This thesis is based on five empirical studies of pupils with visual impairments, their reading ability and processes of reading acquisition within the framework of mainstream education in comprehensive schools. The aim of the thesis is to increase our understanding and knowledge of reading acquisition in pupils with visual impairments in mainstream education. A further aim is to find factors, which influence reading acquisition from an individual, as well as an environmental, perspective. Developmental theories regarding the individuals' possibilities to acquire an optimal development in interaction with their environment offer a theoretical framework for the thesis. Different research designs, descriptive and explorative, have been used to fulfil the purpose. The studies have revealed a heterogeneous group of readers with visual impairments bearing in mind functional visual ability, reading media (print and braille) and reading ability. As a result of these studies, it was possible to divide the readers into three groups with regard to reading performance. About one quarter of the population was average or high achievers, another quarter extremely low achievers, irrespective of visual acuity, reading media or reading devices. In most cases, additional impairments, intellectual impairment or language problems caused low achievement. The largest group, about half of the population, consisted of readers who were able to read but demonstrated difficulties in other ways. Visual acuity and reading media varied greatly in this group. There were uncertain readers, readers with low reading rate but good comprehension, readers with less stamina and readers who did not use their reading ability except for schoolwork. The pupils were well equipped with optical devices, lighting and special desks but seldom used the facilities for reading. In general, the pupils with visual impairments read less compared with their sighted peers. Nor were they exposed to text in natural situations in society, which decrease their incidental reading training. Consequently, a large group of readers with visual impairments need an adapted reading program in order to stimulate reading from the start and to use their potential ability. Competence in the school and home environment is necessary for compensating lack of training and preventing the visual impairment being the reason for reading difficulties. Reading disabilities due to biological factors were significant for a smaller group. Visual impairment as a reading handicap is, in this thesis, identified when a person, able to read, does not have access to the text in an appropriate reading medium or format, reading and writing tools are missing or reading must be performed in a badly adapted environment. Increased knowledge and effective environmental measures could reduce a reading handicap caused by a visual impairment for a larger group of children and young people. / <p>Härtill 5 uppsatser. Endast sammanfattning s. 1-93 i fulltext.</p><p></p>

<p>The present longitudinal study, which comprised 125 children from Grade 2 (typal age: 8) to Grade 6 (typal age: 13), examines and interprets the results of several decoding and reading comprehension tests. A point of departure is the proposition that there may be a lack of concepts about central questions that help interpret the results of an expanding test practice in the educational system. To construct the central questions the typologies and hypothetical causes of reading problems ought to be constrained in relation to explanatory constructs combining reading acquisition and reading difficulties. </p><p>First, the field of research on reading acquisition and reading difficulties was surveyed as a background to the presentation of the model, which is heavily indebted to and basically molded on the balance model but which also takes advantage of the proposition of combining the double-route and connectionist approaches. </p><p>Second, the following themes were investigated empirically:</p><p>– The predictive power of the tests: Generally, there seem to be almost as accurate predictions from Grade 2 as from Grade 3. A combined decoding-comprehension prediction was not shown to be more powerful as a product than as a linear combination.</p><p>– The possibility of an image/symbol transition in early reading acquisition: A weak image/letter decoding correlation distinguished boys weak in reading comprehension from all others in Grade 3; a weak letter/word decoding correlation distinguished those weak from those strong in reading comprehension regardless of gender in Grades 2 and 3; and a weak image/word decoding correlation distinguished boys from girls in Grade 2. </p><p>– Indications of stages in the development of reading: The conclusion is that orthographic decoding is more strongly related to reading comprehension than is phonologic decoding but there appears to be a parallel development of phonologic and orthographic decoding between Grades 3 and 6. This pattern seems to be the same for boys and girls and for those with low and high reading comprehension. </p><p>– Comparing subtypes: The surface/phonologic dyslexia distinctions were tentatively related to the linguistic/perceptual dyslexia distinctions and the letter/word-decoding screening instrument. The compensatory concept is questioned.</p><p>– Dimensions in reading acquisition and reading difficulties: A conclusive proposition of the study is that the hypothetical twofold metaphor/metonym character of language may be instrumental in analysing the complex interaction between the characteristic traits of the learning brain and the construction of meaning through script.</p>

The present longitudinal study, which comprised 125 children from Grade 2 (typal age: 8) to Grade 6 (typal age: 13), examines and interprets the results of several decoding and reading comprehension tests. A point of departure is the proposition that there may be a lack of concepts about central questions that help interpret the results of an expanding test practice in the educational system. To construct the central questions the typologies and hypothetical causes of reading problems ought to be constrained in relation to explanatory constructs combining reading acquisition and reading difficulties. First, the field of research on reading acquisition and reading difficulties was surveyed as a background to the presentation of the model, which is heavily indebted to and basically molded on the balance model but which also takes advantage of the proposition of combining the double-route and connectionist approaches. Second, the following themes were investigated empirically: – The predictive power of the tests: Generally, there seem to be almost as accurate predictions from Grade 2 as from Grade 3. A combined decoding-comprehension prediction was not shown to be more powerful as a product than as a linear combination. – The possibility of an image/symbol transition in early reading acquisition: A weak image/letter decoding correlation distinguished boys weak in reading comprehension from all others in Grade 3; a weak letter/word decoding correlation distinguished those weak from those strong in reading comprehension regardless of gender in Grades 2 and 3; and a weak image/word decoding correlation distinguished boys from girls in Grade 2. – Indications of stages in the development of reading: The conclusion is that orthographic decoding is more strongly related to reading comprehension than is phonologic decoding but there appears to be a parallel development of phonologic and orthographic decoding between Grades 3 and 6. This pattern seems to be the same for boys and girls and for those with low and high reading comprehension. – Comparing subtypes: The surface/phonologic dyslexia distinctions were tentatively related to the linguistic/perceptual dyslexia distinctions and the letter/word-decoding screening instrument. The compensatory concept is questioned. – Dimensions in reading acquisition and reading difficulties: A conclusive proposition of the study is that the hypothetical twofold metaphor/metonym character of language may be instrumental in analysing the complex interaction between the characteristic traits of the learning brain and the construction of meaning through script.

Submitted by Maike Costa (maiksebas@gmail.com) on 2016-07-27T13:37:19Z No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivo total.pdf: 1946762 bytes, checksum: 9cbf86e585af5db7dea3eeb9b675c1a2 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-07-27T13:37:19Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivo total.pdf: 1946762 bytes, checksum: 9cbf86e585af5db7dea3eeb9b675c1a2 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-10-14 / This research aims to assess to what extent information and communication technologies (ICT) contribute to the reading acquisition process. This work has as its core the implementation of an intervention project developed with children under five years of age, the Municipal Center for Child Education Mercia Maria Bezerra Costa, in Recife / PE, through the use of Educational Tables Alphabet, Positivo , computer company and educational technology. I have relied on Simonetti (2007) and Smith (2014), on the concepts of literacy and literacy; and Kenski (2012) and Ribeiro (2012), on the use of Digital Learning Objects, among others. For four weeks, students randomly chosen (twelve of the twenty-four class), attended by about sixty minutes daily classes in the multimedia room, living the practice of specific activities, and other remaining three hours of teaching time with mediation holder of the room teacher. This research was characterized as an action research, by allowing the intervention of the teacher within a social problem, mobilizing participants and giving opportunities for them to critically reflect on their actions in building new knowledge. The result shows that the earlier children have contact with the various genres, the greater the chances they like to read. The playful, present in educational digital games of Educational Tables alphabet, together with the methodology Different Paths, developed by Flower (2004), contributes significantly to learning, due mainly to the motivation and interaction provided by the artifact. The satisfactory result has become even more evident from the fact that the knowledge gained by the project members was higher than those who did not participate in the project. We refer to the high word in order that children who were in the classroom, without the intervention of the methodology and the use of educational table, remained, during the same period, without identifying letters and read words, while those They participated now have that power. Thus, the proposed objective was reached, to ensure learning for all involved in the research, and also to awaken, encourage and promote discussions on the use of these resources by the teacher. It was possible to achieve significant results regarding the acquisition of reading, in a pleasant way, but there needs to be planning the entire process, from clear and well-defined objectives, and not just to replace pencil and paper. / A presente pesquisa tem como objetivo avaliar em que medida as tecnologias da informação e da comunicação (TIC) contribuem para o processo de aquisição da leitura. O referido trabalho traz como cerne a implementação de um projeto de intervenção desenvolvido com crianças de cinco anos de idade, do Centro Municipal de Educação Infantil Mércia Maria Bezerra Costa, na cidade do Recife/PE, através da utilização das Mesas Educacionais Alfabeto, da Positivo, empresa de informática e tecnologia educacional. Baseamo-nos em Simonetti (2007) e Soares (2014), sobre as concepções de alfabetização e letramento; e em Kenski (2012) e Ribeiro (2012), sobre a utilização de Objetos Digitais de Aprendizagem, entre outros. Durante quatro semanas, os alunos, escolhidos aleatoriamente (doze dentre os vinte e quatro da turma), participaram por cerca de sessenta minutos diários, de aulas na sala multimídia, vivenciando a prática de atividades específicas, e outras três horas restantes do tempo pedagógico com a mediação da professora titular da sala. Caracterizou-se como uma pesquisa-ação, por possibilitar a intervenção do professor mobilizando os participantes e oportunizando-os a refletir criticamente sobre suas ações na construção de novos saberes. O resultado obtido mostra que, quanto mais cedo as crianças têm contato com os diversos gêneros textuais, maiores são as chances de gostarem de ler. O lúdico, presente nos jogos digitais pedagógicos das Mesas Educacionais Alfabeto, aliado à metodologia Caminhos Diferentes, desenvolvida por Flor (2004), contribuiu, de forma significativa, para a aprendizagem, devido, principalmente, à motivação e à interação propiciada pelo artefato. O resultado satisfatório tornou-se ainda mais evidente, a partir da constatação de que o conhecimento adquirido pelos integrantes do projeto foi superior em relação aos que não participaram do projeto. Referimo-nos à palavra superior, tendo em vista que as crianças que ficaram em sala de aula, sem a intervenção da metodologia e do uso da mesa educacional, permaneceram, durante o mesmo período, sem identificar letras e ler palavras, enquanto que as que participaram passaram a ter essa competência. Dessa forma, o objetivo proposto foi atingido, por garantir o aprendizado a todos os envolvidos na pesquisa, e, ainda, por despertar, incentivar e fomentar discussões sobre a utilização desses recursos pelo professor. Foi possível conseguir resultados significativos a respeito da aquisição da leitura, de maneira prazerosa, mas é preciso que haja planejamento de todo o processo, a partir de objetivos claros e bem definidos, e não apenas para substituir lápis e papel.

Apprendre à lire est une activité complexe qui s'appuie sur différentes capacités cognitives, dont l'attention visuelle. Absente des programmes scolaires, le rôle de l'attention visuelle pour l'apprentissage de la lecture est pourtant largement documenté dans la littérature scientifique. Dans cette thèse, nous avons donc conçu un logiciel éducatif original d'entraînement de l'attention visuelle, Evasion, et évalué l'impact de son utilisation au sein de la classe.Pour ce faire, une revue de littérature a été menée pour identifier plus précisément quelles sont les dimensions de l'attention visuelle impliquées en lecture et comment les entraîner au mieux. Un cadre conceptuel théorique que nous avons développé permet d'interpréter ces éléments et suggère que les dimensions à cibler sont la quantité totale d'attention visuelle et sa dispersion dans l'espace. Ces deux dimensions semblent particulièrement bien entraînées par les jeux vidéo d'action, dont l'effet sur l'attention visuelle a été lui aussi expliqué dans le cadre de notre modèle.Pour les entraîner au mieux au sein d'Evasion, nous avons mêlé les tâches, dont l'effet sur ces dimensions a été validé, avec les propriétés des jeux vidéo d'action. Notre logiciel prend la forme de quatre mini-jeux, dont les propriétés s'ajustent au niveau de l'élève grâce à un algorithme d'adaptation de la difficulté développé par notre équipe. Evasion devait être utilisé en classe pendant 10~h au total, à raison de 3 sessions hebdomadaires de 20 minutes. L'expérimentation a porté sur 730 élèves de CP répartis en deux groupes d’entraînement. Les deux groupes étaient appariés quant à leurs compétences cognitives avant entraînement. En post-entraînement, les performances du groupe Evasion ont été comparées à celles du groupe contrôle, qui recevait un entraînement de la compréhension orale en anglais.Les résultats de cette expérience écologique montrent que les capacités d'attention visuelle et de lecture ne progressent pas davantage suite à l'utilisation d'Evasion que suite à l'utilisation d'un entraînement contrôle. Des analyses supplémentaires révèlent que le protocole a été peu suivi en classe, et que le temps d'entraînement est un facteur expliquant l'amplitude de l'amélioration des dimensions attentionnelles ciblées. Par ailleurs, il semblerait que les entraînements proposés aient été trop faciles. Ces résultats ouvrent de nouvelles perspectives sur les améliorations à apporter à notre logiciel et, plus généralement, sur les conditions de mise en oeuvre d'expériences écologiques dont les besoins sont spécifiques. / Learning to read is a complex activity that relies on different cognitive abilities, including visual attention. The role of visual attention in learning to read is widely documented in the scientific literature but absent from school curricula. In this thesis work, we designed an original educational software, called Evasion, for visual attention training in the classroom and we evaluated its impact on beginning readers' performance.A literature review was first conducted to identify the dimensions of visual attention that are involved in reading and how best to train them. We then propose a conceptual framework which allows us to interpret these results. We conclude that the dimensions to be targeted are the total amount of visual attention resources and attention spatial dispersion. These two facets of attention seem to be particularly well driven by action video games, whose effect on visual attention has also been characterized in our model.To train visual attention resources and dispersion as well as possible within Evasion, we have mixed the tasks known to improve these attentional dimensions with the properties of action video games. Our software includes four training mini-games and an adaptive difficulty algorithm developed by our team to adjust the game properties online to the child needs. The training program was provided in classroom over a period of ten weeks at a rate of three 20-minute sessions a week. It was proposed to a large sample of 730 beggining readers for reading difficulty prevention.The impact of Evasion was assessed before and after training as compared to a control group that used an intervention program conceived to improve oral comprehension in English. The results of this ecological experiment show that visual attention and reading did not improve more following Evasion than control training. Additional analyses revealed that training time was poorly respected while this factor relates to the magnitude of improvement in the attentional dimensions we targeted. The analyses further suggest a problem in the level of difficulty of the mini-games. Overall, our work opens up new perspectives on the improvements to be made to our software and, above all, on the conditions for successful implementation of ecological experiments.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-07-27T13:54:17Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 FERNANDA CASTELFRANCHI DE BARROS.pdf: 4125180 bytes, checksum: 6793f86282ffae553e98b144e21eb4eb (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008-09-12 / The subject of non acquisition of reading and writing is a recurring and significant problem in the Brazilian public school and requests more investigation. The focus of the research was the situation of non reading acquisition by children in literacy process. It is related to children that don't present any kind of alteration or jeopardize of organic nature or special educational needs and, however they don't acquire reading during the literacy process, although they learn how to "draw the letters". These children are found in groups where most of them achieve literacy. The theory of the developmental teaching establishes that, to enter in real learning activity, it is necessary the presence of an appropriate reason (motive) to this activity. Based in this and in other assumptions of this theory, it was formulated the following research subjects: How does teaching of reading process happen at school? What events contribute to keep students without acquisition of the reading process? How is non acquisition of reading related to the student's motive in learning activity? How can the teacher interfere to change the child's motive in order to result in learning of reading and writing process? Would an organization of teaching with focus in the motive promote the acquisition of reading for those students? What would be the result of a reading learning process by developmental teaching with emphasis in the student's motives? A bibliographical revision was made and it didn't point any study under the theoretical focus approach proposed in that research, that is, under the theory of the developmental teaching. Therefore, the general objective of the research was to investigate how the teacher can interfere in the student's motive to learn to read during the literacy process at school. The specific objectives were: - to describe the process of teaching of reading and writing in the school; - to analyze the teacher's actions in relation to the non readers students; - to analyze how can the acquisition of reading process be influenced by the organized teaching, based in the theory of the developmental teaching and with focus in the student's motive. The research was accomplished at a municipal school of Rio Verde (GO) city, having a qualitative approach, under historical-cultural focus, being characterized as formative didactic experiment, based on the theory of the developmental teaching of Davydov. The instruments of data collection were direct non participating observation, semistructured interviews and documental analysis. The subjects were the teacher and the students of a literacy group and, in elapsing of the research, the focus of the formative didactic experiment relapsed on a student that kept in a not learning situation. The main results of the research appear to be that developmental teaching has promoted the acquisition of reading process by the child which has failed the literacy both in regular group as in a special group. / A questão da não-aquisição da leitura e da escrita é um problema reincidente e significativo na escola pública brasileira e requer mais investigação. O foco desta pesquisa foi a situação de não-aquisição de leitura por crianças em processo de alfabetização. Trata-se de crianças que não apresentam nenhum tipo de alteração ou comprometimento de natureza orgânica ou necessidades educativas especiais e, no entanto, não adquirem a leitura durante o processo de alfabetização, embora aprendam a desenhar as letras . Estas crianças se encontram em turmas nas quais a maioria torna-se alfabetizada. A teoria do ensino desenvolvimental estabelece que para entrar em atividade real de aprendizagem é necessária a presença de um motivo adequado a esta atividade. Com base neste e em outros pressupostos desta teoria, formularam-se as seguintes questões de pesquisa: Como se dá o processo de ensino da leitura na escola? Que fatores contribuem para que o aluno permaneça sem adquirir a leitura? De que forma a não-aquisição da leitura está relacionada com o motivo do aluno na atividade de aprendizagem? De que forma o professor pode interferir para alterar o motivo da criança para que resulte na aprendizagem da leitura e da escrita? Uma organização do ensino com foco no motivo promoveria a aquisição da leitura por esses alunos? Que resultado de aprendizagem de leitura pode ocorrer por meio do ensino desenvolvimental com ênfase nos motivos do aluno? A revisão bibliográfica não apontou qualquer estudo que abordasse o problema sob o enfoque teórico proposto nesta pesquisa, o da teoria do ensino desenvolvimental. Assim, o objetivo geral da pesquisa foi investigar como o professor pode interferir no motivo do aluno para aprender a ler durante o processo de alfabetização na escola. Os objetivos específicos foram: - descrever o processo de ensino da leitura e da escrita na escola; - analisar as ações da professora em relação aos alunos não-leitores; - analisar de que modo a aquisição da leitura pode ser influenciada pelo ensino organizado com base na teoria do ensino desenvolvimental e com foco no motivo do aluno. A pesquisa realizada em uma escola da rede municipal da cidade de Rio Verde (GO) foi de abordagem qualitativa, com enfoque histórico-cultural, caracterizando-se como experimento didático formativo baseado na teoria do ensino desenvolvimental de Davydov. Os instrumentos de coleta de dados foram os seguintes: observação direta não-participante, entrevistas semi-estruturadas e análise documental. Os sujeitos foram a professora e os alunos de uma turma de alfabetização, sendo que no decorrer da pesquisa o foco do experimento didático formativo recaiu sobre uma aluna que permaneceu em situação de não-aprendizagem. Os principais resultados da pesquisa apontam que o ensino desenvolvimental promoveu a aquisição da leitura pela criança que havia repetido, sem sucesso, a alfabetização em turma regular e em turma especial.

<p>The general aim of this thesis was to investigate phonological processing skills in dyslexic children and adults and their relation to speech perception. Dyslexia can be studied at various levels: at a biological, cognitive and an environmental level. This thesis mainly looks at environmental and cognitive factors. It is a commonly held view that dyslexia is related to problems with phonological processing, that is, dyslexics have problems dealing with the sound structure of language. The problem is for example seen in tasks where the individual has to manipulate sound segments in the spoken language, read non-words, rapidly name pictures and digits, keep verbal material in short-term memory, and categorize and discriminate sound contrasts in speech perception. To fully understand the dyslexic’s problems we have to investigate both children and adults since the problems might change during the lifespan as a result of changes in the language system and compensatory mechanisms in the poor reader. Research indicates that adult dyslexics can reach functional reading proficiency but still perform poorly on tasks of phonological processing. Even though they can manage many everyday reading situations problems often arise when adult dyslexics enter higher education. The phonological problems of dyslexics are believed to be related to the underlying phonological representations of the language. The phonological representations have been hypothesized to be weakly specified or indistinct and/or not enough segmented. Deviant phonological representations are believed to cause problems when the mapping of written language is to be made to the phonological representations of spoken language during reading acquisition. In Paper 1 adults’ phonological processing and reading habits were investigated in order to increase our understanding of how the reading problems develop into adulthood and what the social consequences are. The results showed that adult dyslexics remained impaired in their phonological processing and that they differed substantially from controls in their choices regarding higher education and also regarding reading habits. Paper 2 reviews research that has used the sine wave speech paradigm in studies of speech perception. The paper also gives a detailed description of how sine wave speech is made and how it can be characterized. Sine wave speech is a course grained description of natural speech lacking phonetic detail. In Paper 3 sine wave speech varying with regard to how much suprasegmental information it contains is employed. Results showed that dyslexics were poorer at identifying monosyllabic words but not disyllabic words and a sentence, plausibly because the dyslexics had problems identifying the phonetic information in monosyllabic words. Paper 4 tested dyslexics’ categorization performance of fricative-vowel syllables and the results showed that dyslexics were less consistent than controls in their categorization indicating poorer sensitivity to phonetic detail. In all the results of the thesis are in line with the phonological deficit hypothesis as revealed by adult data and the performance on task of speech perception. It is concluded that dyslexic children and adults seem to have less well specified phonological representations. </p>

The general aim of this thesis was to investigate phonological processing skills in dyslexic children and adults and their relation to speech perception. Dyslexia can be studied at various levels: at a biological, cognitive and an environmental level. This thesis mainly looks at environmental and cognitive factors. It is a commonly held view that dyslexia is related to problems with phonological processing, that is, dyslexics have problems dealing with the sound structure of language. The problem is for example seen in tasks where the individual has to manipulate sound segments in the spoken language, read non-words, rapidly name pictures and digits, keep verbal material in short-term memory, and categorize and discriminate sound contrasts in speech perception. To fully understand the dyslexic’s problems we have to investigate both children and adults since the problems might change during the lifespan as a result of changes in the language system and compensatory mechanisms in the poor reader. Research indicates that adult dyslexics can reach functional reading proficiency but still perform poorly on tasks of phonological processing. Even though they can manage many everyday reading situations problems often arise when adult dyslexics enter higher education. The phonological problems of dyslexics are believed to be related to the underlying phonological representations of the language. The phonological representations have been hypothesized to be weakly specified or indistinct and/or not enough segmented. Deviant phonological representations are believed to cause problems when the mapping of written language is to be made to the phonological representations of spoken language during reading acquisition. In Paper 1 adults’ phonological processing and reading habits were investigated in order to increase our understanding of how the reading problems develop into adulthood and what the social consequences are. The results showed that adult dyslexics remained impaired in their phonological processing and that they differed substantially from controls in their choices regarding higher education and also regarding reading habits. Paper 2 reviews research that has used the sine wave speech paradigm in studies of speech perception. The paper also gives a detailed description of how sine wave speech is made and how it can be characterized. Sine wave speech is a course grained description of natural speech lacking phonetic detail. In Paper 3 sine wave speech varying with regard to how much suprasegmental information it contains is employed. Results showed that dyslexics were poorer at identifying monosyllabic words but not disyllabic words and a sentence, plausibly because the dyslexics had problems identifying the phonetic information in monosyllabic words. Paper 4 tested dyslexics’ categorization performance of fricative-vowel syllables and the results showed that dyslexics were less consistent than controls in their categorization indicating poorer sensitivity to phonetic detail. In all the results of the thesis are in line with the phonological deficit hypothesis as revealed by adult data and the performance on task of speech perception. It is concluded that dyslexic children and adults seem to have less well specified phonological representations.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T20:30:10Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 6713.pdf: 1885112 bytes, checksum: 9a15109cb8eb8848d15a70eb8e60b915 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-12-09 / Reading is a complex ability that involves a set of discriminated operants. In exposure to discrimination teaching with printed words the elements are combined and recombined in new words that control how to read the new words (recombinative reading). The present study had the objective of investigating whether previous discoveries on recombinative reading with tactile stimuli from the Braille alphabet were replicable. It was investigated the acquisition of pseudowords printed in Braille and the combination and recombination of the textual units in recombinative reading. Four literate adults with acquired visual impairment learned auditory-tactile conditional discriminations between dictated and printed pseudowords in Roman alphabet (AB) and between dictated and printed pseudowords in Braille (AC). Periodic tests evaluated new choice relations (BC, CB, AC) and oral textual responding (CD) with taught and new words. Two experimental studies (with two sets of words) were conducted, they were composed of six teachingtesting cycles (two words in each cycle) with tactile stimuli with font size 90 (Study 1) and size 40 (Study 2). The pseudowords were created to strengthen recombinative reading: four vowels and four consonants composed 4 syllables and formed 12 dissyllable words for teaching and 14 words for tests (each syllable was presented in the first and last position of the words at the same times). The four participants learned all conditional discriminations and formed equivalence classes that included dictated and tactile words in the two modalities. All of them showed scores higher than 80% in the selection of the new words. New words Braille reading showed variability: two participants showed correct responses with scores higher than 75%; the others showed between 41 and 79%. The results replicated and expanding the previous discoveries about to Braille stimuli and their elemental control by within-syllable units can develop recombinative reading. Teaching procedure variables, stimuli modalities, and the elements overlapping in different words had an important role to generate Braille reading. / Ler é uma habilidade complexa que envolve um conjunto de operantes discriminados. Na exposição ao ensino de discriminação com palavras impressas os elementos são combinados ou recombinados em novas palavras que controlam a leitura recombinativa. O presente estudo teve como objetivo estender as descobertas prévias sobre leitura recombinativa para estímulos táteis constituintes do alfabeto Braille. Foi investigada a aquisição de leitura de pseudopalavras em Braille e a combinação e recombinação das unidades textuais na leitura recombinativa. Quatro adultos alfabetizados, com deficiência visual adquirida, aprenderam discriminações condicionais auditivo-táteis entre pseudopalavras ditadas e impressas em alfabeto romano (AB) e entre pseudopalavras ditadas e impressas em Braille (AC). Testes periódicos avaliaram novas relações de seleção (BC, CB, AC) e a leitura oral (CD) de palavras ensinadas e novas. Dois estudos foram conduzidos (com conjuntos de palavras específicos), empregando seis ciclos de ensino-teste (duas palavras por ciclo) com estímulos táteis nos tamanhos 90 (Estudo 1) e 40 (Estudo 2). As pseudopalavras formadas visaram potencializar a leitura recombinativa: quatro vogais e quatro consoantes compuseram 4 sílabas e formaram 12 palavras dissílabas para ensino e 14 palavras para testes (cada sílaba ocupou a posição inicial e final em igual número de palavras). Os quatro participantes aprenderam as discriminações condicionais e formaram classes de equivalência entre as palavras ditadas e impressas nas duas modalidades. Todos apresentaram escores maiores que 80% de acertos na seleção de palavras novas. A nomeação oral de palavras novas em Braille apresentou variabilidade: dois participantes acertaram acima de 75% e os outros dois acertaram entre 41 e 79%. Os resultados replicaram e estenderam para estímulos em Braille as descobertas prévias de que o controle elementar por unidades intrassilábicas favorece a leitura recombinativa. Variáveis de programação de ensino, as modalidades de estímulos, e a sobreposição de elementos em diferentes palavras tiveram papel relevante para gerar leitura em Braille.

The general aim of this longitudinal study was to look at literacy acquisition of multilingual good and poor spellers (hereafter GS and PS) in German and French with a special emphasis on spelling. For this purpose GS and PS were selected in grade 2 in German and followed up to grade 4. The focus was on this period as in Luxembourg literacy is acquired through German from the first grade and written French from grade 3 on. The interval between grades 2 and 4 thus represents a critical period for written second language acquisition. The native language of the children, Germanic (e.g. Luxembourgish) or Romanophone (e.g. Portuguese), adds another linguistic characteristic. Research focused at the development of biliteracy but some multilingual aspects were analyzed.<p><p>Abstract The first two studies differentiate between top-level processes related to semantics (e.g. vocabulary) and bottom level processes implied in literacy (e.g. spelling). The first two studies established that the native language has an impact on reading comprehension as Germanic speaking children have an advantage on German tasks and Romanophone children an advantage on French tasks. By contrast, performances on bottom-level processes such as spelling and reading are not influenced by the native language. Structural equation models revealed that German top-level processes did not influence French top-level processes. Concerning bottom-level processes however, there was an influence from one academic year on the following as well as from German on French. <p><p>Abstract The last three studies focused on differences between biliterate GS and PS in German and in French. The third study examined the reading and spelling strategies (e.g. the application of orthographic rules) that both groups of children acquired in German and in French. Although GS outperformed PS, their overall reading and spelling performance patterns were different in German than in French. GS applied orthographic rules more systematically than PS in German. In French, both groups were strongly affected by frequency effects. The word frequency effect appeared clearly in French, showing that after one year of instruction children strongly rely on the orthographic lexicon for spelling and do not apply orthographic rules systematically. Study 4 establishes the link between the recognition and production of orthographic features. PS's performance is similar to GS's on orthographic judgments and for spelling they produce the same type of errors, showing GS and PS are sensitive to the underlying regularities of the orthography. However, PS produced more errors overall compared to GS. It seems that GS passed the level of automatic use of the most prominent response, whereas PS use the dominant responses as default spelling. In the last study, the emphasis was on GS and PS in French after two years of instruction in grade 4. GS and PS were re-classified to new groups according to their spelling performance in French. GS in French used more French specific phoneme-to-grapheme correspondences in a nonword dictation than PS. PS in French used more German phoneme-to-grapheme correspondences in the French and German nonword dictation. It seems that PS in French rely more on the phoneme-grapheme correspondences of the first acquired and thus dominant language (German). In the general discussion, the previously presented results are summarized and a theoretical model of bilingual spelling is proposed. / Doctorat en sciences psychologiques / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished