Acquisition Of Reading Skills Research Articles

Interplay of Learning Theories in the Development of Reading Skills

The development of reading skills is a complex process influenced by various learning theories. This interplay of learning theories encompasses several prominent perspectives, including behaviourism, cognitivism, constructivism, and social learning theories, among others. In this regard, this paper aims to explore the interplay of different learning theories—such as behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism, and social learning—and their collective roles on the acquisition and enhancement of reading skills. Based on the related literature review, this paper focused on the relationship between learning theories and reading skill development in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) context. It argues that the convergence of these theories enriches our understanding of the intricate process of reading comprehension. The key findings claim that in the dynamic interplay of these learning theories, behaviourism provides foundational skills, cognitivism explores mental processes, constructivism emphasizes the meaning-making process, and social learning theories highlight interactive experiences. The study suggests avenues for future research, encouraging scholars to delve deeper into the dynamic relationship between learning theories and the intricate process of developing reading skills.

INFLUENCE OF ASSESSMENT METHODS ON STUDENTS’ ACQUISITION OF ENGLISH READING SKILLS IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN KENYA

This article examines assessment methods used when teaching English reading. The study sought to ascertain the most frequently used assessment methods in the teaching of English reading and the influence of assessment methods used on the acquisition of English reading skills in Kenya. This study employed a descriptive survey research design and involved form three students and 40 teachers of English language from 20 public secondary schools drawn from Teso North Sub-county. The sample size was obtained using stratified and simple random sampling techniques. Data was generated using questionnaires, interview schedules, and classroom observation schedules. Data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Descriptive statistics involves the computation of frequencies, means, standard deviations, and percentages. Inferential statistics included pairwise correlation and logistic regression analysis. The results show that teachers frequently used comprehension tests, diagnostic reading, and Cloze test to assess learners’ acquisition of English reading skills. While oral presentation, timed reading, and book reports were the least used assessment methods. The study findings confirmed that there was a significant relationship between assessment methods used and the acquisition of English reading skills. The study concludes that teachers of English language should use effective assessment methods as provided in the syllabus. There is a need for teachers’ professional development in pedagogy as they require knowledge of effective assessment methods for English reading skills.<p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/soc/0759/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

Error-monitoring: A predictor of future reading skills? A 3-year longitudinal study in children

Investigation of the factors explaining individual differences in the acquisition of expert reading skills has become of particular interest these last decades. Non-verbal abilities, such as visual attention and executive functions play an important role in reading acquisition. Among those non-verbal factors, error-monitoring, which allows one to detect one's own errors and to avoid repeating them in the future, has been reported to be impaired in dyslexic readers. The present three-year longitudinal study aims at determining whether error-monitoring efficiency evaluated before and during reading instruction could improve the explanation of reading skills. To do so, 85 children will be followed from the last year of kindergarten to the second grade. The classic predictors of reading will be assessed at each grade level. Error-monitoring indices in domain-general and reading-related contexts will be derived from EMG data recorded during a Simon task in kindergarten and during both a Simon and a lexical decision tasks in the first and second grades. Findings concerning the role of error-monitoring on reading skills are expected to have an important impact on reading instruction to prevent reading difficulties in at-risk children and improve remediation to help children with reading difficulties.

Sensory roles in reading skills: The print-to-speech model

Sensory roles in reading skills: The print-to-speech model While it is easy to recognise the necessary role that vision plays in reading, it is important to know that many other senses contribute to the acquisition, refinement and maintenance of reading skills including sound, touch and motor coordination, to name just a few. Oral language is ubiquitous across cultures throughout human history. However, this is not the case for written language, which is, in an evolutionary sense, relatively new. As such, the human brain does not have a dedicated “reading system” and relies instead upon established neural networks and circuitry to build and refine the skills required for reading and writing (see (1) for a discussion of the neuronal recycling hypothesis for arithmetic and reading).

Influence of Teaching Methods Used on the Acquisition of English Reading Skills in Secondary Schools in Kenya

English reading skills are essential in academic and professional development. While appropriate teaching methods enhance learner acquisition of reading skills, inappropriate teaching methods hamper the acquisition of reading skills. This article examines the type of teaching methods used when teaching reading skills and seeks to establish the influence of teaching methods used on the acquisition of English reading skills. Data were obtained from 400 form three students and 40 teachers of English language from 20 public secondary schools in Teso North sub-county. Stratified, simple random and proportional sampling was used to obtain the study sample. Data were collected using questionnaires, interview schedules and classroom observation schedules. The sampled students filled out questionnaires and teachers were interviewed and observed in the classroom. Data were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. The results indicate that teaching methods such as group work, pair work and discussion were the most significant factors influencing the acquisition of reading skills p < 0.05. The study concluded that pedagogy has a significant relationship with the acquisition of English reading skills. The study recommended that teachers should use a variety of teaching methods. This is because each method complements the other.

He Who Can Read and Write Has Four Eyes: Factors That Contribute to Gaps in the Entire Reading Ecosystem of South Africa’s Disadvantaged Rural Communities

Equitable and seamless access to information in diverse formats is indispensable for people of all ages to meet their dynamic and ever-evolving information needs for socioeconomic development. Reading is a skill that people need to acquire from an early age to obtain information essential to change their lives for the better. However, in South Africa, the entire reading ecosystem is characterised by huge gaps adversely affecting people of all age groups, particularly in disadvantaged rural communities, and militating against them acquiring reading habits, skills, a reading culture and essential information to meet their multiple daily needs. With low reading literacy in the country, the purpose of this study was to investigate factors that contribute to gaps in the entire reading ecosystem in South Africa’s disadvantaged rural communities. The study adopted a literature review to unearth factors contributing to gaps that deter people from reading and acquiring reading habits, skills and a reading culture. The study finds that there are numerous factors that contribute to gaps in the whole reading ecosystem in the country, thus hindering citizens from accessing information to quench their information needs. The study recommends that the government has a responsibility to bring information to the citizens by establishing adequate and responsive community libraries to encourage citizens to read for socioeconomic development. Robust digital infrastructure particularly in disadvantaged rural communities is essential for rural villagers to access electronic information globally to support and encourage the acquisition of reading skills and habits in all communities.

In search of finalizing and validating digital learning tools supporting all in acquiring full literacy.

Unlike many believe, accurate and fluent basic reading skill (ie. to decode text) is not enough for learning knowledge via reading. More than 10 years ago a digital learning game supporting the first step towards full literacy, i.e., GraphoGame (GG) was developed by the first author with his colleagues in the University of Jyväskylä, Finland. It trains the acquisition of basic reading skills, i.e., learning to sound out written language. Nowadays, when almost everyone in the world has an opportunity to use this GG, it is time to start supporting the acquisition of full literacy (FL). FL is necessary for efficient learning in school, where reading the schoolbooks successfully is essential. The present plan aims to help globally almost all who read whatever orthography to start from the earliest possible grade during which children have learned the mastery of the basic reading skill to immediately continue taking the next step to reach FL. Unlike common beliefs, support of FL is mostly needed among those who read transparent orthographies (reading by the majority of readers of alphabetic writings) which are easier to sound out due to consistency between spoken and written units at grapheme-phoneme level. This makes readers able to sound any written item which is pronounceable with only a little help of knowing what it means. Therefore, children tend to become inclined to not pay enough attention to the meaning but concentrate on decoding the text letter-by-letter. They had to learn from the beginning to approach the goal of reading, mediation of the meaning of the text. Readers of nontransparent English need to attend morphology for correct sounding. The continuing fall of OECD's Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) results, e.g., in Finland reveals that especially boys are not any more interested in reading outside school which would be natural way to reach the main goal of reading, FL. What could be a better way to help boys towards FL than motivating them to play computer games which requires reading comprehension. The new digital ComprehensionGame designed by the first author motivates pupils to read in effective way by concurrently elevating their school achievements by connecting the training to daily reading lessons. This article describes our efforts to elaborate and validate this new digital tool by starting from populations of learners who need it most in Africa and in Finland.

The Effect of Universal Design for Learning on the Proficiency of English as a Foreign Language Students’ Acquisition of Reading and Vocabulary Skills

A mixed-method study was conducted for six weeks during a preparatory year at Al-Baha University in Saudi Arabia to investigate the influence of Universal Design for Learning on the competency and proficiency of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students’ acquisition of reading and vocabulary skills. The participants were 45 male students from Al-Baha University’s preparatory year, aged 18–21. The participants were subjected to standardized interviews and English achievement tests to gather qualitative and quantitative data respectively. The study’s results showed significant statistical variances between the post-test scores and the average scores of the EFL students using the Universal Design for Learning and the traditional method to acquire reading and vocabulary skills. This shows that the use of UDL has a statistically significant impact on students’ competency and proficiency in acquiring English reading and vocabulary skills. The findings of this study also revealed that UDL serves all needs of learners, boosts their motivation to gain more English skills, assists the students to break the barriers between themselves and the teacher, makes positive relationships among all students, provides varieties of materials for teaching, and gives options for the assignments

Teachers’ Perceptions on the Relationship between Social Competence and Reading Skills Acquisition in Primary School Pupils

This paper set out to examine teachers’ perceptions of the link between social competence skills and reading skills acquisition in the Kiswahili language for standard four pupils in public primary schools. This was a qualitative study, made on the population of the Kiswahili language subject teachers. The study was conducted in Babati Township Council, Manyara Region, Tanzania. It involved 17 selected public primary schools where one subject and school head teachers from each school were involved. Data were collected using a semi-structured interview guide. The results show that the most important social competence skills for the acquisition of reading skills are communication skills, as other skills depend on the pupil’s ability to communicate his/her ideas well. The study posits that social competence skills have a positive impact on pupils’ acquisition of reading skills. The study recommends an additional curriculum that imparts pupils with social competence skills for reading and academic achievements at large.

A Review of Factors Affecting the Acquisition of Second Language Reading Skills

Effective reading skills are essential prerequisites for L2 reading proficiency which demand different metacognitive and cognitive skills to deal with the problems before and during the reading. These reading strategies adopted by L2 proficient readers are effective methods to handle the primary factors that influence reading proficiency. Therefore, the current research provided a comprehensive review of factors affecting the acquisition of second-language reading skills. The review consisted of thirty-two research articles related to L2 reading acquisition. The results demonstrated primary factors which impacted the L2 reading skills and a wide range of reading techniques adopted by proficient English language learners to construct meanings from the written text. Finally, it is likely to expect that the review of factors affecting reading skills can provide English language teachers and English language learners with in-depth insights into social and cognitive factors affecting L2 reading literacy.

Cognitive Flexibility + Phonics Intervention Effects on Reading Gains

This is the second in series of studies designed to test direct and conditional effects of embedded cognitive practice in phonics instruction. Students identified in winter of kindergarten with minimal alphabet knowledge were randomly assigned to one of two conditions: explicit phonics (Plain) (n = 28) or explicit phonics with embedded cognitive flexibility practice (Flex) (n = 29). The core of both conditions was an explicit structured literacy approach: the Flex condition was differentiated by brief cognitive flexibility practice switching letter or word dimensions. Instruction was delivered individually over a six-week period. In spite of Covid-19 impacts, both treatment groups exhibited significant gains on reading outcomes. However, there were no significant differences between the conditions on growth in decoding, encoding, or cognitive flexibility. Future research should consider the timing and design of instruction to determine how cognitive abilities, as well as alphabet knowledge, contribute to acquisition of early reading skills.

Effects of prenatal polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and childhood material hardship on reading achievement in school-age children: A preliminary study.

Children from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds are at elevated risk for reading problems. They are also likely to live in neighborhoods with high levels of air pollution and to experience material hardship. Despite these risk factors, the links between prenatal chemical exposures, socioeconomic adversities, and reading problems in youth from disadvantaged backgrounds remain understudied. Here we examine associations between prenatal exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), a common air pollutant, and reading skills, and determine if this relationship is exacerbated by material hardship among Black and/or Latinx children who have been followed as part of a longitudinal urban birth cohort. Mothers and their children, who were participants in a prospective birth cohort followed by the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health, were recruited for the current study. Personal prenatal PAH exposure was measured during the third-trimester of pregnancy using a personal air monitoring backpack. Mothers reported their level of material hardship when their child was age 5 and children completed measures of pseudoword and word reading [Woodcock Johnson III Tests of Achievement (WJ-III) Basic Reading Index] at age 7. We used multiple linear regression to examine the effects of the interaction between prenatal PAH and material hardship on Basic Reading Index, controlling for ethnicity/race, sex, birthweight, presence of a smoker in the home (prenatal), and maternal education (prenatal) (N = 53). A prenatal PAH × material hardship interaction significantly associated with WJ-III Basic Reading Index scores at age 7 (β = -0.347, t(44) = -2.197, p = 0.033). Exploratory analyses suggested that this effect was driven by untimed pseudoword decoding (WJ-III Word Attack: β = -0.391, t(44) = -2.550, p = 0.014). Environmental chemical exposures can be particularly toxic during the prenatal period when the fetal brain undergoes rapid development, making it uniquely vulnerable to chemical perturbations. These data highlight the interactive effects of environmental neurotoxicants and unmet basic needs on children's acquisition of reading skill, specifically phonemic processing. Such findings identify potentially modifiable environmental risk factors implicated in reading problems in children from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

Кіші мектеп оқушыларының оқыту процесін психологиялық зерттеу

The article describes the effective directions of the teaching process and mental development of a junior high school student. It says that the opinions of domestic and foreign scientists should be analyzed and priority areas should be taken into account. In psychological research, the initial methodological conditions used during the education of junior school students and ways of their psychological clarification are provided. The peculiarity of primary school is that teaching depends more on the teacher than on the school curriculum. Although there are a lot of requirements and teaching tasks in the curriculum, a competent teacher tries to minimize themand explain themto the student in a concise manner.The psychological study of education is consideredto be the systematization and analysis of the most rational ways and methods of managing the educational process at the present time. The problem of increasing the efficiency of the educational process due to the structural and systematic analysis of the educational material attracts the attention of scientists.In the educational process, it is no longer enough to acquire simple skills such as reading, writing, counting, and calculating. The formation of these skills includes solving broader and more important tasks:First of all, to introduce children to subject education in the logic of scientific knowledge, to reveal to them the basic and fundamental properties of the studied sphere of existence that make up the content of this science. Thus, the acquisition of reading skills becomes the study of language as a means of communication and thinking, and simple counting skills -the study of numerical relationships.Secondly, the formation of learning activities in children with their own tasks and methods. At the current stage of development of our society, a person should be engaged in educational activities throughout his life. This is the second "specialty" of each person, the ability to realize it depends mainly on the progress in the chosen profession.Thirdly, it is necessary to use all opportunities of the primary education period for the formation of learning motives and intellectual development of children.An urgent problem in solving the problem of increasing the efficiency and quality of the educational process is the activation of schoolchildren's learning. Its special importance is that teaching, being a reflexive and transformative activity, is aimed not only at the reception and memorization of the learning material but also at the formation ofthe student's attitude towards the cognitive activity itself. The transformative nature of the activity is always related to the activity of the subject.

The Effect of Universal Design for Learning on the Proficiency of English as a Foreign Language Students’ Acquisition of Reading and Vocabulary Skills

The Effect of Universal Design for Learning on the Proficiency of English as a Foreign Language Students’ Acquisition of Reading and Vocabulary Skills

How Early Can We Predict the Need for VPI Surgery?

This retrospective study reviewed documentation of children with moderate-to-severe VPI at age 3 years who did not undergo VPI surgery until age 5 years. Based on the national cleft register, 959 patients with syndromic and nonsyndromic CP were treated by the craniofacial team at Helsinki University Hospital, Finland between 2000 and 2014. Eighty-six patients fulfilled the study inclusion criteria. The speech pathologist evaluated velopharyngeal function at age 3, 5, and 8 years. Of the 86 children presenting with moderate-to-severe VPI at age 3 years, 94% still had moderate-to-severe VPI at age 5 years, even though speech therapy was offered to 77%. Of those whose velopharyngeal function improved by age 5 years, function regressed to incompetent over time. Overall, 93% underwent VPI surgery and 82% underwent VPI surgery between ages 5 and 8 years. Only 23% at age 8 years still had moderate-to-severe VPI. Speech therapy alone did not improve VPI speech characteristics. Moderate-to-severe VPI did not improve from 3 to 5 years or improved but subsequently relapsed. This suggests that the decision for VPI surgery can be made for children aged 3 years with moderate-to-severe VPI.

Behavioral, Learning Skills, and Visual Improvement in Crouzon Syndrome Patient Following Late Posterior Vault Distraction Osteogenesis.

It is well accepted among craniofacial surgeons that surgery does not improve mental status but does prevent worsening or deterioration of cognitive and mental function. In this report, we describe significant improvement in behavioral, learning skills and visual acuity for a Crouzon patient who underwent late posteriorvault distraction osteogenesis. A 9-year-old Crouzon patient was referred to our hospital, presenting severe intracranial hypertension. The patient had previously undergone a strip craniectomy in early infancy at another medical institution, but there was no subsequent follow-up. Magnetic resonance imaging showed Chiari type I malformation and fundoscopy revealed papilledema. At the time of referral, the patient was not attending a regular school, had not acquired reading skills, was unable to concentrate, and could not accomplish school-related tasks that were standard for children in his age group. The patient underwent posterior vault distraction osteogenesis and showed concentration improvement and acquisition of fluent reading skills. Chiari type I malformation resolved as well as papilledema. visual acuity improved at Snellen test preoperatively from 20/200 to 20/60 at postoperative test. Ventricle size remained unchanged subsequent to performance of the posterior cranial vault distraction. The occipital veins were less visible upon clinical examination and less pronounced when palpated, and the bruit had completely disappeared. Late posterior vault distraction osteogenesis can improve behavioral, learning skills and visual acuity as shown in this 9-year-old Crouzon patient.

Examining the impact of education on the acquisition of map and globe reading and interpretation skills in terms of gender

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of map and globe education on map and globe reading and interpretation skills of children who attend preschool education in terms of gender. A quasi-experimental model with pre-test/post-test control group was employed in the study. The study group of the research consisted of a total of 56 children in kindergarten, 28 of whom were in the experimental group (16 girls, 12 boys) and 28 in the control group (14 girls, 14 boys). The data were collected by using the “Map and Globe Reading and Interpretation Skills Assessment Test for Children Aged Five”. In the analysis of the data, the t-test for independent groups was used to determine the mean scores for gender between the experimental and control groups, and the t-test for dependent groups was used to compare the mean scores of the experimental and control groups regarding gender. It has been found as a result of the research that the implementation of map and globe education program contributed positively to the map and globe reading and interpretation skills of both girls and boys in the experimental group.

Prevalence of developmental dyslexia in primary school children: a protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis.

Developmental dyslexia (DD) is a specific impairment during the acquisition of reading skills and may have a lifelong negative impact on individuals. Reliable estimates of the prevalence of DD serve as the basis for evidence-based health resource allocation and policy making. However, the prevalence of DD in primary school children varies largely across studies. Moreover, it is unclear whether there are differences in prevalence in different genders and writing systems. Hence, the present study aims to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the global prevalence of DD and to explore related factors. We will undertake a comprehensive literature search in 14 databases, including EMBASE, PubMed, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure and Cochrane, from their inception to June 2021. Cross-sectional and longitudinal studies that describe the prevalence of DD will be eligible. The quality of the included observational studies will be assessed using the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology statement. The risk of bias will be determined by sensitivity analysis to identify publication bias. One meta-analysis will be conducted to estimate the prevalence of DD in primary school children. Heterogeneity will be assessed in terms of the properties of subjects (e.g., gender, grade and writing system) and method of diagnosis in the included primary studies. Subgroup analyses will also be performed for population and secondary outcomes. The results will synthesize the prevalence of DD and provide information for policy-makers and public health specialists.

Prosodic Skills and Reading Acquisition in Spanish Primary School Children: Analysis Using the PEPS-C Test.

Although previous studies have considered the relationship between prosody skills and the acquisition of reading skills, few have performed comprehensive, simultaneous assessments of different oral language prosody skills and, to our knowledge, none have been carried out in Spanish. Our study analyses the relationship between prosody and reading skills. Sixty-one second-grade Spanish schoolchildren participated in this study. Prosodic skills were assessed using the Spanish version of the Profiling Elements of Prosody in Speech-Communication battery, available in different languages. Reading comprehension, word/non-word reading skills, phonological awareness and vocabulary were also evaluated. The results show that prosody was significantly related to word and non-word reading, but phonological awareness was the only significant predictor of these reading outcomes. Prosodic skills contribute to explaining reading comprehension even after controlling for the effect of vocabulary and phonological awareness. The results highlight the role of prosodic skills in reading acquisition in Spanish. Comparison with previous studies in English-language populations demonstrates the existence of cross-linguistic differences.

Social Competencies and Reading Skills Acquisition in Childhood: Is there a Link?

This paper is based on a study that deployed quantitative research methods to examine the relationship between social competencies and the acquisition of reading skills in childhood. The paper is a response to the Tanzanian government’s efforts towards improving the learning outcomes among primary school learners. Literature shows that among the key skills that need to be instilled by teachers in pupils is reading ability. Several attempts have been made by the government to improve learners’ learning outcomes; yet empirical evidence reveals that things have not worked to the expectations. It was, therefore, important to investigate the position of social competence skills in the acquisition of reading skills. The study was conducted in Babati Town Council, Manyara region in Tanzania. The study involved six wards from which 17 primary schools were randomly selected. Stratified random sampling was deployed to recruit pupils from the selected schools. A total of 340 pupils were recruited (163 boys and 177 girls). Data on social competence skills were collected using the social competence skills assessment tool, while those on reading skills were collected using an age-appropriate reading skills assessment tool. Logistic Regression analysis was run to estimate the impact of social competence skills on binary outcomes, while Ordinary Least Square Regression (OLS) with multiple predictors was used to estimate outcomes of continuous variables. The findings generally show that the studied six social competence skills (predictors) had no statistically significant contribution towards the pupils’ reading acquisition. The study concludes that social competence skills have a slightly positive impact on children’s acquisition and mastery of reading skills. This study represents an important shift in the focus of research by shedding light on the children’s social adjustment and reading acquisition in early childhood education. Keywords: Social competence skills, reading skills, academic success, early childhood education, reading achievement, socio-cultural DOI: 10.7176/JEP/13-12-12 Publication date: April 30 th 2022