The major purpose of this investigation was to determine if there are similarities and differences in the critical reading abilities of elementary education majors. A secondary purpose was to identify the differences in the ability to detect specific reasoning fallacies between elementary and secondary majors. / Preservice teachers must be able to detect fallacious statements in order to become successful role models in the area of critical reading. The population tested on the Fallacies in Reasoning Test was composed of 75 elementary and 38 secondary education majors classified as juniors and seniors at the Florida State University, Spring Semester, 1984. / Distribution of item responses and t tests were used to determine the significance of mean difference between both education majors' scores on the specific reasoning fallacies tested. The level of confidence was alpha .05 level. / The null hypothesis was rejected for the hypothesis that stated there is no significant difference between the mean total scores of the elementary and secondary education majors' scores on the Fallacies in Reasoning Test. Also rejected were the either-or, improper data, appeal to conformity, part-whole, and sexism fallacies hypotheses. The null hypothesis was not rejected for the false authority, self-contradiction and stereotyping fallacies. / Secondary education majors as a group scored better, percentage-wise, on each fallacy of reasoning tested. / The self-contradiction subtest was answered incorrectly most often by both groups. The appeal to conformity subtest was answered correctly most often by both groups. / Recommendations following this study included a need to develop other reading diagnostic instruments that could measure the level of reading competency required of preservice teachers to diagnose reading capabilities for their future students. It was suggested also that other reading tests be developed to determine if additional critical reading differences exist between elementary and secondary education majors. / Since teachers must understand students' reading competencies and difficulties throughout the spectrum of education, this study stated the need for future preservice and inservice reading education programs at the university level. A move to strengthen teacher education programs in general is suggested. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 45-11, Section: A, page: 3314. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1984.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_75450 |
| Contributors | CALLEN, DANA GAY., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 106 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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