Growth In Reading Comprehension Research Articles

Effect of Difficulty Levels on Second-Grade Delayed Readers Using Dyad Reading

The authors investigated how far above a poor reader's instructional level dyad reading should be used to promote the greatest growth in reading level, word recognition, comprehension, and rate. Fifty-one poor readers were identified and randomly assigned to 1 of 3 experimental groups: (a) dyad reading at their instructional reading level, (b) dyad reading 2 grades above their instructional reading level; and (c) dyad reading 4 grades above their instructional reading level. For 95 days/sessions, all groups read 15 min daily during their classroom recreational reading time. They all improved with dyad reading regardless of the difficulty levels of materials. Results suggest that the difficulty level of materials used for dyad reading may make a difference in student progress.

Using children's literacy activities to predict growth in verbal cognitive skills: A longitudinal investigation.

Fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-grade children participated in a 2-year longitudinal study to determine the predictive validity of the Title Recognition Test (TRT) and the Author Recognition Test (ART), 2 checklist measures of individual differences in exposure to print. Multiple regression analyses confirmed the ability of the TRT to predict growth in receptive vocabulary, general information, spelling, sight vocabulary, verbal fluency, and reading comprehension even after controlling for age, recognition memory, and previous performance in the same cognitive competency area. The ART was found to be a less robust predictor. Although correlational, our results suggest that print exposure may be an independent contributor to cognitive growth in the verbal domain.

Winter Setback: The Racial Composition of Schools and Learning to Read

This is a longitudinal study of the growth in reading comprehension over the first two years of school among a mixed-race random sample of children in Baltimore, Maryland. African-Americans in integrated schools made less progress in reading comprehension in winter when school was in session than did their counterparts in segregated schools. In summers, however, when they were not in school, the African-American children who attended integrated schools gained considerably more than their counterparts who attended segregated schools. White children made about the same progress in reading in integrated and segregated schools in winters and summers, even though the whites in integrated schools came from more educationally advantaged families. Thus, children of both races in integrated schools, who generally came from more educated families, did not make the expected gains in reading comprehension when school was open. In summers, however, students whose parents had more education forged ahead of those whose parents were high school dropouts. We consider several explanations for the relatively slow growth in reading comprehension we observedfor children in integrated schools. It is most likely that acquisition of reading skills is harder for youngsters of both races in integrated schools because their language backgrounds differ. Early reading development depends heavily on a child's knowledge of spoken language, which for Baltimore children reflects their experience in segregated neighborhoods. At the same time, schools seem to help the children from economically disadvantaged homes-the ones who need help the most.

Predicting growth in reading ability from children's exposure to print

Previous research on whether exposure to print could account for individual differences in growth in children's reading comprehension has produced conflicting results ( Anderson, Wilson, & Fielding, 1988; Taylor, Frye, & Maruyama, 1990). We conducted a longitudinal study of growth in reading ability employing two new indicators of print exposure that use a checklist-with-foils logic and that have very brief administration times. We found that individual differences in third- to fifth-grade growth in reading were significantly related to these indicators of print exposure. It appears that the extent to which individuals engage in literacy activities is a significant contributor to developed reading ability. Further studies of the cognitive consequences of literacy could be facilitated by the use of the easily administered indicators of print exposure that we examined in this study.

Creative arts therapies in the classroom: A study of cognitive, emotional, and motivational changes

This study investigates the use of the creative arts therapies to effect cognition, achievement, motivation, and self-concept in elementary school students. The literature review covers creative thinking, self-concept, competence motivation, and the use of creative arts therapies in the classroom. Creative arts therapies sessions utilizing movement, music, and art therapy conducted by trained dance, music, and art therapists working together, were conducted twice weekly over a three month period with normal second and fourth grade classes. Pre- and post-test measures utilized were: theTorrance Test of Creative Thinking; What I Am Like, a self-concept scale expressing competence perceptions;In The Classroom, a self-support scale of intrinsic/extrinsic motivation toward learning; and theWoodcock measure of reading comprehension. A multivariant analysis of variance suggests positive growth in creative thinking and reading comprehension. Correlational analysis suggests relationships between self-concept, motivation, and creativity. Finally, principle component analysis suggests that the children's resultant thinking had a more original style. The use of creative arts therapies as affective education is discussed.

A 5-Year Follow-Up of Reading-Comprehension Achievement of Hearing-Impaired Students in Special Education Programs

Reading comprehension was assessed in 1974 and again in 1979 for 1,664 hearing-impaired students enrolled in special education programs across the United States. The Special Edition for Hearing Impaired Students of the 1973 Stanford Achievement Test, an adaptation of the regular edition of the Stanford but with identical items and subtest structure, was used to assess students' achievement both years. The major research question concerned the relative importance for achievement growth of the most salient handicapping characteristics of the population (specifically, the degree of hearing loss and the presence of any additional, educationally significant handicaps) compared with basic student demographic characteristics, such as race, age, and sex. A repeated-measures statistical analysis' of the data indicated that the growth in reading achievement of the typical hearing-impaired student over a 5-year period was approximately one-third that of the average hearing student. In addition, degree of hearing loss, age, and racial background had significant effects on reading-comprehension growth.