M. Ed. (Educational Psychology) / Reading is a complex activity which is of the utmost importance for successful progress in mainstream education, but which is seldom fully understood by professionals in the field of education. It is also an ability which is often problematic for children to master. The purpose with this study was to gain a better understanding of the reading process and to explore the reasons why some children fail to learn to read effectively. The research was based upon the following research questions: what constitutes beginning reading; how these problems manifest in the reading behaviour of the child with reading problems; and how the child with reading problems describes his knowledge about reading. The first aim of the study was to establish what the nature of reading is, how it develops in beginning readers (in the junior primary phase) and what the possible causes of reading problems are. This was achieved by an analysis of reviewed literature, emphasising the child as a system whereby his inner world is in interaction with the world around him. The additional aim was to conduct a qualitative analysis was undertaken in which the reading actions of two eight year old readers were presented and analyzed by means of a protocol analysis. The data of the two early readers were compared and the following categories of their reading actions identified: the mechanics of reading. construction of meaning and metareading knowledge. It was argued that these categories are interrelated in the sense that the one influences the other to such an extent that they cannot be separated for purposes of teaching reading skills. The mechanics of reading seems to be the foundation of meaning construction as it was apparent that the readers could not answer the comprehension questions when they were unable to recognise the words. This promotes a "back to basics" approach of teaching reading. On the other hand it also came to light that the readers could read certain words, but did not understand them due to the fact that they did not comprehend the context thereof and clearly had not constructed schema in the domain previously. The levels of functioning of the two readers were explained by using comparative matrices which indicated that they function on pre-conceptual and systematic conceptual levels, that is below the level that could be expected for their reading age group. Arguing from the findings of the research it was evident that teachers, as well as therapists concerned with reading remediation, probably address reading problems without fully understanding what the act of reading entails. Furthermore, school curricula which have the teaching of reading skills as objective could adopt a "back to basics" approach whereby phonics teaching and the accompanying emphasis on word recognition could be the point of departure. Thereafter comprehension and meta-reading aspects could be emphasised. It is, however, extremely important to keep in mind that each of these components of the teaching of reading, namely phonic recognition, word recognition, comprehension and meta-reading are not seen in isolation, but that the interaction of these aspects is understood and taught.

The major purpose of this study was to attempt to determine word recognition and comprehension criteria for the frustrational level of reading by means of the galvanic skin response (GSR), in order to substantiate the conventional criteria used by authorities in the field. The sample consisted of 60 children in grades two and three, for whom parental consent for inclusion in the study had been obtained. Scores from a standardized reading achievement test were used to stratify all second and third grade children on reading achievement level (below, average, and above average). Ten children for each grade and reading achievement level were then randomly selected (N=60). Subjects were required to read the words on the Wide Range Achievement Test-Level 1 (1965) while being monitored on the GSR in order to obtain an index of each child's high arousal level. This level was then to have been used to indicate the frustrational level of reading as the child read the passages of the Diagnostic Reading Scales (1972), that was treated as an informal reading inventory. At this level, word recognition and comprehension accuracy scores were to have been obtained, and these compared to the existing criteria. However, during the reading of the Diagnostic Reading Scales passages no subject attained the arousal level obtained on the Wide Range Achievement Test, and therefore frustrational level of reading had to be determined from the criteria stated in Johnson and Kress (1965). As a result, alternate hypotheses were postulated. GSR arousal levels were obtained for the instructional and pre- frustrational levels of reading, for both the oral reading and comprehension sections of the test, and these statistically compared. At the frustrational level of reading, comparisons were made between the oral reading and comprehension sections of the test, the three reading achievement groups, and for the boys and the girls. Data were analyzed using a two-way analysis of variance for a repeated measures design. It was found that there was no significant difference between the oral reading of the passage and the comprehension section at both the instructional and frustrational levels of reading. The three reading achievement levels did not differ significantly in arousal at the frustrational level of reading. Implications of the results were discussed. / Education, Faculty of / Language and Literacy Education (LLED), Department of / Graduate

No description available.

"Much learning today is based on how well people read. Some retardation among high school students is caused by poor reading habits. Realizing that reading ability is one of the major problems of education, the author decided to perform an experiment in the field of reading. The basis of the experiment was to determine the possibility of using certain materials already present in the Port St. Joe High School and certain methods of instruction for improving reading rate without loss of comprehension. The methods of instruction were designed by the author who was also the experimenter. The materials and methods that were used in the program were designed to decrease the number and time of eye fixations in reading lines on a printed page. Ability to cover a wider span in one eye fixation and decrease the number of eye fixations in reading a printed line is directly related to increased reading rate"--Introduction. / Typescript. / "August, 1952." / "Submitted to the Graduate Council of Florida State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science." / Advisor: Marian Black, Professor Directing Paper. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 21).

For generations--and certainly for the last 30 years--proponents of traditional and progressive philosophies have argued over how best to educate our children. Although this debate is often carried out in the political and academic spheres, the difficulties created by not being able to resolve the differences between the two belief systems become blatantly clear in the pedagogy of early literacy. On the one hand, traditionalists argue for a direct and explicit instructional methodology, and on the other hand, progressives advocate for Whole Language or Balanced Literacy instruction. The classroom often becomes a battlefield as advocates of these opposing schooling paradigms struggle with each other. Differences emerge about which skills and what knowledge are the most important for students to master. Conflicts arise over which methodology is most effective in ensuring that students gain access to bodies of knowledge. The result is that the real world of classroom instruction often becomes a mish-mash of content and strategies that derive from both philosophies. Student assessments frequently contribute to the confusion because they are not aligned with the knowledge and skills students are expected to acquire as well as with the strategies teachers use. Without assessments that are tightly coupled with the underlying philosophy of an instructional program, with classroom practice, and with high-stakes summative assessments, it is extremely difficult for both teachers and administrators to have confidence that they are offering their students the best possible learning opportunities. Interim/benchmark assessments are vital tools for linking classroom instruction with year-end assessments and an essential element of any comprehensive assessment system. Currently, the Dynamic Indicator of Beginning Early Literacy Skills, commonly referred to as DIBELS, is a widely used interim/benchmark assessment. It serves many districts and schools quite well. However, many progressive educators believe that the DIBELS assessment is not well-aligned with a Balanced Literacy approach. In this dissertation the author examines the following essential question about early literacy interim/benchmark assessments: (a) Is the relationship between the assessed level on the Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA), which fits within a Balanced Literacy framework, and student's performance on high stakes accountability test as strong as the relationship of DIBELS to these same tests; and (b) does the DRA have a degree of predictive validity comparable to DIBELS? The study demonstrated a strong relationship between the DRA and performance on OAKS and that the DRA has a degree of predictive validity that is comparable to DIBELS. The results from the study support the claim that a curriculum-based measure, such as the DRA, can be used as a literacy screening assessment to detect potential reading difficulties. These results give support to progressive educators who wish to have a viable alternative DIBELS.

Psychological tests are closely tied to the context in which they were designed. Within the South African context, the inequalities of apartheid played a major role in test development and use, and it relies on various international tests that may not be suitable to the context and on local tests that may not include all linguistic groups. There is a need for psychological tests that are in use to be reliable, valid and free from bias. Thus, this research examined the applicability of the Neale Analysis of Reading Ability-Second Revised British Edition (NARA II) in the South African context. Aspects of reliability, validity and bias were examined. A non-probability sample of 144 Grade Four first and second language learners attending one of four government schools in Gauteng were assessed on the NARA II. A non-probability sample of eight professionals (two teachers, one psychometrist, two educational psychologists, two speech therapists and one reading therapist and trainer) were interviewed for their views on the applicability of the NARA II. The research followed a mixed methods approach, namely a sequential explanatory strategy. The results demonstrated adequate internal consistency reliability, although this was lower than in the normative sample and other studies. Face validity and concurrent validity were adequate. The content validity of the NARA II was questionable within the South African context, suggesting it should be adapted for use in this country. Some evidence of bias based on gender, home language, population group, educational level of parents and the school learners attended was found. The qualitative data supported findings from the quantitative data. A thematic content analysis identified nine themes namely Suitability of the NARA II to the South African context, Similarities between the NARA II and reading tasks in school, Differences between the NARA II and reading tasks in school, Comprehension skills, Assessment tools utilised for reading in South Africa, Learner errors on reading, Foundations of reading, Benefits and Affordability. The overall conclusion is that adaptation of the NARA II and norming on the South African population be undertaken.

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

Call number: LD2668 .T4 1979 S46 / Master of Science

published_or_final_version / abstract / Linguistics / Master / Master of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / abstract / Linguistics / Master / Master of Arts