This diploma thesis deals with the issue of reading of the pupils with dyslexia and the possible support. It is focused on the methods of support and the strategies used by their teachers to develop reading of dyslectic pupils. In the first part, there is a theoretical definition of dyslexia, distinctive features of this diagnosis, diagnostic and education of dyslectic pupils. Further, reading is discussed from a theoretical viewpoint. These two aspects are interconnected and other factors like teaching, the teacher or the personality of the child come in. Then we deal with the methods that can help to improve the level of reading. The fundamental part is dedicated to the methods used for the support and positive influence on dyslectic pupils' reading. The thesis offers suggestions and inspiration for future and current teachers how to approximate reading to their dyslectic pupils. It also deals with some problems occurring in the profession. The aim of this diploma thesis was to learn what strategies teachers in lower- secondary schools use to develop reading literacy of their pupils with dyslexia. In the research, the qualitative method was applied and structured interviews with the lower-secondary teachers experienced in education of dyslectic children were utilized to get information. Research...

Title: Reading as an Instrument for Education of Critical Reading at Lower Secondary School Level Author: Renata Bromová Department: Department of English language and ELT Methodology, Faculty of Arts, Charles University Supervisor: Prof., PhDr. Bohuslav Mánek, CSc. Abstract This thesis deals with the topic of reading as an instrument of critical reading; which enables training of critical reading within teaching English as a part of lower secondary education. Critical reading is consired to be an important part of general education due to the fact that critical reading and thinking as the highest form of work with information gathered from written texts are included in school curriculum and they work as key competences. Research of the thesis maps experience of teachers as well as students with critical reading within English language education and consequently verifies efficiency of systematic work with foreign language text as the means of critical reading. The research is divided into two parts. The quantitative part submits implementation rate of critical reading methods in the English lessons and the qualitative part introduces methodical materials prepared for practical realisation of critical reading practice including mentoring and evaluation of this methodical material. Data collection of both...

The low literacy levels of the majority of first-year students at tertiary institutions in South Africa have been a major cause of concern. Various attempts have been made to assist students to develop their academic literacy levels – especially academic reading. However, most of these attempts are solely cognitive-oriented, even though there has been increasing acknowledgement of the relationship between socio-affective factors and students’ academic reading abilities. The purpose of this research was to explore a socio-affective approach to improving the reading abilities of first-year students at the University of Pretoria (UP). The following questions guided the research: (1) Is there a significant relationship between socio-affective factors and students’ academic reading abilities? (2) Which socio-affective factors best predict tertiary students’ academic reading abilities? (3) How can knowledge of socio-affective factors be used to design a more effective reading intervention? (4) How effective is a reading intervention programme that incorporates socio-affective factors? A mixed methods design was used for the study which was conducted in four phases. The first phase consisted of an exploratory study in the form of a questionnaire survey that elicited information on first-year UP students’ reading background, socio-affective reading levels and the use of reading strategies in relation to their reading proficiency levels, as determined by the Test for Academic Literacy Levels (TALL). ANOVA tests were used for the analysis of TALL results while a Cumulative Logit (regression) analysis was conducted to determine the socio-affective factors that best predict these students’ reading ability. ANOVA tests showed a robust relationship between students’ social and affective reading background on one hand, and their reading proficiency levels on the other. The regression analysis showed that self-efficacy was the best predictor of students’ reading ability, followed by intrinsic motivation. Based on the empirical results, and an adapted model of Guthrie and Wigfield (2000), an intervention programme that served as enrichment to the existing Academic Reading module, and aimed at improving the reading abilities of students by focussing on socio-affective issues in particular, was designed (as phase 2) and implemented (as phase 3) of the study. Two control groups and two intervention groups of At Risk and Low Risk students were used for the study. Questionnaires on affective reading levels and strategy use were administered before and after the intervention. In phase four, quantitative analysis using t-tests (independent and paired t-tests) with effect sizes were performed on the pre- and post-intervention questionnaire responses. Results showed significant improvements in affective levels for reading in the intervention groups compared to the control groups. In addition, qualitative data were collected via interviews on the socio-affective teaching techniques used for the intervention, and analysed qualitatively using content analysis. The results of the qualitative study were used to support the quantitative findings in terms of the measure in which the teaching approach contributed to the improvement in students’ socio-affective levels in reading, which according to research, correlates with students’ reading ability. Based on the findings, recommendations are made at the classroom and institutional levels. The significance of the study in terms of enriching theory and designing innovative support to improve students’ reading ability serve as a conclusion to the thesis. / Thesis (DPhil)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Unit for Academic Literacy / Unrestricted

What is the role of reading comprehension strategy practices in Grades 4 and 5 learners’ reading literacy achievement in the South African Progress in International Literacy (PIRLS) 2006 study? Herein lies the main question of this study. South Africa’s participation and perpetually poor performance in more than one international study highlights literacy as a serious problem in South Africa. The results of literacy studies such as SACMEQ II 2000, the 1999 MLA study, and in particular, the South African PIRLS 2006 study, revealed the predicament in which South African primary education finds itself. The results of these studies emphasise the consistently poor reading literacy achievement by South African primary school learners. The findings that emanated from the South African Progress in International Literacy (PIRLS) 2006 study, showed considerable differences between the various groups of learners in South Africa. The following examples will indicate the differences in reading literacy achievement. The South African Grade 4 learners achieved an average score of 253 (SE=4.6). The Grade 5 learners achieved an average score of 302 (SE=5.6). Both these scores fall far below the fixed international average of 500 (Howie et al. 2007, p. 23). However, in an analysis of the eleven official languages in the PIRLS 2006 study, learners from the Afrikaans language group achieved the highest scores with the Grade 5 girls achieving an average of 427 (SE=11.6). The aim of the study was to identify the effective reading comprehension strategies used at a primary school where the highest scores in South Africa were achieved, then to determine the role that reading comprehension strategies played in literacy achievement as uncovered in the PIRLS 2006 study. This research was conducted at an Afrikaans speaking school in Gauteng where the learners achieved the highest scores in PIRLS 2006. Based on a review of the literature, the study focused on five reading comprehension strategies, namely, identifying main ideas; making inferences; questioning; mental imagery and summarising. These reading comprehension strategies were underpinned by the processes of comprehension outlined for PIRLS 2006 and the PIRLS 2006 model of Contexts for the Development of Reading Literacy was used as a conceptual framework for this study. A profile of Afrikaans Grade 4 and 5 teachers was compiled based on the analysis of the PIRLS 2006 Afrikaans teacher questionnaire data. Teacher profiles consisted of teachers’ biographical information such as age and gender, and their academic and professional background. The practice of reading comprehension strategies was tested on data from a case study of one Grade 4 and one Grade 5 Afrikaans teacher. The findings of the study showed that the use of teaching reading comprehension strategies are essential for learners to achieve any standard of reading literacy. A high standard of reading literacy mainly stems from teachers who perform reading comprehension strategy practices that will mirror the orchestration of instructional strategy activities and comprehension assessment activities. It appears that effective teachers of reading comprehension operate as conductors to guide learners during the reading comprehension process into a constant reader-text-activity dynamic, which enables readers to bring vocabulary and strategy knowledge to the act of reading. The role that reading comprehension strategy practice plays on learners’ reading literacy achievement is illustrated in PIRLS 2006. Copyright / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Science, Mathematics and Technology Education / unrestricted

This study aims to identify and explain relationships between some major factors associated with successful reading at Grade 5 level in South African primary schools. In South Africa, grave concerns with regards to low levels of student achievement pervade research initiatives and educational debates. Despite considerable investments in educational inputs (such as policy and resources) and processes (such as curriculum provision and teacher support), outcomes (such as student achievement) remain disappointingly low. The South African population is characterized by great diversity and variation. With 11 official languages, current educational policy in South Africa advocates an additive bilingualism model and students in Grade 1 to 3 are taught in their mother tongue. Thereafter, when these students progress to Grade 4, the language of learning and teaching changes to a second language, which in most cases is English. At this key developmental stage students are also expected to advance from learning to read to a stage where they can use reading in order to learn. With this complexity of issues in mind, Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM) was used to determine the effect of a number of explanatory variables at learner and school level on reading achievement as outcome variable, while controlling for language using the South African Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) 2006 data. As an international comparative evaluation of reading literacy involving more than 40 countries, PIRLS 2006 was the second, after PIRLS 2001, in a series of planned five-year cycles of assessment to measure trends in children’s reading literacy achievement, policy and practices related to literacy. Grade 5 learners in South African primary schools who participated in PIRLS 2006 were not able to achieve satisfactory levels of reading competence. The gravity of this finding is exacerbated by the fact that these learners were tested in the language in which they had been receiving instruction during the Foundation Phase of schooling. This study found most significant factors associated with reading literacy at learner-level, but this does not mean that the existence of teacher- and school-level factors is not of importance. While some explanatory factors at learner-level can more easily become the target of reading interventions, the higher level effect of the classroom and school are not diminished by this study. Creemers’ Comprehensive Model of Educational Effectiveness was utilized as theoretical point of departure. Creemers’ model was adapted for the purposes of this study to reflect a South African model of reading effectiveness in contrast with Creemers’ original use of it as a model of school effectiveness. Evidence was provided that the conceptual framework was inadequate in identifying factors affecting reading achievement for all South African language groupings. More specifically, the adapted South African reading effectiveness model was only appropriate in explaining reading achievement scores for the Afrikaans and English language groupings than for those from African language groupings. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Science, Mathematics and Technology Education / unrestricted

The thesis is divided into two parts, theoretical and research part. The theoretical part is dedicated to reading workshops, specifically to their importance. Reading workshop is a teaching method that develops reading skills and creates a reading community in the classroom. Furthermore one of the cross-curricular themes, Social and Emotional Learning (SEL), is introduced. The goal of the research part of the thesis is to identify the possibilities of connecting these two areas, to describe how reading workshops are led by elementary school teachers, to determine whether and how can the cross-curricular theme of SEL be incorporated into the reading workshop. This goal was achieved through semi-structured interviews with teachers. The interviews show that the teachers aim at various goals during the preparation for reading workshops, nevertheless they usually don't implement the outputs of the SEL. They would appreciate using inspiring lesson plans. In response to their need, eleven lesson plans for reading reading lessons were added to the thesis. They are aimed at fulfilling the objectives of SEL. KEYWORDS cross-curricular theme of social and emotional learning, reading workshop, reading literacy, reading comunity, sharing

The diploma thesis is focused on the condition of contemporary teenage reading. It ascertains the basic attributes of the chosen basic school pupils' reading. The thesis occupies with characteristic signs of pupil's reader's behaviour, their reader's interests and attitudes, it describes their relation to reading. It also looks at various factors influencing the development of children's reading. The thesis studies the position of reading in competition for other leisure activities of today's teenagers. It researches as well if present teenage reading really is "in crisis" as the level of reading literacy of czech pupils declines, which is shown in latest results of international researches. The theoretical part shows the basic characteristics of teenage reading in regard of progression specifics of the given age group. It is occupied with the way the school literary education influnces the teenage reading, too. It also studies the reading literacy and its position in the basic curriculum document for basic schools. The thesis gives a brief insight into the readership research history in the Czech Republic with emphasy on the results of topical researches as well. The aim of the empiric part of the thesis is to describe the present state of teenage reading of the pupils from the chosen basic...

This Master's thesis examines options to advance reading literacy in schools with alternative education. Thesis is focused on teachers work and used methods. The aim of the thesis was to determine, how schools using alternative educational programs support the reading literacy. Theoretical part explores reading literacy, characteristics of alternative educational programs and schools -Montessori, Waldorf, Dalton and program Step by Step. It specifies RWCT - reading and writing to critical thinking program and method of advancement reading literacy and reading. The practical part evaluates surveys filled by teachers from alternative schools and teachers using alternative educational programs. Survey is focused on teacher's job, utilization of RWCT method in schools, working with reading literacy and support of reading.

In der Arbeit wird die Lesekompetenz von SchülerInnen in Hörgeschädigtenschulen untersucht. Es werden Verfahren genutzt, die im Rahmen der aktuellen Bildungsevaluation nach der PISA- und IGLU-Studie zum Einsatz kommen. In den drei durchgeführten Teiluntersuchungen ist die Klasse des Berliner Schulversuchs als Beispiel eines bilingualen (d. h. gebärden-, laut- und schriftsprachlichen Unterrichts) beteiligt: a) 49 hörgeschädigte ViertklässlerInnen werden mit Hilfe einer IGLU-Textaufgabe untersucht. b) Es wird die VERA-Deutscharbeit 2005 von 57 hörgeschädigten ViertklässlerInnen evaluiert. c) Eine schulweite Studie zur Lesekompetenz an der Ernst-Adolf-Eschke-Schule wird vorgestellt, in der 34 zumeist hochgradig hörgeschädigte Viert- bis NeuntklässlerInnen unter identischen Bedingungen (mit der VERA-Deutscharbeit 2005) evaluiert werden. Eine auf nationalen und internationalen Vorstudien basierende forschungsleitende Hypothese bestätigt sich: Bei gehörlosen und schwerhörigen SchülerInnen in einem weitgehend lautsprachlichen Unterricht findet sich ein Zusammenhang zwischen Hörstatus und Schriftsprachkompetenz. In einem bilingualen Konzept, das für alle SchülerInnen eine funktionale Basissprache zur Verfügung stellt, ist dieser Zusammenhang nicht gegeben oder wird abgeschwächt. So übertrifft die bilinguale vierte Klasse in der schulweiten Untersuchung alle anderen Gruppen, bis hin zur neunten Klasse. Die bilingualen SchülerInnen haben ein entwickeltes diskursstrukturelles Verständnis, exekutives Metawissen und zeigen flexible Schriftspracherwerbsverläufe. Insgesamt liegen die Ergebnisse der hörgeschädigten SchülerInnen unter der hörenden Altersnorm, wobei sich die Variable eines nicht-deutschsprachigen Elternhauses bzw. Migrationshintergrundes als weiteres entscheidendes Merkmal erweist, das sich belastend auf die Entwicklung der Lesekompetenz auswirkt, und SchülerInnen mit einem CI in den beteiligten Hörgeschädigtenklassen überwiegend schwache Ergebnisse erzielen. / The research project focuses on reading literacy in students in schools for the deaf and hard-of- hearing. Research methods are based on current evaluation programs in educational science, following the example of the PISA and IGLU (international name: PIRLS) studies. Three smaller studies are presented, each of which includes a bilingual trial class at the Berlin School for the Deaf, where deaf students are educated by means of sign, spoken, and written language combined: a) 49 hearing impaired fourth graders are evaluated with the help of an IGLU-task. b) A nationwide German test (VERA-Deutscharbeit 2005) of 57 hearing impaired fourth graders is examined. c) At the Berlin School for the Deaf 34 mostly deaf fourth to ninth graders are tested under identical conditions (using the VERA-Deutscharbeit 2005). The results support findings indicated by previous national and international studies: in an educational environment where spoken language is the main means of instruction hearing loss is an important predictor for low literacy. In a bilingual class all students have access to at least one language. Here, the influence of hearing loss as a predictor is weakened or vanishes. The bilingual fourth graders show better results than any other class of their school including ninth graders. They have a higher understanding of the structures of discourse, more highly developed meta-cognitive skills and show flexible ways in the acquisition of written language. The overall results of the deaf and hard-of-hearing students are significantly below the hearing age norm. Deaf and hard-of-hearing students with non-German speaking parents show lower results than those with German-speaking parents. Within this study the majority of children with cochlear-implants produces very weak results.

The thesis Reading Workshop in Kindergarten as a support for the development of reading literacy deals in the theoretical part with the characteristics of pre-school children and their capabilities. It further investigates the methods that could be used for and are essential for the development of reading literacy in the pre-school age and the role of the family in this respect. The theoretical part is concluded with the introduction of the scheme Reading and Writing for Critical Thinking mentioning its basic resources. It shows that the reading workshop methods are very efficient for the active learning of children. The practical part describes 7 reading workshops that have been implemented in a typical kindergarten and this is supplemented with detailed comments. The empirical part investigates the family environment of children and, as based on parents' observations, it evaluates the contribution of reading workshops to the development of reading literacy of pre- school children. Reading workshops proved to be beneficial especially in terms of the growing interest of children in reading and also in terms of children's creativity development. KEYWORDS Reading Workshop, reading literacy, kindergarten, work with book, Reading and Writing for Critical Thinking (RWCT), family, reading, literary education