Letter Naming Research Articles

Case study: A selective tactile naming deficit for letters and numbers due to interhemispheric disconnection

The role of white matter pathways in cognition is a topic of active investigation that is vital to both the fields of clinical neurology and cognitive neuroscience. White matter pathways provide critical connectivity amongst numerous specialized brain regions thereby enabling higher level cognition. While the effects of dissections and lesions of the corpus callosum have been reported, it is less understood how unilateral focal white matter lesions may impact cognitive processes. Here, we report a unique case study in which a small left lateralized stroke in the white matter adjacent to the body of the corpus callosum selectively impaired the ability to name letters and numbers presented to the ipsilesional, left hand. Naming of letters, numbers and objects was tested in both the visual and tactile modalities in both hands. Diffusion-weighted imaging showed a marked reduction in white matter pathway integrity through the body of the corpus callosum. Clinically, this case highlights the significant impact that a focal white matter lesion can have on higher-level cognition, specifically the integration of verbal and tactile information. Moreover, this case adds to prior reports on tactile agnosia by including DTI imaging data and emphasizing the role that white matter pathways through the body of the corpus callosum play in integrating tactile input from the right hemisphere with verbal naming capabilities of the left hemisphere. Finally, the findings also provoke fresh insight into alternative strategies for rehabilitating cognitive functioning when structural connectivity may be compromised.

조선 후기 안동 봉황사의 승탑 연구

This paper is a study on the four bell-shaped stupas built in Bonghwangsa Temple in Andong during the late Joseon Dynasty. Based on the history of Bonghwangsa Temple, the monks of the stupas, and the formal analysis, I examined the historical and stylistic characteristics of the stupas.<BR> Bonghwangsa Temple changed its name from Hwangsansa Temple to Bonghwangsa Temple during the Songgyedang Nashik’s activities in the early 18th century. The name ‘Bonghwangsa Temple’ can be found in the internal records of the temple, such as the historical remarks within paintings, historical monument, and collection of Nashik. However, it can be seen that various town chronicle and maps surveyed under the order of the government included Hwangsan Temple, which had been used for a long time.<BR> The four stupas built in Bonghwangsa Temple are typical bell-shaped of the late Joseon Period, including 〈Stupa of Buddhist Monk Songgyedandsik〉, 〈Stupa of Buddhist Monk Cheongpadangjeon〉, 〈Stupa of Buddhist Monk Powoldangseom〉, 〈Stupa of Buddhist Monk Cheongun〉, Among them, 〈Stupa of Buddhist Monk Songgyedandsik〉 is the most important stupa of Songgye-dang in the history of Bonghwangsa Temple. It was built in 1765. The anthology of Nasik revealed the process of the construction of the stupa, and confirmed that the monk of 〈Stupa of Buddhist Monk Cheongpadangjeon〉 was the Cheongpa Bojeon who gave Buddhist initiation ritual to him. However, 〈Stupa of Buddhist Monk Powoldangseom〉, 〈Stupa of Buddhist Monk Cheongun〉 remained research tasks because they could not be found in records.<BR> The most distinctive feature of the stupa of Bonghwangsa Temple is the inscription of only one letter of the Buddhist name(法名) on the back of Dharma name(堂號). In the pedestal of the Buddha statue in Bonghwangsa Temple, only one letter of Buddhist name, who played an important role in the temple, a painter, and a master carpenter, was written. If similar examples are found in Buddhist poetry and calligraphy, it will be possible to confirm whether Bonghwangsa Temple alone has the characteristics.<BR> Finally, the bell-shaped stupa of Gyeongsang-do was divided into two categories 〈Geumganggyedan〉 of Tongdosa temple and 〈Stupa of Samyeongdang〉 of Haeinsa temple, depending on the shape of the base. It was confirmed that the stupa of Bonghwangsa Temple was simply divided into the 〈Stupa of Samyeongdang〉 style due to its simple base, and that it was somewhat influenced by the region of Gyeongsangbuk-do, and that it was in line with the bell-shaped of the late Joseon Dynasty.

Developmental Trends of Visual Processing of Letters and Objects Using Naming Speed Tasks.

Studying the typical development of reading is key to understanding the precise deficits that underlie reading disabilities. An important correlate of efficient reading is the speed of naming arrays of simple stimuli such as letters and pictures. In this cross-sectional study, we examined developmental changes in visual processing that occurs during letter and object naming from childhood to early adulthood in terms of behavioral task efficiency, associated articulation and eye movement parameters, and the coordination between them, as measured by eye-voice span in both the spatial and temporal domains. We used naming speed (NS) tasks, in which participants were required to name sets of letters or simple objects as quickly and as accurately as possible. Single stimulus manipulations were made to these tasks to make the stimuli either more visually and/or phonologically similar to one another in order to examine how these manipulations affected task performance and the coordination between speech and eye movements. Across development there was an increased efficiency in speech and eye movement performance and their coordination in both the spatial and temporal domains. Furthermore, manipulations to the phonological and visual similarity of specific letter and object stimuli revealed that orthographic processing played a greater role than phonological processing in performance, with the contribution of phonological processing diminishing across development. This comprehensive typical developmental trajectory provides a benchmark for clinical populations to elucidate the nature of the cognitive dysfunction underlying reading difficulties.

Preschoolers’ private speech during spelling in Hebrew: the role of word structure and letter position

The study’s aims were to (a) evaluate preschoolers’ use of private speech (overt talk to themselves) during spelling; and (b) study how it is affected by the nature of orthography. Participants were 197 Hebrew speaking Israeli preschoolers (109 girls and 88 boys) (M = 5.6 years). Children spelled 12 words (N =44 letters) that represented one of three phonological word structures in terms of their consonants (C) and vowels (V): CV.CVC, CV.CV.CVC, and CVC.CVC. Children’s private speech during spelling was documented and analysed. In this paper, we report the private speech units most frequently produced when spelling the letters correctly—CV, CVC, and letter name. When using private speech, children succeeded in correctly spelling a greater number of letters (30.69%) than when not using private speech (17.64%). The private speech across word structures primarily contained CV units and letter names. Children used private speech mostly for words’ first letters and for CV.CVC words. The structure and position of the letters (first, second, last) had a combined effect on the production of private speech. CV units were used mostly in the first letter of CV.CVC words, CVC units in the second letter of a CVC.CVC word, and letter names in the first letter of CV.CVC words. These findings suggest that preschoolers are aware of the features of the orthography, as exemplified by their internal thought process when spelling words. Adults can support children’s understanding of the written language by encouraging them to use private speech during word writing.

Predictive Role of Classroom Management in Literacy Development in Preschool Children at Risk of EBD

The purpose of this study was to better understand the association between teachers’ incoming classroom management skills and end-of-year literacy skills of preschool children with or at risk of emotional and behavioral disorders. Furthermore, we explored the contribution of students’ incoming engagement and communication skills to end-of-year literacy skills. A series of multilevel models revealed that teacher classroom management predicted end-of-year letter sound fluency, but not letter naming fluency, after controlling for other factors. We conclude with a discussion of these preliminary findings and provide suggestions for future research and practice in early intervention settings.

The Effect Of Puzzle Game For Early Literacy Achievement of Underachiever Students

Early literacy skills are the capacity to name letters and write them down, spell simple words, recognize letters and signs around them, identify books from titles, and perform book-related activities. Early literacy consists of nine components, namely language, rules/provisions/habits, knowledge of letters, awareness of language elements, the suitability of phonemes, pretend reading, pretend writing, notation, and cognitive skills. However, mentally retarded children only emphasize the recognition of vowels as the basis of initial literacy. This study aims at determine the effect of game media puzzle to improve initial literacy skills through vowel recognition for mild second-grade mentally retarded students. This study uses a case study. The sampling technique that will be used by researchers is to use quantitative and qualitative analysis techniques. Quantitative analysis with simple statistics is used in the survey results to see students' understanding of learning vowels. Qualitative analysis techniques are used in the results of interview data, focus group discussions, observation and documentation. The number of samples used was 3 students from 6 class II students. The research instrument was in the form of observations and interviews. The results of the observation indicate that the average value before being given treatment is 6.0 and the value after being given media treatment is 8.7. Thus it can be predicted the application of game media puzzle effective to improve initial literacy skills through vowel recognition for mild second-grade mentally retarded students.

A bimodal extension of the Eriksen flanker task

The Eriksen flanker task is a traditional conflict paradigm for studying the influence of task-irrelevant information on the processing of task-relevant information. In this task, participants are asked to respond to a visual target item (e.g., a letter) that is flanked by task-irrelevant items (e.g., also letters). Responses are typically faster and more accurate when the task-irrelevant information is response-congruent with the visual target than when it is incongruent. Several researchers have attributed the starting point of this flanker effect to poor selective filtering at a perceptual level (e.g., spotlight models), which subsequently produces response competition at post-perceptual stages. The present study examined whether a flanker-like effect could also be established within a bimodal analog of the flanker task with auditory irrelevant letters and visual target letters, which must be processed along different processing routes. The results of two experiments revealed that a flanker-like effect is also present with bimodal stimuli. In contrast to the unimodal flanker task, however, the effect only emerged when flankers and targets shared the same letter name, but not when they were different letters mapped onto the same response. We conclude that the auditory flankers can influence the time needed to recognize visual targets but do not directly activate their associated responses.

Letter Features as Predictors of Letter-Name Acquisition in Four Languages with Three Scripts

ABSTRACT To expand our understanding of script-general and script-specific principles in the learning of letter names, we examined how three characteristics of alphabet letters – their frequency in printed materials, order in the alphabet, and visual similarity to other letters – relate to children’s letter-name knowledge in four languages with three distinct scripts (English [N = 318; M age = 4.90], Portuguese [N = 366; M age = 5.80], Korean [N = 168; M age = 5.48], and Hebrew [N = 645; M age = 5.42]). Explanatory item response modeling analysis showed that the frequency of letters in printed materials was consistently related to letter difficulty across the four languages. There were also moderation effects for letter difficulty in English and Korean, and for discriminatory power of letters in Korean. The results suggest that exposure to letters as measured by letter frequency is a language-general mechanism in the learning of alphabet letters.

Modal Spelled Pitch Class, La-Minor Solfège, and Schubert’s Third Relations

This article develops the notion of modal spelled pitch class by combining Julian Hook’s theory of spelled heptachords and Steven Rings’s heard scale degree. Modal spelled pitch class takes the form of an ordered triple that includes the key signature, the generic pitch classes (letter names without accidentals) of the tonic, and the note in question. From there one can infer other information, such as scale degree, mode, and la-minor solfège. In the construction of modal spelled pitch class, la-minor solfège is of equal importance to do-minor solfège, and subsequent analyses contrast the perspectives of both types of movable-do solfège users. This argument aligns with recent reevaluations of Jacques Handschin’s tone character (Clampitt and Noll 2011; Noll 2016b) and suggests a path of reconciliation in the ongoing solfège debate. Close readings of Franz Schubert’s Impromptu in E♭ major, D. 899, and Piano Sonata in B♭ major, D. 960, demonstrate the analytic potential of modal spelled pitch class and the eight types of coordinated transpositions. While previous transformational theories have shed light on third relations in Schubert’s harmony (Cohn 1999), modal spelled pitch class transpositions show the scales and melodies that prolong third-related harmonies also participate in their own third relations.

Alphabetic Knowledge and Phonological Awareness : A comparison between Malaysian Preschool Children from Public and Private Kindergartens

Alphabetic knowledge and phonological awareness are essential skills in learning to read. This research examined the level of acquisition on alphabetic knowledge and phonological awareness among 60 preschoolers from private and public preschools in Kuching, Sarawak. The mean age of the children was 5.58. The children were administered letter name and sound knowledge, and letter naming fluency tests to examine their alphabetic knowledge; Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing and Yopp-Singer Phoneme Segmentation Test to examine their phonological awareness. Higher achievement in alphabetic knowledge and phonological awareness was found among preschoolers from private preschools compared to those from public preschools. This study discusses the implications for practice and the ways teachers could explicitly foster alphabetic knowledge and phonological awareness skills in the classroom.&#x0D; Keywords: learning to read, alphabetic knowledge, phonological awareness, preschool children.

Concurrent validity of the Preschool Early Literacy Indicators with a New Zealand sample of 5-year-olds entering primary school

ABSTRACT We examined the concurrent validity of the Preschool Early Literacy Indicators (PELI®) with 105 New Zealand (NZ) five-year-old children entering primary school. PELI® incorporates oral language and emergent literacy tasks into a picture-book that is administered as a shared adult–child read-aloud activity. In this study, PELI® administration and scoring was adapted to NZ English. Correlations and hierarchical linear regression analyses were conducted to assess the correspondence of PELI®NZ tasks with criterion measures assessing related constructs (oral language: Clinical Evaluations of Language Fundamentals-Preschool Second Edition, Australia & New Zealand Standardized Edition; alphabet knowledge: Letter Naming Fluency). Diagnostic accuracy of the PELI®NZ language index composite and phonological awareness scores was evaluated using logistic regression and area under the curve (ROC). Results supported concurrent validity of the PELI®NZ in this NZ sample. Future research should evaluate whether children’s performance on PELI®NZ at school entry predicts later progress in literacy acquisition.

Effects of RTI on letter naming and spelling among kindergarteners at risk for reading failure

The response-to-intervention model provides early intervention to struggling children and helps them to increases their academic achievement, as it provides immediate intervention to children who are likely to be at risk of academic failure. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of response-to-intervention model on developing acquisition of letter naming knowledge and spelling knowledge among kindergarteners at risk for reading failure. Thirty-six kindergarten children (Mean age= 5.03, SD=0.705; number of female children=12, and number of male children=24) identified as at risk for reading failure participated in this study .Children were administered a pre-reading skills test (developed by Mourad Ali, 2014 to screen for children who are at risk for reading failure). Children who had low achievement scores on the test (at least 1.5standard deviations [SD] below the population mean) were included. Letter Naming Knowledge Test and Spelling Knowledge Test were employed. In order to analyze the data from the pre- and post-test, the author used two-way ANOVA analysis and t-test. Two-way ANOVA analysis and t-test results revealed the effectiveness of response-to-intervention model on developing acquisition of letter naming knowledge and spelling knowledge among kindergarteners at risk for reading failure.

The effects of a phonological awareness and alphabet knowledge intervention on four-year-old children in an early childhood setting

Phonological awareness (PA) and alphabet knowledge (AK) are two of the strongest predictors of reading acquisition, and evidence shows that many New Zealand children are entering school with low levels of emergent literacy (EL) skills. The current research showed that four-year-old children identified as having low levels of EL, who participated in an evidence-based 10-week intervention using games and books, made significant gains in PA and AK in comparison to a control group. The children were assessed pre-intervention and post-intervention using the Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening PreK and it was found that the PA and AK intervention used in this research was effective in significantly raising the levels of upper-case letter naming, letter-sound awareness and beginning sound awareness.

Identifying predictors of reading speed and reading comprehension in Bosnian

The goal of the present study was to examine the predictors of reading speed and reading comprehension in third-grade students from Bosnia and Herzegovina (BIH). The sample consisted of 168 third-grade students (86 boys, 82 girls) attending regular schools in Canton Sarajevo, BIH. We examined the effects of phonological awareness (phoneme deletion and rhyming), rapid automatized naming (RAN) of letters and objects, semantic fluency, working memory, and processing speed, on three reading speed tasks and a reading comprehension task. For the reading speed tasks, total amount of explained variance was 33% for reading a text passage, 40% for word reading and 36% for pseudoword reading. The most important predictors of reading speed tasks were phoneme deletion task and RAN: Letters. On the other hand, the model explaining reading comprehension was much less predictive and explained about 11% of variance. Significant predictors of reading comprehension were working memory and processing speed. The results of this study are very informative in creating better models of reading. This in turn will help create better reading intervention programs and potentially reduce the number of children with reading disabilities.

A-165 Letter Versus Oject Naming: Exploring the Relationship Between Rapid Naming and Fluid Reasoning Ability

Abstract Objective Fluid reasoning is associated with rapid naming (RN) ability in multiple studies (e.g., Mano et al., 2019), but less is known about which aspects of RN may be driving this relationship. Hence, the purpose of this study was to determine which is better associated with fluid reasoning ability: letter or object naming. Method Participants comprised 226 children, ages 8–12 years (88.5% Caucasian, 53.1% Male), who completed a larger, NIH-funded study (R03HD048752, R15HD065627), representing a community sample. They encompassed children with ADHD, reading disability (RD), RD/ADHD and controls. Measures administered included the CTOPP Letter and Object Naming subtests and the Test of Nonverbal Intelligence, Third Edition (TONI-3). Results Linear regression revealed RN predicted TONI-3 scores, F(2, 223) = 7.44, p = .001, but only object naming was significant (Beta = .26, p = .002). Separate regressions demonstrated that RN was not related to TONI-3 performance for controls (p = .12), nor for children with ADHD (p = .58). It displayed a trend for children with RD, F(2, 45) = 2.99, p = .06, with only object naming being significant (Beta = .44, p = .02). Conclusions Rapid object naming, but not rapid letter naming, is related to fluid reasoning ability in a mixed sample of children. Further analysis suggests that these findings were driven by children with RD. Future research should investigate whether the semantic or visual aspect of object naming, or both, is driving this relationship.

Inattention Symptoms are Predictors of Neuropsychological Functioning in Children from 3rd and 4th Grades

ABSTRACT Symptoms of inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity, arranged along a continuum, are commonly associated with neuropsychological and academic deficits, even in the general population. The aim of this study is to analyze how Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) symptoms are associated with the performance in neuropsychological and academic abilities (phonological processing, processing speed/automatic attention, executive functions, reading, and spelling) in school-age children. The sample consisted of 216 children from 3rd and 4th grades (M = 8.94 years old, SD =.71) from public elementary schools of two Brazilian capitals. Pearson correlation and Multiple Linear Regression analysis were performed. Inattention symptoms were the only predictors of performance in phonological processing (phoneme suppression and rapid automatized naming of letters), processing speed/automatic attention, executive functions, such as inhibitory control and cognitive flexibility, and reading fluency. Beta values ranged from .14 to .27, and the largest value was related to an inhibitory control task. Inattention, and not hyperactivity/impulsivity symptoms, seems to affect neuropsychological functions even in non-clinical diagnosed children. Contributions and future directions are discussed.

Contextual Interference Effects in Early Assessment: Evaluating the Psychometric Benefits of Item Interleaving

Research has shown that the context of practice tasks can have a significant impact on learning, with long-term retention and transfer improving when tasks of different types are mixed by interleaving (abcabcabc) compared with grouping together in blocks (aaabbbccc). This study examines the influence of context via interleaving from a psychometric perspective, using educational assessments designed for early childhood. An alphabet knowledge measure consisting of four types of tasks (finding, orienting, selecting, and naming letters) was administered in two forms, one with items blocked by task, and the other with items interleaved and rotating from one task to the next by item. The interleaving of tasks, and thereby the varying of item context, had a negligible impact on mean performance, but led to stronger internal consistency reliability as well as improved item discrimination. Implications for test design and student engagement in educational measurement are discussed.

Effects of a Supplemental Spanish Phonological Awareness Intervention on Latinx Preschoolers' Dual Language Emergent Literacy Skills.

Purpose Preschoolers' phonological awareness (PA) and alphabet knowledge (AK) skills are two of the strongest predictors of future reading. Despite evidence that providing at-risk preschoolers with timely emergent literacy interventions can prevent academic difficulties, there is a scarcity of research focusing on Latinx preschoolers who are dual language learners. Despite evidence of benefits of providing Latinxs with Spanish emergent literacy instruction, few studies include preschoolers. This study examined the effects of a supplemental Spanish PA and AK intervention on the dual emergent literacy skills of at-risk Latinx preschoolers. Method A multiple probe design across four units of instruction evaluated the effects of a Spanish supplemental emergent literacy intervention that explicitly facilitated generalizations to English. Four Latinx preschoolers with limited emergent literacy skills in Spanish and English participated in this study. Bilingual researchers delivered scripted lessons targeting PA and AK skills in individual or small groups for 12-17 weeks. Results Children made large gains as each PA skill was introduced into intervention and generalized the PA skills they learned from Spanish to English. They also improved their English initial sound identification skills, a phonemic awareness task, when instruction was delivered in Spanish but with English words. Children made small to moderate gains in their Spanish letter naming and letter-sound correspondence skills and in generalizing this knowledge to English. Conclusion These findings provide preliminary evidence Latinx preschoolers who are dual language learners benefit from emergent literacy instruction that promotes their bilingual and biliterate development.

KESALAHAN PENGGUNAAN EJAAN DALAM KARANGAN EKSPOSISI SISWA KELAS X MIPA 1 SMA NEGERI 3 KOTA JAMBI

This purpose of this research is to describe the errors of spelling in expository composition of class X MIPA 1 at SMA negeri 3 Kota Jambi academic year 2018/2019. This research used qualitative descriptive method. The data of this research was sequence of sentences of students’ writing with spelling errors. The primary data was students’ expository composition of class X MIPA 1 at SMA Negeri 3 Kota Jambi Tahun academic year 2018/2019. Based on the result of the analysis, it can be found that the errors of spelling in expository composition of students’ class X MIPA 1 semeter I SMA negeri 3 kota Jambi tahun ajaran 2018/2019 were 713 errors. The errors of spelling consists of 588 errors of using capital letter in the beginning of the sentence; 4 errors of using capital letter in the beginning of the sentence with direct quote; 10 errors of using capital letter as the first letter of nation name; 2 errors of using capital letter as the first letter of days’ name; 3 errors of capital letter as the first letter of geography;14 errors of capital letter of every word in the title of their composition. Moreover, there following errors of the use of comma is; 60 errors of comma in between of elements of explanation; 4 errors of comma before conjunction; 11 errors of comma behind the conjunction of sentences; 7 errors of comma in separating direct quote from the other parts of the sentence; 2 errors of comma in between of district or country’s name which is written in sequence; 9 errors of comma on the back of the information of the beginning of the sentence which is used to avoid error of reading.

An Early Reading Assessment Battery for Multilingual Learners in Malaysia.

The aim of the study was to develop a new comprehensive reading assessment battery for multi-ethnic and multilingual learners in Malaysia. Using this assessment battery, we examined the reliability, validity, and dimensionality of the factors associated with reading difficulties/disabilities in the Malay language, a highly transparent alphabetic orthography. In order to further evaluate the reading assessment battery, we compared results from the assessment battery with those obtained from the Malaysian national screening instrument. In the study, 866 Grade 1 children from multi-ethnic and multilingual backgrounds from 11 government primary schools participated. The reading assessment battery comprised 13 assessments, namely, reading comprehension, spelling, listening comprehension, letter name knowledge, letter name fluency, rapid automatized naming, word reading accuracy, word reading efficiency, oral reading fluency, expressive vocabulary, receptive vocabulary, elision, and phonological memory. High reliability and validity were found for the assessments. An exploratory factor analysis yielded three main constructs: phonological-decoding, sublexical-fluency, and vocabulary-memory. Phonological-decoding was found to be the most reliable construct that distinguished between at-risk and non-at-risk children. Identifying these underlying factors will be useful for detecting children at-risk for developing reading difficulties in the Malay language. In addition, these results highlight the importance of including a range of reading and reading-related measures for the early diagnosis of reading difficulties in this highly transparent orthography.