Sex and grade differences and learning rate in an intensive summer reading clinic

Abstract

In a long-term study of student progress in the Loyola University of the South Summer Reading Clinic, patterns of variance for sex and grade level were examined. Three assessment tools were used: the Nelson Reading Test (Vocabulary and Paragraph Comprehension) for grades four through eight, the Gates-MacGinitie Reading Test (Vocabulary and Comprehension) for grades one through three, and the Spache Diagnostic Reading Scales (Instructional [oral] and Independent [silent] subtests) for all students. Subjects were 684 public and private school students in grades one through eight referred to the Clinic over an eight-year period. All were referred for possible reading disabilities. Because reading disabled males outnumber reading disabled females in the general population, the Clinic's data were examined to elucidate the comparative success rates of boys and girls in an intensive reading clinic setting. Grade differences also were examined to find significant differences in rate of learning among different grades. Females outscored males significantly on all measures. Both a difference in performance among grades and a difference in rate of learning among grades were shown.