Compulsory schooling, such as exists in Australia, does not
guarantee literacy in the nation. The literature has established
that a minority of children do fail to learn to read and write
effectively. Failure to learn to read presents a serious disability
to those concerned. Programs such as Reading Recovery are used in
schools to try and identify at risk children and work with them to
reduce illiteracy.
Traditional methods of addressing the literacy problem have not
proven to be effective. Studies in New Zealand, the U.S.A. and in
Australia have established that Reading Recovery is an effective
program. However, there is no longitudinal evidence to establish
whether it is effective in the long run in the A.C.T. This study
sought to establish the long term effectiveness of the program in
the A.C.T. It has compared discontinued Reading Recovery children
three and five years after they had been discontinued from the
program with two 'average ' children from their current class. The
discontinued Reading Recovery sample was drawn by random. The
two classmate control children were selected by the teachers as
performing in the average band of class achievement in reading.
Four research instruments were chosen to collect the data. These
were, interviews with class teachers and the children themselves,
running records, a modified standardized test and an oral retell.
The study confirmed that Reading Recovery is effective in the
A.C.T. and that gains made whilst on the program were sustained in
subsequent years. This being the case, every child who is being
diagnosed as 'at risk' should have access to Reading Recovery .
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/218913 |
| Date | January 1994 |
| Creators | Elliot, Janet Irene, n/a |
| Publisher | University of Canberra. Education |
| Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Rights | ), Copyright Janet Irene Elliot |
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