published_or_final_version / abstract / toc / Linguistics / Master / Master of Arts

published_or_final_version / abstract / toc / Linguistics / Master / Master of Arts

published_or_final_version / abstract / toc / Linguistics / Master / Master of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Humanities / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

Learning to read is critical for quality of life and success in our society. Children who cannot read well face unsuccessful educational careers and limited job choices. Recently, policy makers and educators have made progress toward increasing the reading achievement of America's children. Still up to 60% of boys who live in poverty cannot read or read two years below grade level. In this experimental study, I designed and examined the effects of the Gottshall Early Reading Intervention (GERI) to determine if direct instruction with a small group, phonics based approach would increase the literacy achievement of low performing, rural, first grade boys. Participants were selected according to Texas Primary Reading Inventory (TPRI) scores, matched them across race, ethnicity, and socio-economic status, and randomly assigned them to experimental/control group. Three times per week for 15 weeks, boys in the experimental group attended 30-minute pullout sessions taught by trained professionals in addition to classroom reading instruction. Control group members received classroom reading instruction only. Findings reveal no significant differences in reading gains across all variables. However, descriptive data indicate higher percentages of gains for the experimental group on four out of five reading components with rate of gain higher on fifth. Statistics also show that Hispanics are more likely to benefit.

This project presents a reading strategy in which students who are learning to read are introduced to the reading process in a comprehensible manner regardless if it is in the student's primary language.

This study proposes to examine the invented spelling patterns that Spanish speaking children create in their writing. Their writing samples were then transcribed and each word was categorized as either conventional or an invented spelling.

Chong Ka Yan. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 70-75). / Abstract in English and Chinese. / ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS --- p.i / ABSTRACT --- p.ii / TABLE OF CONTENTS --- p.iv / Chapter CHAPTER I: --- INTRODUCTION --- p.1 / Phonological Awareness as a Predictor of English Reading and Spelling --- p.1 / Levels of Phonological Awareness --- p.4 / Factors Affecting the Development of Phonological Awareness --- p.6 / oral language experience --- p.6 / orthographic experience --- p.8 / phonological training --- p.8 / Transfer of Phonological Awareness in Bilingual Studies --- p.9 / factors affecting the transfer of phonological awareness --- p.11 / Introduction to Hanyu Pinyin --- p.13 / The Present Study --- p.14 / Chapter CHAPTER II: --- STUDY1 --- p.18 / Method --- p.18 / Design --- p.18 / Participants --- p.19 / Procedures --- p.20 / Tasks --- p.20 / Results --- p.25 / Group differences on Phonological Awareness and English measures Relationship between Phonological Awareness and Pinyin --- p.25 / Performance on English Reading and Spelling --- p.28 / Relationship between Phonological Awareness of different Languages --- p.33 / Discussion --- p.34 / Chapter CHPAPTER III: --- STUDY2 --- p.36 / Method --- p.36 / Design --- p.36 / Participants --- p.37 / Procedures --- p.38 / Tasks --- p.39 / Results --- p.42 / Effect of Pinyin training on Phonological Awareness --- p.48 / Transfer of Phonological Awareness --- p.50 / Effect of Pinyin Training on English Reading and Spelling --- p.52 / Decomposing the Effect of Pinyin Training on English Reading and Spelling --- p.53 / Discussion --- p.59 / Chapter CHPATER IV: --- GENERAL DISCUSSION --- p.65 / Limitations --- p.67 / Conclusion --- p.69 / REFERENCES --- p.70 / APPENDIX A: ENGLISH VOCABULARY TEST (STUDY 1) --- p.76 / APPENDIX B: NONWORD SPELLING TASK ITEMS (STUDY 1) --- p.77 / APPENDIX C: PSEUDOWORD READING ITEMS (STUDY1) --- p.78 / APPENDIX D: PHONEMIC ONSET DELETION TASK (CANTONESE) --- p.79 / APPENDIX E: PHONEMIC ONSET DELETION TASK (MANDARIN) --- p.80 / APPENDIX F: PHONEMIC ONSET DELETION TASK (ENGLISH) --- p.81 / APPENDIX G: NONWORD SPELLING TASK ITEMS (STUDY 2) --- p.82 / APPENDIX H: PSEUDOWORD READING ITEMS (STUDY2) --- p.83 / APPENDIX J: PINYIN TEST (STUDY 2) --- p.84 / APPENDIX K: MANDARIN ORAL TEST (STUDY 2) --- p.85

Text in Afrikaans / Learners who struggle to read from the start, will stay behind. But the earlier intervention can start, the greater the chances of success. But what type of intervention is needed? Nowadays researchers overseas use phonemic awareness as a criteria to predict reading success. About 80% of pre-school children will have no trouble grasping the phonological structure of their home language, provided that they are thoroughly immersed in literacy. It is these same 80% who will not have any trouble learning to read. But literacy is a continuous process that starts at birth and there is no magical moment in a child's life that he will all of a sudden be ready to receive literacy instruction. Experience and practice will ensure that the hierarchy of phonemic awareness skills will develop. Those preschoolers who do not have that advantage, must develop phonemic awareness skills while learning to read or else face reading problems. / Educational Studies / M. Ed.(Special Needs Education)

Text in Afrikaans / Learners who struggle to read from the start, will stay behind. But the earlier intervention can start, the greater the chances of success. But what type of intervention is needed? Nowadays researchers overseas use phonemic awareness as a criteria to predict reading success. About 80% of pre-school children will have no trouble grasping the phonological structure of their home language, provided that they are thoroughly immersed in literacy. It is these same 80% who will not have any trouble learning to read. But literacy is a continuous process that starts at birth and there is no magical moment in a child's life that he will all of a sudden be ready to receive literacy instruction. Experience and practice will ensure that the hierarchy of phonemic awareness skills will develop. Those preschoolers who do not have that advantage, must develop phonemic awareness skills while learning to read or else face reading problems. / Educational Studies / M. Ed.(Special Needs Education)