This manuscript synthesizes the importance of the alphabetic principles of reading, building blocks of teaching reading, indicators of early reading success, and curriculum-based measures (CBM) within the Response to Intervention (RtI) process from empirical research. A review of the literature reflects contrasting views on which specific pre-reading skill is most predictive of word reading success toward the end of kindergarten and the important role of CBM in such an analysis. Therefore, my research questions analyzed (a) the correlations between letter naming, letter sounds, phonemic segmentation, and word reading fluency in kindergarten; (b) the relative predictive relation of letter names, letter sounds, and phonemic segmentation measures to word reading fluency for kindergarten students; and, (c) the relation of non-academic variables of special education status, English language learner status, attendance, free-and-reduced-meals, and NonWhite Race to word reading fluency in kindergarten. Correlation results indicated the correlation between winter word reading fluency and spring word reading fluency in kindergarten was r = .82, spring word reading and fall letter sounds was r = .57, spring word reading and winter letter sounds was r = .66, and spring word reading and spring letter sounds was r =.58. All the non-academic variables weakly correlated to spring word reading, with the exception of fall attendance percentage showing a negative to low correlation range (-0.15 to 0.11). In addition, regression results indicated that Winter Word Reading Fluency (Winter WRF) (β = .64) was predictive of Spring Word Reading. Spring Letter Sounds (Spring LS) (β = .29) also were predictive of Spring Word Reading as was Fall Letter Sounds (Fall LS) (β = .11). These results frame practical implications for reading instruction that suggest ways in which schools and districts to think about staffing, instruction, and schedules to better meet student needs in preparation for state-mandated all-day kindergarten in the fall of 2017 and beyond.

No description available.

Relationships between various types of orthographic processing and word reading were explored in a sample of 90 second and third grade students in a one and a half year longitudinal study. Participants were administered tests of lexical and sublexical orthographic knowledge, orthographic learning, word reading accuracy, word reading fluency, irregular word reading, nonword decoding, phonological awareness, and nonverbal reasoning. Cross-lag hierarchical regression analyses were used in order to predict growth in the dependent variable. In all analyses, the controls of age, nonverbal reasoning, phonological awareness, and an earlier measure of the dependent variable were entered into the regression before the predictor variable. Generally, it was found that orthographic knowledge measures did not predict growth in word reading (with the exception of irregular word reading), whereas word reading measures predicted growth in orthographic knowledge. Orthographic learning did significantly predict growth in all measures of word reading except nonword decoding. Only word reading accuracy predicted growth in orthographic learning measures. Implications for reading development theory and reading education are discussed.

This study examined English and French literacy skills among language minority children in French immersion. Forty children with a first language other than English (non-English L1) and forty-one native English-speaking (EL1) children were examined on phonological awareness, rapid automatized naming, word reading, and English vocabulary at the beginning and end of Grade 1. They were also examined on phonological awareness, word reading, and French vocabulary at the end of the year. Non-English L1children experienced greater growth in English expressive vocabulary, and similar growth in English receptive vocabulary, to that of EL1 children. There was a cross-language transfer of phonological awareness and word reading from English to French, and cross-language relationship between English receptive vocabulary and French receptive vocabulary for both groups. Non-English L1 children do not lag behind in early English skills, even when their English exposure is limited in a French immersion setting.

This study examined English and French literacy skills among language minority children in French immersion. Forty children with a first language other than English (non-English L1) and forty-one native English-speaking (EL1) children were examined on phonological awareness, rapid automatized naming, word reading, and English vocabulary at the beginning and end of Grade 1. They were also examined on phonological awareness, word reading, and French vocabulary at the end of the year. Non-English L1children experienced greater growth in English expressive vocabulary, and similar growth in English receptive vocabulary, to that of EL1 children. There was a cross-language transfer of phonological awareness and word reading from English to French, and cross-language relationship between English receptive vocabulary and French receptive vocabulary for both groups. Non-English L1 children do not lag behind in early English skills, even when their English exposure is limited in a French immersion setting.

The current study examined the phonological process of prosodic ability in a model of adult word reading and reading comprehension ability. All phonological tasks involve executive functions (EF) reflected in an individual’s flexibility for manipulating different components of language. To account for the EF demands involved in phonological tasks of reading, EF was assessed using measures of inhibitory control and switching attention as both a control variable and predictor in each model of reading. Two research questions guided the study: 1) Do prosodic ability and EF make independent contributions to word reading, and reading comprehension ability when controlling for the other? 2) Do prosodic ability and EF make unique contributions to word reading, and reading comprehension ability when controlling for the other, in addition to controlling for vocabulary, fluid (nonverbal) intelligence, rapid automatized naming (RAN - Digits), and phonological short-term memory (PSTM)? Participants were one hundred and three native-English speaking adults (18 to 55 years of age) recruited from Eastern Ontario. A total of 8 regression models were tested. The analyses revealed unique contributions of prosodic ability in adult word reading achievement, and EF in silent reading comprehension. Prosody’s contribution to word reading above EF supports prosodic awareness as a phonological skill that can be used to explain individual differences in word reading, whereas EF’s contribution to reading comprehension supports its’ role in more complex reading tasks. Prosody and EF represent constructs that warrant future consideration in models of reading. / Thesis (Master, Education) -- Queen's University, 2013-12-19 16:15:50.64

Studien tar sin utgångspunkt i kognitiva skrivteorier. Syftet med studien har varit att undersöka om handskrivnings- stavnings- och avkodningsförmåga hade statistiska samband med textlängd och textkvalitetsamt om det fanns några skillnader mellan flickor och pojkar. Studien ville även se om det var bokstävernas läslighet eller om det var elevens föreställning om bokstavens utseende som hade betydelse för textlängd och textkvalitet. I urvalet ingick 38 elever i år 2. Resultaten visade att förmåga att snabbt skriva läsliga bokstäver och att kunna stava ord hade samband med textlängd. Textlängd hade samband med textkvalitet, ordvariation och syntaktisk komplexitet. Handskrivning och stavning hade ett måttligt samband med innehållsliga aspekter av textkvalitet och de förklarade 60 % av variationen på textkvalitet. Handskrivning och stavning hade starka samband med textyteaspekter av textkvalitet. Handskrivning och stavning hade dessutom ett inbördes samband. Avkodning hade samband med stavning och med textyteaspekter av textkvalitet. Flickor var bättre på handskrivning och de hade bättre läsbarhet i sina texter. Flickor hade också högre skrivhastighet, ett mer varierat ordval i texterna och använde stor bokstav och skiljetecken på ett säkrare sätt jämfört med pojkar. Inga könsskillnader fanns vad gällde stavning och innehållsliga aspekter av textkvalitet. Resultatet indikerar att handskrivning och stavning inte kan negligeras i undervisningen eftersom de påverkar textlängd och olika aspekter av textkvalitet.

A predictable alphabet book was proposed as a natural way to observe emergent readers’ attempts to integrate their developing literacy skills and knowledge base, despite not yet having achieved conventional levels of reading. Study 1 examined how accuracy in identifying words in an alphabet book in kindergarten related with emergent skills measured in kindergarten and with subsequent reading ability. One hundred and three children completed tests of phonemic awareness, letter knowledge, vocabulary, and rapid naming in kindergarten and were audiotaped reading an alphabet book with their parent. Reading ability was assessed one year later. Correlations were consistent with previous research identifying phonemic awareness, letter knowledge, vocabulary and rapid naming as significant correlates of emergent reading. Alphabet book accuracy correlated with subsequent reading, and the relative indirect effects of kindergarten phonemic awareness and letter sound knowledge on Grade 1 reading through kindergarten alphabet book reading were significant. Findings supported the conceptualization of how well a child identifies words in an alphabet book as a representation of early skill integration. Study 2 built upon these findings by examining self-reported reading strategies. Siegler’s (1996) overlapping waves model was used as a framework, which emphasizes variability, adaptive choice, and gradual change in children’s problem solving. Ninety-one kindergarteners completed tests of phonemic awareness, letter knowledge, and vocabulary, and read an experimentally designed alphabet book having pages of varying difficulty with a researcher twice over several months. Findings supported the three main features of the overlapping waves model. Children reported a variety of strategies across the book and on individual pages within it. They worked most quickly on the easiest pages, reported more strategies on the most difficult pages, and chose adaptively among their strategy repertoire. The number of strategies reported and the number of accurately labeled pages increased over time. The relative indirect effects of phonemic awareness and letter sound knowledge on alphabet book accuracy through the use of graphophonemic strategies were significant. Findings support the application of the overlapping waves model to the domain of reading. Overall, these studies highlight the potential for using typical literacy activities to deepen our understanding of the process of learning to read.

No description available.

Olika språk har olika ortografiskt djup och svenska språket anses som ett mer ortografiskt ytligt (regelbundet) språk än engelska språket som anses vara mer ortografiskt djupt (oregelbundet). I Sverige studerar elever det främmande språket engelska från lågstadiet. Flertalet forskare menar att det kan finnas tvärspråkliga överföringar mellan en förmåga i modersmålet och samma förmåga i det främmande språket. Föreliggande studie syftade till att undersöka avkodning (ordläsning) på svenska och engelska hos elever med lässvårigheter och typiska läsare i årskurs fyra. I studien inkluderades 48 elever uppdelat på två grupper; 19 elever med lässvårigheter och 29 typiska läsare. Samtliga elever hade svenska som modersmål och eleverna med lässvårigheter hade specialundervisning för sina lässvårigheter. Eleverna genomförde sex avkodningstest, två av avkodningstesten var på engelska och hade en svensk motsvarighet. Eleverna fick även genomföra ett test för fonologisk medvetenhet samt fylla i en enkät om läsning. Resultaten visade att eleverna med lässvårigheter presterade signifikant sämre på samtliga test än de typiska läsarna. Enkäten om läsning visade en skillnad mellan hur grupperna skattat sig och eleverna med lässvårigheter hade även en viss insikt i sina svårigheter. Elever med lässvårigheter som hade avkodningssvårigheter på svensk ordläsning visade sig även ha avkodningssvårigheter på engelsk ordläsning och de elever som presterade bra på svensk avkodning presterade också bra på engelsk avkodning. Sammantaget tyder detta på att det finns vissa tvärspråkliga överföringar. / Different languages have different orthographic depth. The Swedish language is more shallow (regular) compared to the English language which is more orthographically deep (irregular). Swedish students start studying the foreign language English from primary school. Several researchers have found cross-linguistic transfers between an ability in the native language and the same ability in the foreign language. The present study aimed to investigate how pupils in fourth grade with reading difficulties and typical readers decode (word reading) in Swedish and English. 48 pupils were included in the study, divided into two groups: 19 pupils with reading difficulties and 29 typical readers. All of the students had Swedish as their native language and the students with reading difficulties had special education for their reading problems. The pupils conducted six tests of decoding, two of the tests were in English and had a Swedish counterpart. The pupils also conducted a test of phonological awareness and filled out a questionnaire about reading. The results showed that students with reading difficulties performed significantly poorer on all of the tests than the typical readers. The questionnaire about reading showed a difference between the groups and the questionnaire also showed that pupils with reading difficulties had insight in their reading problems. The pupils with reading difficulties who had decoding problems on word reading in Swedish also had decoding problems on word reading in the foreign language and those students who performed well on Swedish decoding also performed well on English decoding. Overall this means that there are some signs of cross-linguistic transfers.