Thesis (Ed.D.)--University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 2007. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed Feb. 29, 2008). Directed by Carl Lashley; submitted to the School of Education. Includes bibliographical references (p. 111-124).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oregon, 2005. / Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 50-56). Also available for download via the World Wide Web; free to University of Oregon users.

Summaries in English and Afrikaans / Leesmotivering is van uiterste belang vir toekomstige akademiese sukses. Tog toon heelwat skoolleerlinge 'n geleidelike onwilligheid om te lees soos die jare vorder, met stygende skoolverlating tot gevolg. Een van die moontlike redes hiervoor is reeds in die skrywer se vorige navorsing uitgewys, naamlik, onderontwikkelde leervaardighede as gevolg van morfofonologiese bewustheidstekortkominge. Morfofonologiese bewustheid is leerlingbesef van die klankeenhede van gesproke woorde wat nodig is vir die vloeiende dekodering en begrip van woorde van die geskrewe teks. Leerlinge, geidentifiseer in die vorige studie as potensiele swak lesers, het 'n morfofonologiese bewustheidstekort getoon. Om hierdie skoliere by te staan, is 'n morfofonologiese bewustheidsopleidingsprogram (MSO) deur die navorser opgestel wat vir amper 'n jaar tegelykertyd met die konvensionele leesonderrigmetodes deur die leerkrag geimplementeer is. Daaropvolgende leesresultate het sonder twyfel die kwintessensiele rol van morfofonologiese bewustheid vir leesvaardigheidontwikkeling bevestig, en het verder die rehabiliterende gevolge van die MBO-program vir risiko lesers openbaar. Of hierdle gevofge buite die lmplementeringstydperk kon funksioneer en toekomstige lees kon motiveer, was nog onbekend. Ole doelstelling van die huidige ondersoek was om die vroee bevindinge te verleng deur die langtermyneffekte van die MBO-program op leesvaardighede en motivering oor 'n tydperk van drie jaar na te vors. In die natuurlike klaskameromgewing het die studie op die oorspronklike steekproeflede gefokus wat voorheen vir die eksperimentele en kontrole groep op regverdige wyse geselekteer is. Motiveringsverskynsels is in terme van attribusie teorie, spesifiek, en sosiaal-kognitiewe teorie, oor die algemeen, bespreek. Gestandaardiseerde, projektiewe, waarnemings - en onderhoudsmetodes het openbaar dat, in vergelyking met die kontrole groeplede, eksperimentele leerlinge meer leesmotivering getoon het. Ander konstruktiewe langtermyneffekte van die MBO-program is opgemerk: vir akademiese prestasie, spelling, woordeskat, persoonlikheid, attribusies, emosies, leerling-leerkrag en leerling-ouer interpersoonlike verhoudings wat die motiverende effekte blyk te konsolideer. Daar word beweer dat leesmotivering minstens twee vereistes benodig, naamlik, vroee identifikasie van probleemlesers en vroee implementering van die leerkragvriendelike MBO-program. / Reading motivation is of paramount importance for future academic success. Yet numerous school pupils display gradual reluctance to read in advancing years, the outcomes of which compound drop-out rates. One of the possible reasons for this was already identifioo in the earlier research of the writer, namely, underdeveloped reading skills as a result of morphophonological awareness deficits. Morphophonological awareness is pupil consciousness of the sound units of spoken words whlch are vital to fluently decode and understand the sound elements of written text. Pupils Identified in the previous study as potential at-risk readers capable of later reading difficulties indicated a lack of morphophonological awareness. To assist these pupils, a morpho phonological awareness training (MAT) programme was constructed by the researcher and implemented by the class teacher for almost a year in tandem with the conventional reading instructional methods. Subsequent reading results unequivocally confirmed the quintessential role of morphophonological awareness for reading skill development, and moreover revealed the rehabilitating effects of the MAT programme for at-risk readers. However, it was not known at that time whether these effects could extend beyond the period of application and mollvate future reading. The aim of this current investigation was to extend the earlier findings by exploring the long-term effects ofthe MAT programme on reading skills and motivation ov·er a period of three years. In the naturalistic classroom setting, the study focused on the original sample members previously randomly assigr.ed to experimental and control groups. Motivational phenomena are discussed in terms of attribution theory, in particular, and social-cognitive theory. in general. Standardized, projective, observational and interview methods revealed that, relative to control group rnambers, experimentals exhibited more motivation to read. Other constructive long-term effects of the MAT programme were noted for general academic achievement, spelling, vocabulary, personality. attributions. emotions, pupil-teacher and pupil-parent interpersonal relationships which appear to consolidate the motivational effects. It Is concluded that reading motivation requires at least two conditions to be met, namely, early identification of problem readers and early implementati9n of the teacher-friendly MAT programme. / Psychology / D. Litt. et Phil. (Psychology)

M.Ed. (Educational Psychology) / Reading problems as a phenomenon in education is a problem which has been identified in many countries of the world including the Republic of South Africa. If a child experiences a reading problem it affects not only his present life world but also his path en route to adulthood. Reading also forms an integral part of the adult' s daily activities and therefore it is essential that the child (who is a future adult) should be able to be independent as far as reading is concerned. The standard 2-pupil is in the transitional stage between the junior primary- and senior primary phase. It was thus essential to identify reading problems that may exist beyond the junior primary phase with the intention of lending assistance to the child in need. Furthermore it was necessary to undertake a psychodidactic view of reading. Reading was identified as a complex activity, consisting of various components. The educational causes of reading problems were emphasized. Reading errors were divided into 3 categories namely: reading skills, general reading errors and reading attitude. The purpose of this study therefore, was to identify the most common reading errors made by standard 2. pupils, then to compare the reading errors of English and Afrikaans speaking pupils and to propose recommendations with respect to reading instruction in standard 2.. It was also necessary to identify reading problems that still existed after the completion of the junior primary phase ...

The primary focus of this study was to determine the effects of thermal biofeedback training on the reading achievement (comprehension) of underachieving readers in the primary grades. A secondary purpose was to determine whether biofeedback training would alter the locus of control of the subjects involved. The study was based on the integration of research data supporting two related principles: (1) the positive relationships between locus of control and improved academic achievement and (2) the positive relationships between biofeedback and locus of control. Consequently, the theoretical foundation assumed that biofeedback should affect academic achievement.The study was conducted in the four largest elementary schools participating in federally funded Title I reading programs within a midwestern city. Participating Title I students in grades one through three were randomly selected and assigned to the experimental group (biofeedback trained) or to the control group (no treatment). The final sample and subsequent data analyses included 112 students: 52 controls and 60 experimentals. There was an even distribution of sex and race. The subjects were administered the California Achievement Test--Reading, 1977 and the Nowicki-Strickland Personal Reaction Survey as pre- and post-test measures.Biofeedback technicians were trained by a doctorate level person in procedural guidelines for thermal training. Instrumentation included the Cyborg J42 thermal trainer, Biotic Band II, and Physiologic trend indicators. Training occurred 15 minutes per session twice a week for a minimum of 12 weeks. Following biofeedback training, reading instruction proceeded as usual.Results of a correlated t test indicated that primary grade subjects were able to learn the technique of biofeedback training (p<.0001) in a group setting, with a recorded mean difference of 4.58 F. from baseline to peak temperature. Pre-post results of the dependent variable were analyzed using a 2x2x2 multivariate analysis of covariance. The three-way interaction for the treatment, race, and sex comparisons was significant at the .0099 probability level. Subsequent analysis indicated significantly improved reading comprehension for the biofeedback trained black females (p<.Ol) and white males (p<.0001). Also, thermal biofeedback training was found to significantly (p<.0001) affect locus of control toward a more internal direction, in all treatment groups.

Thesis (PhD(Educational Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2000. / Includes bibliographical references.

Using children’s literature to teach English has been promoted by researchers and educators because of its positive effects on learners – motivation, language learning, and personal growth. It is inline with the Hong Kong SAR government’s view on using literature and language arts in classrooms to motivate and teach reading and learning. However, using literature to teach is quite rarely seen in local schools. This dissertation study aims to research the effectiveness of an innovative reading programme—Novel Study—on motivating young learners to read in a local primary school. An action research was conducted in an grade 5 English class and the data was collected through thirty-six semi-structured interviews, observations from ten video-recorded lessons, students’ reading journals and the teacher-researcher’s teaching journals. This study finds that Novel Study had positive impacts on motivating children to read. One significant finding was that the reading programme brought enjoyment in reading and in working on different tasks in class. The study also shows encouraging effects in giving the teacher the opportunities to implement effective teaching strategies and meaningful tasks. / published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

Limited research has been done on the reading strategies of primary school children learning English as a foreign language, particularly in the Hong Kong context. To contribute much needed research in this area, this study uses miscue analysis and prompted think aloud procedures to investigate the reading strategies used by higher and lower proficiency native Cantonese speaking students learning English as a foreign language in primary 4. As part of the investigation the study focuses on the strategies that these students use to comprehend unfamiliar words in context and the contribution of graphophonic awareness skills to the reading process. The study found that (a) higher proficiency students have a clearer awareness of the reading process and the importance of overall coherence and comprehension than their lower proficiency counterparts; (b) higher proficiency students were able to make efficient and effective use of the syntactic and semantic cueing systems to reduce their reliance on graphophonic and pictorial cues; and (c) higher proficiency students focused on more sophisticated graphophonic stategies, such as blending chunks of sounds, identification of syllable and association with other words, while lower proficiency students were more likely to engage in lower level pronunciation strategies, such as blending single sounds, or attempting whole word visual recall. / published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

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