks help, recognition, attention, proximity, physical contact, approval, and reassurance. Reading achievement was defined as a measure of a child's ability to decode and to comprehend written material and to use the knowledge of these two reading components in new situations with new reading material.Subjects were 145 fifth graders from the Muncie Community Schools, Muncie, Indiana. Their level of dependency was measured by the oral administration of two student questionnaires: the "Dependence Proneness Scale" and the "Children's Dependency Scale" and by ratings from their teachers. Dependency scores were correlated with their reading achievement scores on the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills. The statistical technique employed to test the six null hypotheses was the Pearson Product Moment Correlation.The hypotheses not only provided for the testing of the relationship between dependency and reading achievement but also the validity of the three scales. Moreover, since sex was determined as an intervening variable, the hypotheses were analyzed separately for girls and boys.Several conclusions were formulated based on thestudy:1. The "Children's Dependency Scale" is a more valid scale to measure dependency than the "Dependence Proneness Scale."2. Girls show a slight tendency to rate themselves as more dependent than boys; however, teachers tend to rate boys and girls equally regarding their dependency levels.3. Girls who are dependent show a tendency to be poorer readers.4. Child-rearing practices for girls need to be examined since the independent girl tended to be more successful in reading.5. Boys who are dependent do not show a tendency to be poorer readers.6. Assessment of the personality construct of dependency is very difficult, since rejection of several null hypotheses raised questions concerning the validity of some of the scales utilized.7. Teachers should become more aware of the concept of dependency since the dependent child has a different style of learning than the independent one.

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between attitudes toward reading and achievement in reading in first grade. It was designed to measure attitudes toward reading prior to, and subsequent to, beginning reading instruction. Construction of an instrument specifically designed to measure first grade pupils' attitudes toward reading constituted an auxiliary purpose.The basic hypothesis was that there is a positive correlation between attitudes toward reading and achievement in reading in first grade. Null hypotheses were established to subject the hypothesis to statistical testing.A Reading Attitude Inventory was constructed to measure attitudes toward reading as verbally expressed by first grade pupils in individual interviews. After establishing face validity, a 35-item instrument was administered to 142 pupils in six classes of second graders in a pilot study. Specially-devised response sheets were utilized. A multiple regression equation led to retention of twenty-seven, items for the refined instrument. A Teacher's Rating Scale, constructed by the researcher, provided empirical validity for the RAI. Procedures and techniques of administration were systematized by administering the instrument in interviews with six beginning first grade pupils.From a population of 294 pupils who satisfied the criteria--no prior exposure to reading instruction, no reading ability, and adequate capacity to learn--a random sample of 97 first graders (54 boys and 43 girls) in one Midwest school corporation was selected. The RAI was administered in individual interviews in September, prior to beginning reading instruction, and again in May, subsequent to reading instruction.The Gates-MacGinitie Reading Test, Primary A, was administered in May. Employing the test as the criterion, a subject's reading achievement was assessed according to the Bond and Tinker Reading Expectancy formula--years in school x I.Q. + 1.0. If a subject achieved a grade equivalent score equal to or greater than his reading expectancy score, he was considered to be successful in learning to read. Conversely, if a subject's reading achievement score was less than his expectancy score, he was considered to be less than successful in learning to read.Statistical procedures employed were: Pearson's product-moment coefficient of correlation, Fisher's t test, and multiple regression equations. Results indicated no significant relationship between initial attitudes toward reading and achievement in reading when RAI items were unweighted. Differential weighting of items resulted in a significant relationship beyond the .001 level of confidence.The correlation between attitudes toward reading subsequent to reading instruction and reading achievement, when RAI items were unweighted, was significant beyond the .001 level of confidence. The t value of the correlation was increased when items were differentially weighted.Findings also showed a significant relationship beyond the .001 level of confidence between reading achievement and change in attitudes toward reading. Successful achievement in reading was positively correlated with a change from less to more positive attitudes toward reading.Based upon the findings, conclusions were: (1) an instrument can be successfully constructed to measure first grade pupils' attitudes toward reading through a quantitative and objective procedure; (2) attitudes toward reading prior to beginning reading instruction do not appear to be well-synthesized; (3) pupils who exhibit more positive attitudes toward reading, subsequent to beginning reading instruction, tend to achieve more successfully in reading than pupils with less positive attitudes; (4) pupils who are successful in learning to read tend to exhibit a change from less to more positive attitudes toward reading; (5) pupils who do not achieve reading grade levels comparable to their expectancy levels tend to exhibit a change from more to less positive attitudes toward reading; and (6) measurement of attitudes toward reading appears to have greater predictability of achievement in reading than measurement of I.Q.

This thesis was an analytical and descriptive study of the relationships between the reading performance of fourth grade students and televiewing behavior in terms of gross televiewinq time and selected patterns of televiewing habit.The Gates-MacGinitie Reading Tests were administered to 125 fourth Grade subjects to establish levels of performance in reading speed, accuracy, vocabulary, and comprehension. Data on televiewing time and televiewing habits were collected by the Daily Televiewing Log and the Inventory of Televiewing Habits, instruments devised by the author.Mean weekly televiewing times and patterns of televiewing habit of subjects scoring in the upper and lower thirds of each reading performance area were statistically tested for significant relationship at the .05 level.Apparently significant relationships between televiewing behavior and reading performance were discussed in the conclusions of this study.

The objective of this study was to compare the effects of two types of advance organizers on the comprehension of fourth grade students. The students' reading achievement levels were identified, and prior knowledge of the topics presented in the passages was assessed.Six intact classes were randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups. The first group was given a prose organizer before reading each of the passages; the second group received a discussion organizer; and the third group participated in both types of organizers. All of the activities were presented by the regular classroom teachers.The appropriate treatment and a selected passage were given to each group on the same day. On the following day, the subjects were asked to complete a cloze test constructed from selected portions of the passage. This procedure was repeated four times.A three factor analysis of covariance with repeated measurement of the four posttests was used to analyze the data. Reading achievement was used as the covariate in the analysis. Subjects were classified as to treatment group and high or low prior knowledge. Results indicated that the composite posttest means of the groups differed significantly. There was, however, no interaction between treatment and prior knowledge or between treatment and repeated presentations.The Student-Newman-Keuls procedure was applied post-hoc to test the difference among the means. The treatment group receiving only the prose organizer differed from the other two groups with lower passage comprehension. It was concluded that the discussion organizer alone or with a prose organizer facilitated better passage comprehension. / Department of Elementary Education

There is no abstract available for this dissertation.

There is no abstract available for this dissertation.

There is no abstract available for this dissertation.