Fluency Scale Research Articles

Genome-Wide Epistatic Network Analyses of Semantic Fluency in Older Adults.

Semantic fluency impairment has been attributed to a wide range of neurocognitive and psychiatric conditions, especially in the older population. Moderate heritability estimates on semantic fluency were obtained from both twin and family-based studies suggesting genetic contributions to the observed variation across individuals. Currently, effort in identifying the genetic variants underlying the heritability estimates for this complex trait remains scarce. Using the semantic fluency scale and genome-wide SNP genotype data from the Long Life Family Study (LLFS), we performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) and epistasis network analysis on semantic fluency in 2289 individuals aged over 60 years from the American LLFS cohorts and replicated the findings in 1129 individuals aged over 50 years from the Danish LLFS cohort. In the GWAS, two SNPs with genome-wide significance (rs3749683, p = 2.52 × 10-8; rs880179, p = 4.83 × 10-8) mapped to the CMYAS gene on chromosome 5 were detected. The epistasis network analysis identified five modules as significant (4.16 × 10-5 < p < 7.35 × 10-3), of which two were replicated (p < 3.10 × 10-3). These two modules revealed significant enrichment of tissue-specific gene expression in brain tissues and high enrichment of GWAS catalog traits, e.g., obesity-related traits, blood pressure, chronotype, sleep duration, and brain structure, that have been reported to associate with verbal performance in epidemiological studies. Our results suggest high tissue specificity of genetic regulation of gene expression in brain tissues with epistatic SNP networks functioning jointly in modifying individual verbal ability and cognitive performance.

Personality traits and Chinese college students' satisfaction with physical education classes: the mediating role of trait fluency and the moderating role of physical education class difficulty.

This study aims to investigate the impact mechanism of personality traits on physical education satisfaction among college students, validating the mediating effect of trait flow and the moderating effect of physical education difficulty. By analyzing the influence mechanism of personality traits on college students' satisfaction with physical education classes, it helps to explore more channels to enhance satisfaction with physical education classes. A questionnaire survey was conducted using the Big Five Personality Scale, the Physical Education Class Satisfaction Scale, the Trait Fluency Scale, and the Physical Education Class Difficulty Scale with 868 public physical education students in 10 universities in Shanghai. Moderated mediation modeling was conducted using Hayes' PROCESS macro. Personality traits are positively correlated with physical education satisfaction, and the predictive effect is significant (β = 0.786, p < 0.001). This association is mediated by trait fluency (indirect effect: β = 0.797, p < 0.001), accounting for 62.7% of the total effect. Physical education difficulty significantly moderates the predictive effects of personality traits on physical education satisfaction (β = -0.183, p < 0.01) and trait fluency (β = -0.130, p < 0.001). Additionally, physical education difficulty significantly moderates the predictive effect of trait fluency on physical education satisfaction (β = 0.172, p < 0.001). Personality traits predict physical education satisfaction, with trait fluency playing a mediating role, and physical education difficulty moderates the direct and indirect paths through which personality traits influence physical education satisfaction.

Correlation analysis between insomnia symptoms and language function in patients with schizophrenia

ObjectiveTo explore the correlation between insomnia and language ability in patients with schizophrenia. Methods120 patients with schizophrenia admitted to our hospital from June 2020 to January 2022 were enrolled as the research objects. According to the total score of the Pittsburgh Sleep Index (PSQI), they were divided into the insomnia group (PSQI total score > 10 points) and the non-insomnia group (PSQI total score ≤ 10 points). To compare the difference in verbal fluency scale between insomnia and non-insomnia groups and to understand the correlation between insomnia symptoms and language ability in patients with schizophrenia. ResultsThere were no significant differences in age, gender, and years of education between the insomnia group and the non-insomnia group (P > 0.05). The total score of the verbal fluency test (VFT) in the insomnia group was significantly different from that in the non-insomnia group (P < 0.01). The total score of the insomnia group was lower than that of the non-insomnia group, and the factors (fluency animal, fluency fruit and vegetable, speech fluency, motor fluency) were lower than that of the non-insomnia group. Logistic regression analysis showed that the total verbal fluency score in schizophrenia patients was negatively correlated with insomnia symptoms (P < 0.05). Schizophrenia patients with insomnia symptoms had worse language ability than those without. ConclusionThere is a significant difference in language ability between schizophrenia patients with insomnia and those without insomnia symptoms. This suggests that schizophrenia patients with insomnia have a greater probability of language ability disorder.

Measuring art knowledge: Item response theory and differential item functioning analysis of the Aesthetic Fluency Scale.

Measuring art knowledge: Item response theory and differential item functioning analysis of the Aesthetic Fluency Scale.

Evaluating Fluency in Aphasia: Fluency Scales, Trichotomous Judgements, or Machine Learning

ABSTRACT Background Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) and other clinicians often use aphasia batteries, such as the Western Aphasia Battery-Revised (WAB-R), to evaluate both severity and classification of aphasia. However, the fluency scale on the WAB-R is not entirely objective and has been found to have less than ideal inter-rater reliability, due to variability in weighing the importance of one dimension (e.g. articulatory effort or grammaticality) over another. This limitation has implications for aphasia classification. The subjectivity might be mitigated through the implementation of machine learning to identify fluent and non-fluent speech. Aims We hypothesized that two models consisting of convolutional and recurrent neural networks can be used to identify fluent and non-fluent aphasia as judged by SLPs, with greater reliability than use of the WAB-R fluency scale. Methods & Procedures The training and testing dataset for the networks was collected from the public domain, and the validation dataset was collected from participants in post-stroke aphasia studies. We used Kappa scores to evaluate inter-rater reliability among SLPs, and between the networks and SLPs. Outcome and Results Using public domain samples, the model for detecting non-fluent aphasia achieved high accuracy on the training dataset after 10 epochs (i.e., when algorithm scans the entire dataset) and 81% testing accuracy using public domain samples. The model for detecting fluent speech had high training accuracy and 83% testing. Across samples, using the WAB-R fluency scale, there was poor to perfect agreement among SLPs on the precise WAB-R fluency score, but substantial agreement on non-fluent (score 0-4) versus fluent (score of 5-9). The agreement between the model and the SLPs was moderate for identifying non-fluent speech and substantial fpr identifying fluent speech. When SLPs were asked to identify each sample as fluent, non-fluent, or mixed (without using the fluency scale), the agreement between SLPs was almost perfect (Kappa 0.94). The agreement between the SLPs’ trichotomous judgement and the models was fair for detecting non-fluent speech and substantial for detecting fluent speech. Conclusions Results indicate that neither the WAB-R fluency scale nor the machine learning algorithms were as useful (reliable and valid) as a simple trichotomous judgement of fluent, non-fluent, or mixed by SLPs. These results, together with data from the literature, indicate that it is time to re-consider use of the WAB-R fluency scale for classification of aphasia. It is also premature, at present, to rely on machine learning to rate spoken language fluency.

Updating the Aesthetic Fluency Scale: Revised long and short forms for research in the psychology of the arts.

People's knowledge about the arts shapes how they experience and engage with art. Since its introduction, the 10-item Aesthetic Fluency Scale has been widely used to measure self-reported art knowledge. Drawing from findings and researchers' experience since then, the present work develops and evaluates a Revised Aesthetic Fluency Scale using item response theory to broaden its scope (36 items) and refine its response scale. In a large sample (n = 2,089 English-speaking adults), Study 1 found strong evidence for unidimensionality, good item fit, and a difficulty level suitable for its targeted population; Study 2 (n = 392) provided initial evidence for score validity via relationships with art engagement, Openness to Experience, and aesthetic responsiveness; and Study 3 derived a brief, 10-item form for time-constrained projects. Taken together, the revised scales build upon lessons learned from the original and appear promising for the next generation of research.

Predicting Kurdish EFL University Learners' Oral Reading Fluency Using Support Vector Machine

Investigating learners’ English Oral Reading Fluency (ORF) in the contexts where English is used as a foreign language (EFL) or second language (ESL) has recently become a trending subject. This study was carried out to predict the ORF of 100 Kurdish EFL university students of the English language department, college of Basic Education, university of Duhok, Iraq in 2020 during covid-19 using the support vector machine (SVM) technique. This technique is one of the supervised machine learning techniques, and it is considered the most powerful algorithm in machine learning in terms of high accuracy; therefore, it was employed in this study. Participants’ ORF was measured by two experienced human raters using the four dimensions of the Multidimensional Fluency Scale (MDFS) including expression &amp; volume, phrasing, smoothness, and pacing, which were used as the input variables to predict the ORF as an output. Six kernels of the SVM were used in the prediction process. The results indicated that the highest accuracy of testing result was obtained on the use of SVM Linear kernel with a value of 96.2%. Confusion matrix was utilized to assess the outcomes of data classification. The results of precision, recall, and F1-score were the highest for the SVM linear kernel and their values were the same for all performance metrics with a value of 96.1%. Accordingly, it can be concluded that the performance of the SVM is considerably accurate in predicting the oral reading fluency.

The impact of (kahoot – aided) guided reading on preparatory students EFL reading comprehension and fluency skills

This study aimed to investigate the impact of using (kahoot-aided) guided reading on preparatory students EFL reading comprehension and fluency skills. The participants of the study were sixty second preparatory stage students at Saqr Quraish preparatory school, El- Gharbia governorate. Instruments of the study were an EFL reading comprehension skills questionnaire , an EFL pre-post reading comprehension skills test, an EFL pre-post reading fluency test and an EFL reading fluency scale of prosody. In this study, a pre-post reading comprehension test and a pre-post reading fluency test were used with two groups (Experimental and control , 30 students each). Results revealed that the experimental group students outperformed their peers in the control group in their reading comprehension and fluency skills as validated through the post-test scores. The experimental group’s great performance in these reading skills were attributed to using (kahoot-aided) guided reading program.

Note-Taking Proficiency in Interpreting Teaching: Putting the Note-Taking Fluency Scale to the Test

Note-taking skills are critical to consecutive interpreting. As an important construct of translation competence and an essential skill of interpreting performance, note-taking merits rigorous and systematic investigations as well as reliable and valid assessment instruments and procedures. In the present study, we aim to further validate the note-taking fluency scale developed by Zhou and Dong (2019), focusing on four dimensions, the coordination between listening and note-taking, the timing of taking notes, the systematic nature of notes, and the use of notes. We evaluated the note-taking skills of a group of Master in Translation and Interpreting (MTI) students majoring in Chinese-Portuguese interpretation in Macao. The fluency scale was administered twice, at the beginning and the end of the training program respectively. The results corroborated the development of note-taking proficiency along with note-taking training in three cognitively less demanding dimensions, i.e., the timing of taking notes, the systematic nature of notes and the use of notes, while the more “stagnant/attractor” aspect of the coordination between listening and note-taking remained unchanged after several months' training. We conclude the paper by outlining specific pedagogical implications tailor made for the four dimensions of note-taking skills for future Chinese-Portuguese interpreting training.

Arabic Reading Fluency Rates: An Exploratory Study

Reading fluency has been defined as the process of automatically associating graphemic and phonetic information in a text with minimal conscious attention if any at all. Research has found that the effect of fluency on reading proficiency is of importance to student learning and that increasing oral reading fluency (ORF) rates has been correlated in several studies to improved comprehension. However, no reading fluency rates (FR) or standards in Arabic have been established to date. This exploratory study begins to examine Arabic language ORF and proposes an initial Arabic reading fluency scale. Thirty-five teachers from six private bilingual schools across three Arabian Gulf countries (KSA, the UAE, and Kuwait), administered ORF tests that comprised of authentic, vowelized, and leveled Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) connected texts on 1003 students in Grades 1–6 in Fall and Spring of the same academic year. Results of independent samples t-test revealed changes in reading fluency between Fall and Spring. Furthermore, the range of FR for these initial data within each grade level was significant. Results obtained, however, appeared to be lower than several of the international ORF charts used for English and Arabic languages. Girls outperformed boys in Grades 1–3, while boys outperformed girls in Grades 4–6. The study has several limitations and several likely implications that extend to languages other than Arabic possibly including the potential importance of extended reading practice and early exposure to text.

Reliability of Ratings of Multidimensional Fluency Scale with Many-Facet Rasch Model

The aim of this study was to determine whether the reliability of raters was provided by assessing reading prosody using the Multidimensional Fluency Scale (MDFS). The study was completed with a cross-sectional design, and in line with this, the prosodic reading skills of 41 fifth-grade students were rated by elementary school classroom teachers and Turkish language arts teachers using the MDFS. Data obtained from the ratings were analyzed with the many-facet Rasch model (MFRM). When the findings are investigated, the reading prosody rubric used in the research served the purposes of the reading prosody criteria, the sub-dimensions of the rubric could be reliably differentiated, the determined criteria were reliable, and the criteria categories appear to be adequate. Additionally, the severity and leniency of raters were found to differ, and Turkish language arts teachers were found to perform more severe ratings than classroom teachers. It was found that raters were ranked reliably in terms of severity/leniency, and that their levels of severity/leniency differed from each other. Another result obtained is that the prosody criterion that students completed with the most difficulty was phrasing. Therefore, it was concluded that the MDFS is a reliable rubric and that researchers and teachers can reliably use it to assess prosodic reading skills.

Psychological fluency and its relation to psychological flow among students of Physical Education and Sports Sciences

The aim of this study was to identify the psychological fluency and psychological flow and the relationship between them among students of the fourth stage of the College of Physical Education and Sports Sciences at the University of Babylon. A cross sectional study was carried out and it was used a descriptive approach with survey and correlational methods. A total of 15 female students participated in the study. Psychological fluency scale and psychological flow scale were used as research instruments to identify the psychological fluency and psychological flow and the relationship between them. After processing the results statistically, we found that the fourth-stage students of the College of Physical Education and Sports Sciences enjoy a high level of psychological fluency and also a high level of psychological flow. Psychological fluency had a positive relationship with the psychological flow as the calculated scores for the correlation relationships were 0.428, 0.422, 0.235 and 0.766. In conclusion, the fourth-stage students of the College of Physical Education and Sports Sciences enjoy a high level of psychological fluency and psychological flow. Psychological fluency had a positive relationship with the psychological flow of fourth-stage students in the College of Physical Education and Sports Science, with a high level of psychological fluency.

Assessment of English Oral Reading Fluency Rates for Grade seven English Second Language Learners in Tanzania

This study aimed at assessing reading rates for learners in grade seven English second language (ESL) in Morogoro region, Tanzania. A total of 220 participants were randomly selected and assigned two grade appropriate English texts to read so as determine their reading rates. Fluency scale test was used to assess pupils’ reading fluency rates and the data was statistically analysed using SPSS software. It was necessary to asses pupils’ reading rates in the study context because there are no established fluency rate norms set for grade seven pupils in the country. In this case the current study serves as a reference for improvement. Results show that grade seven pupils in Morogoro region had an average reading fluency rate of 101words per minute (WPM) for fiction text and 95WPM for non-fiction text. The difference in the two texts can be due to the length of words and difficulty level in non-fiction text against fiction text. The scored rate is below the adopted benchmarks which implies that these pupils are at risk in reading fluency, consequently, calling for immediate interventions.

Clinical study of central cholinergic pathway damage in two mild cognitive impairment patients

ObjectivesTo explore the role of the central cholinergic system in amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) and mild vascular cognitive impairment (vMCI).MethodsTwenty-five aMCI patients and 25 vMCI patients were enrolled in this study, and 25 healthy people were chosen as a control group. All participants performed a set of cognitive function scales and were subjected to a brain MRI. We analyzed differences in neuropsychological damage between groups, as well as the degree of brain atrophy and changes in the microstructure of central cholinergic pathways (CCP) in relation to effects on neuropsychological scores.Results(1) Regarding neuropsychological characteristics of the three groups, scores on the MoCA scale, immediate memory, delayed recall, cued recall, long time prolonged recognition, and CDR-SB of the control group were significantly better than those of the aMCI and vMCI groups. Scores on immediate memory, delayed memory, cued recall, long time delayed recognition, and Forward of Digital Span Test (FDST) in the aMCI group were lower than those in the vMCI group. Compared with the aMCI group, the vMCI group was significantly delayed in Trail Making Test (TMA)-A, TMT-B, and TMT B-A. There were no significant differences in HAMA, HAMD, MMSE, MoCA, the Boston Naming Test (BNT), language fluency or visual scale of posterior atrophy (Koedam score) between the vMCI and aMCI groups. (2) As for microstructure changes in the central cholinergic pathway, vMCI group had a decreased FA value in the cingulum (Cing) of the medial pathway, but an increased MD value in the external capsule (Excap) of the lateral pathway when compared to other two groups. Furthermore, the CingMD value of the vMCI group was higher than that of the control group, but the difference was not obvious when compared to the aMCI group. (3) Last, we researched microstructural changes to CCP, degree of brain atrophy, and neuropsychological scores by using partial correlation analysis for all participants. CingFA was negatively correlated with TMT-B, B-A, and FDST. CingMD was negatively correlated with FDST. ExcapFA was positively correlated with MMSE and Backward of BDST, while ExcapMD was negatively correlated with MMSE and MoCA. Claustrum (Claus)FA was positively related to MoCA and FDST, but was negatively related to TMT-A. ClausMD was negatively correlated with MoCA and language fluency. Koedam score was positively correlated with CDR-SB, ExcapMD, and ClausMD, but negatively correlated with MMSE score and inverse BDST.ConclusionThe central cholinergic system is involved in the cognitive impairment of both aMCI and vMCI, and their mechanisms may be distinct. aMCI patients may present with primary CCP impairment while vMCI patients probably exhibit impairment secondary to vasogenic damage to the cholinergic system projection network. The lateral cholinergic pathway was more severely impaired than the medial pathway in vMCI patients, in addition to being associated with decreased executive and general cognitive functions. The damage to CCP was related to the degree of brain atrophy, and both may be involved in the development and progression of cognitive dysfunction.

Reading prosody unpacked: A longitudinal investigation of its dimensionality and relation with word reading and listening comprehension for children in primary grades.

We investigated the dimensionality of various indicators of reading prosody, and the relations of word reading and listening comprehension to the identified dimension(s) of reading prosody, using longitudinal data from Grades 1 to 3. A total of 371 English-speaking children were assessed on oral text reading, word reading, and listening comprehension in the fall and spring of each year (i.e., 6 waves of data). From oral text reading, reading prosody was evaluated on pause structures (pause duration, pause frequency) and pitch (intonation contour, F₀ change) using spectrographic analysis, and on expressiveness, smoothness, phrasing, and pacing using the Multi-Dimensional Fluency Scale (MFS). A bifactor structure described the data best across the 6 waves, composed of (a) a ratings and pause general factor, which captured common variance among MFS, pause frequency, and pause duration; (b) ratings (MFS) and pause specific factors, which captured variance over and above the ratings and pause general factor; and (c) a separate pitch factor, which captured variance in intonation contour and F0 change. Word reading and listening comprehension were related to the identified dimensions of reading prosody, but when they were in a model together, word reading, not listening comprehension, was uniquely related to reading prosody across the six waves. These results indicate that reading prosody is multidimensional and that a pitch factor is a dissociable skill from the general ratings and pause prosody. Furthermore, word reading is the primary driver for the development of various dimensions of reading prosody, at least for children in primary grades. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)

فاعلیة برنامج تدریبی مقترح قائم على القراءة التشارکیة والقراءة المتکررة فی تنمیة الطلاقة القرائیة لدى طالبات الصف الرابع الابتدائی ذوات صعوبات القراءة The Effectiveness of a Proposed Training Program Based On Participatory Reading And Repeated Reading In Developing Reading Fluency For Fourth-Grade Students With Reading Disabilities

هدفت الدراسة الحالية إلى التعرف علي مدى فعالية برنامج تدريبي قائم على بعض الاستراتيجيات التعليمية (K.W.L – PQ4R- المماثلات) في علاج صعوبات الفهم القرائي لدى طلاب صعوبات التعلم بالصف الخامس الأساسي وقد تم إجراء الدراسة علي عينة مکونة من (64) تلميذ من تلاميذ الصف الخامس الأساسي، بمدرسة محمد بن خليفة للتعليم الأساسي، تم تقسيمهم إلى مجموعة تجريبية تتکون من (32) طالبا، ومجموعة ضابطة وعددها (32) طالبا وتم تطبيق مجموعة الأدوات لجمع البيانات الخاصة بالدراسة، تمثلت فيما يلي: اختبار وکسلر لذکاء الأطفال واختبار الفرز العصبي السريع (لفرز التلاميذ ذوي صعوبات التعلم) واختبار الفهم القرائي، وقد أسفرت نتائج الدراسة عن تحسن الفهم القرائي لدي أطفال المجموعة التجريبية في القياس البعدي مقارنة بالقياس القبلي لهم وکذلک مقارنة بالقياس البعدي لأطفال المجموعة الضابطة. وقد أظهرت المعالجات الإحصائية إلى وجود فروق ذات دلالة إحصائية بين متوسط درجات أطفال المجموعة التجريبية على اختبار الفهم القرائي بين القياس القبلي والقياس البعدي لصالح القياس البعدي، وکذلک وجود فروق ذات دلالة إحصائية بين متوسطات درجات أطفال المجموعة التجريبية والمجموعة الضابطة على اختبار الفهم القرائي في القياس البعدي لصالح المجموعة التجريبية وعدم وجود فروق ذات دلالة إحصائية بين متوسط درجات أطفال المجموعة التجريبية على اختبار الفهم القرائي بين القياس البعدي والقياس التتبعي This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of a training program based on participatory and repeated reading in the development of the level of fluency among fourth-grade students with reading disabilities. The study was conducted with the Quasi-Experimental method, The study sample consisted of (24) female students from the fourth-grade Primary school with reading disabilities, study tools were applied to them, including: Reading fluency scale, And a training program. Mann-Whitney test result indicates that there are statistically significant differences between the student ranks of the experimental group and the control group on the reading fluency scale and their dimensions in favor of the experimental group attributable to the use of the training program, Wilcoxon's test result indicates that there are statistically significant differences between students ranks in the reading fluency scale and their dimensions in the pretest and posttest measurement in favor of the posttest measurement. The study recommends seeking early intervention to discover reading fluency difficulties and dealing with them in modern methods and appropriate strategies for people with learning difficulties, codifying measures of reading fluency for the Saudi environment

Neuroimaging Characteristics of Patients with Chronic Schizophrenia and Predictive Diagnosis of Melatonin Therapy

Objective: To investigate the improvement of melatonin in cognitive function and safety of schizophrenia patients with tardive dyskinesia (TD). At the same time, the neuroimaging characteristics of patients with chronic schizophrenia were analyzed. Methods: 76 patients with chronic schizophrenia accompanied by TD were randomly divided into treatment group 39 cases and control group 37 cases. The treatment group was given melatonin 9 mg/d, while the control group was only treated with the original drug. The course of treatment is 12 weeks. Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS), Wechsler Memory Scale (WMS), Repeated Neuropsychological State Test (RBANS), Vocabulary Fluency Scale (VFT), and Symptom Scale (TESS) The curative effect and adverse reactions were evaluated before treatment and 12 weeks. Results: In the treatment group, WAIS was significantly higher than the control group in terms of semantic fluency and VFT in all indicators of operation, speech and total scale (P &lt; 0.05 or P &lt; 0.01); the differences in WMS indicators between the two groups were all different. No statistical significance (P &gt; 0.05). The TESS score in the treatment group was significantly lower than before treatment (P &lt; 0.05), and there was no significant difference between the two groups. Conclusion: Melatonin can improve the cognitive function of patients with chronic schizophrenia with TD, and it is safer.

The study of reading fluency and reading comprehension skills of primary school students whose mother tongue is different

The purpose of this research is to analyse reading fluency and comprehension skills of different mother tongue of primary school students in the 4th grade. The effects of variables such as mother tongue and gender were examined in reading fluency and comprehension skills of different primary school students whose mother tongue is different. The working group of the study was selected by criterion sampling from the purposeful sampling methods among the students studying in primary schools in the province of Tuşba in Van. The working group consists of 201 female and 227 males, a total of 428 students. In the research, ‘Narrative Text’ collected data about reading fluency; ‘Multidimensional Fluency Scale’ measured reading prosody skills; and ‘Reading Comprehension Test’ was used to determine the reading comprehension levels. According to the findings, the students were generally divided into two groups: those whose mother tongue is Turkish, and those who is Kurdish. As a result of the research, it was revealed that the fluent reading and reading comprehension skills of primary school 4th grade students whose mother tongue is Turkish are generally higher than those whose mother tongue is Kurdish. &#x0D;

Using Graphic Markers to Highlight Syntactic and Emphatic Prosody and its Impact on ESP Readers' Foreign Language Reading Anxiety and Fluency

The study aimed at examining the effects of scaffolding ESP readers, by using graphic markers and highlighting syntactic and emphatic prosody, on their Foreign Language Reading Anxiety (FLRA) and fluency. A mixed-methods research design was used for a deeper understanding of the obtained data. An experimental design was planned with a control and an experimental group including 38 students of two fields, museum studies, and conservation of historic buildings in Shiraz University of Arts. Participants of the experimental group were scaffolded to develop reading fluency with different graphic markers, while members of the control group had their usual ESP classes. The participants’ FLRA and reading fluency levels were assessed prior to the study and after it ended. Statistical analysis of the results proved that scaffolding the students with graphic markers had the potential to lower their FLRA. Also, the results of fluency assessment frameworks including Words Read Correctly per Minute (WCPM), Multidimensional Fluency Scale (MDFS) and National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) confirmed the effectiveness of scaffolding the readers with graphic markers. For a deeper understanding, the data were explored using qualitative data classification and analysis by the NAEP framework. The qualitative analysis of the observations showed while graphic cues can scaffold the learners to notice their shortcomings toward an optimum level of fluency, they could not be the sufficient condition for achieving the goal. It was also concluded that online decoding, sight-word reading, and sensitivity to stress and intonation are pre-requisites of fluent and prosodic reading with expression.

The Effects of Literature Circles on Reading Fluency, Reading Comprehension and Reader Responses: A Mixed Method Study

The purpose of this research is to determine the effects of literature circles on reading comprehension and reading fluency and to reveal readers’ responses in this process. The model of the study was conducted in a mixed embedded experimental design. Literature circles method was applied in the quantitative dimension of the research, and reader responses to the books they read were revealed in the qualitative dimension Applications were carried out in two separate classes on the fourth grade of primary school one of which was the experimental group and the other was control group. Multiple choice reading comprehension test was used to determine the students’ reading comprehension and multidimensional fluency scale was used to evaluate reading fluency as data collection tools. Reader responses were reveaked through an open-ended questionnaire. In the study, it was conclueded that the literature circles method had positive effects in terms of reading comprehension. On the other hand, it hs been observed that the literature circles method has positive effects in terms of reading speed in the narrative and informative texts. According to the findings obtained from the reader responses to the books they read, it is understood that the answers of the students to the books they read were mostly reader-centered in the qualitative dimension of the research. From the first literature circle to the last literature circle application, it seen that the reader-centered responses increased and text-centered responses decreased in each literature circle during the research.