Specific Reading Research Articles

Hearing Screening Failure Among Students With Reading Impairment: Rate and Relation to Specific Reading Deficits

Background The purpose of this preliminary study was to explore one potential underlying factor that may contribute to poor reading outcomes: minimal hearing loss. Additionally, we compared decoding and comprehension deficits in students who passed or failed the hearing screening. Method Forty-three school-age students completed a hearing screening and a literacy assessment. Results Fifty-four percent of children with reading impairments failed the hearing screening, compared to only 21% of children with typical reading. Additionally, students who failed the hearing screening were more likely to exhibit decoding deficits; comprehension skills between the hearing screening groups did not differ. Conclusions Thus, children with reading impairments are more likely to fail hearing screenings than children with typical reading, and the deficits of those who fail hearing screenings appear to center on decoding rather than comprehension skills. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.12818252

TransCirc: an interactive database for translatable circular RNAs based on multi-omics evidence.

TransCirc (https://www.biosino.org/transcirc/) is a specialized database that provide comprehensive evidences supporting the translation potential of circular RNAs (circRNAs). This database was generated by integrating various direct and indirect evidences to predict coding potential of each human circRNA and the putative translation products. Seven types of evidences for circRNA translation were included: (i) ribosome/polysome binding evidences supporting the occupancy of ribosomes onto circRNAs; (ii) experimentally mapped translation initiation sites on circRNAs; (iii) internal ribosome entry site on circRNAs; (iv) published N-6-methyladenosine modification data in circRNA that promote translation initiation; (v) lengths of the circRNA specific open reading frames; (vi) sequence composition scores from a machine learning prediction of all potential open reading frames; (vii) mass spectrometry data that directly support the circRNA encoded peptides across back-splice junctions. TransCirc provides a user-friendly searching/browsing interface and independent lines of evidences to predicte how likely a circRNA can be translated. In addition, several flexible tools have been developed to aid retrieval and analysis of the data. TransCirc can serve as an important resource for investigating the translation capacity of circRNAs and the potential circRNA-encoded peptides, and can be expanded to include new evidences or additional species in the future.

Examining the Influence of Interactions Between Early Reading Skills and Executive Functioning on Second Grade Reading Achievement

Questions still exist about the interplay between foundational literacy components and budding cognitive structures that are thought to influence advanced reading abilities. Understanding interactions between executive functions (EFs) and specific early reading skills could contribute to our understanding of later reading achievement. The present study used multilevel modeling to examine whether EFs (i.e., working memory, cognitive flexibility, and inhibition) moderate the relation between various early reading skills in kindergarten and second grade reading achievement in a sample of 18,174 participants from the ECLS: K-2011 database. Our findings suggested that early teacher-rated reading skills are related to second grade reading abilities. Both working memory and inhibition were important moderators for reading independently in kindergarten and are associated with later reading achievement in second grade. Research implications and the importance of understanding the intersection of cognitive processes and learning in early childhood are discussed.

Varieties of Cognitive Profiles in Poor Readers: Evidence for a VAS-Impaired Subtype

A wide share of secondary school children does not reach the expected competence level in reading. These children could benefit from more efficient intervention responses, providing a better understanding of their cognitive weaknesses/deficits. Our aim was to explore the cognitive heterogeneity of a population of poor readers identified from a large sample of 948 sixth-grade children. We first assessed the contribution of phoneme awareness (PA), rapid automatized naming (RAN), and visual attention span (VAS) to reading performance in a subset of 281 children including poor and average readers/spellers. We show that all three skills are unique and significant predictors of reading fluency. We then restricted the analysis to participants with normal Raven’s score (IQ) and oral language skills to focus on 110 children with more specific reading difficulties. A unique VAS deficit was found in 18% of these poor readers while 20% and 15.5% showed a unique PA or RAN deficit. Children with multiple or no deficit were further identified. The overall findings provide evidence for a variety of cognitive profiles in poor readers. They suggest that, in addition to PA interventions, training programs targeting VAS might be useful for the nontrivial share of poor readers who exhibit a VAS deficit.

A volição na leitura aspectual de sentenças com a perífrase “estar+gerúndio” no português brasileiro

O presente estudo tem por objetivo investigar se as leituras aspectuais da perífrase “estar+gerúndio” geram leituras volitivas em contexto de sujeitos [±animados] no português brasileiro. Arche (2014) questiona o fato de que, na literatura, diversos autores atribuem a essa perífrase uma leitura de volição, sem explicar como essa leitura é gerada. Com isso, testamos se o traço [animacidade] do argumento externo é capaz de confirmar essa leitura de volição da perífrase investigada. A hipótese assumida é a de que não há uma leitura específica de volição para essa perífrase, mas que as leituras aspectuais são geradas na estrutura sintagmática devido à contribuição aspectual de diferentes elementos sentenciais. Para testar essa hipótese, aplicamos um teste de julgamento de gramaticalidade a dez falantes de português brasileiro. Os resultados mostram que, mesmo em contextos com sujeitos [-animados], os falantes associaram majoritariamente as sentenças a interpretações que indicam habilidade e, consequentemente, volição.

The naval main engines parameters variation, due different external factors

In this paper, we carried out a real and simulated study, regarding the naval main engines parameters variation on different external factors. The ships, was in normal operation mode, at various around the globe points, so different environmental external conditions. It is worth mentioning that such studies help us to better understand the operating processes of naval propulsion engines, under different environmental conditions. We can also draw conclusions on how to improve the operating mode of these types of engines. Such tests cannot be carried out in the factory condition, only in operation mode with the ship under way. In particular, the studied parameters of the engines were: average effective pressure, average effective power and maximum combustion pressure. As external factors that have been taken into account I mention: ambient temperature, sea water temperature, supercharger pressure. The study was conducted on two known types of naval propulsion engines. The first most common is the MAN B&W 6S35MC-MK7, in this case being a propulsion engine for a tanker. The second type of naval propulsion engine is in a reefer container ship, the engine being a Sultzer 9RND-90M. The experimental or simulated determinations carried out on board the ships, were made using the existing specific reading devices. Using data obtained by direct reading or performed countless thermal calculations for each engine. There followed the interpretation of the final data obtained, many being presented graphically. The final conclusions were followed, which led to a more efficient operation by regulating certain operating parameters, such as the temperature of the supercharger air under different atmospheric weather conditions.

A South African view of Pentecostalism as another response to modernism

A popular way used by most sociologists, anthropologists and theologians to define the Pentecostal movement, its origins and growth is by way of the Deprivation Theory, implying that Pentecostalism can be explained in terms of its origins among the poor, marginalised and disenfranchised. However, it is argued that Pentecostal identity was rather formed by its Bible reading practices, its hermeneutics that resulted in its doctrinal understanding of the baptism in the Holy Spirit, the Full Gospel message and the lifestyle it generated that caused others to convert to Pentecostalism. It is submitted that this was the result of utilising a specific Bible reading method prevalent in holiness circles of the 19th century, which involved reading from a primitivist-restorationist and revivalistic perspective, and also served as the primary cause of the establishment of Pentecostalism and its growth. Individuals were attracted to Pentecostalism not because they were deprived – although many of them were – but with the way they read and interpreted the Bible, the resultant religious quest for Jesus and their enchanted worldview. Deprivation and disorganisation should rather be viewed as facilitating rather than causing its attraction, implying that the popularity of the movement is to be sought somewhere else – in the dynamics of the movement itself. It is concluded that Pentecostalism is a countercultural paramodern movement that defined its praxis-oriented identity and restorationist-primitivist spiritual ethos as a social and spiritual response to modernistic liberalism and Protestant fundamentalist cessationist orthodoxy.

Social pathologies and ideologies in light of J\xfcrgen Habermas: a new interpretation of the thesis of colonisation

This paper analyses the role that the critique of ideologies plays within Jürgen Habermas’ Critical Theory. I offer a reinterpretation of the thesis of colonisation of lifeworld in light of a specific reading of the critique of ideologies, trying to show that this thesis can be interpreted as a case of critique of ideologies. To do so, I firstly present a brief general map of the different forms of social critique present today in social philosophy by placing special emphasis on the critique of ideologies. Secondly, I briefly state Habermas’ diagnosis on the colonisation of lifeworld by differentiating the two levels of critique which are, in my view, contained within the theory of communicative action: critique as the discursive redemption of validity claims by participants and critique as an observer’s social diagnosis. Lastly, I confront these two levels of critique with the form of critique of ideologies analysed in the first point and conclude that we can refer to the second level as a case of a critique of ideologies.

Estratégias de leitura na web: entre o acúmulo e a dispersão

A leitura na web convoca estratégias específicas de leitura devido à sua constituição rizomática. O movimento de desdobramento das virtualidades, parte essencial da teoria deleuziana do rizoma, é realizada na web, principalmente, por meio de algoritmos computacionais que sobredeterminam as escolhas do leitor. Com o recurso a metáforas que representam diferentes tipos de leitor, suas estratégias de leitura são analisadas a partir da chave acúmulo versus dispersão. Ao acúmulo, corresponde a hiperconexão que satura a leitura; enquanto à dispersão, corresponde o esvaziamento que leva o leitor à mera repetição. Da busca do equilíbrio entre os dois polos, emergem estratégias que permitem ao leitor obter melhor proveito da multiplicidade de caminhos oferecidos pela web.

Probe into the Reading Promotion of University Library in the All-Media Era

The development of Internet technology has quietly approached the era of all-media, and brought great changes to people’s life and learning. How to carry out the reading promotion activities of college libraries in the era of all-media has become a problem that library managers need to focus on. . This article starts with the analysis of the reader's reading characteristics in the context of all media, and looks for specific reading promotion strategies in colleges and universities, hoping to promote better future development of the library.

Using Graphic Organizer to Improve the Students’ Reading Comprehension Achievement

This study investigated the use of a graphic organizer reading strategy in improving the students’ reading comprehension achievement. It was aimed to find out to what extend the improvement of the students reading comprehension after being treated using the graphic organizer strategy. This research also wanted to check the differences in the result between the class which used the graphic organizer and the class which did not apply a specific reading strategy. This study was conducted at the grade 11 students of SMK Sasmita Jaya Tangerang Selatan. This research administered cluster random sampling in taking samples and decided two classes as the same samples. One class was treated using a graphic organizer and the other class was not treated using any specific kind of strategy or conventional strategy. The method of this research was quantitative research under quasi-experimental research. A quasi-experimental design was used to know the result after specific treatment was applied. After collecting the data, then it was analyzed using SPSS. Based on the result of the data analysis, it was found that applying the Graphic Organizer reading strategy in reading lessons could improve students’ reading comprehension achievement.

The Impact of a Computer- Based Program in EFL on Hearing- Impaired Pupils' Writing and Reading Skills and their Motivation towards Learning English as a Foreign Language

This study aimed at investigating the impact of an EFL computer- based program on hearing- impaired pupils' reading and writing skills and their motivation towards learning English as a foreign language. The present study adopted the quasi - experimental design using a control group and an experimental group. The participants of the study were twenty pupils at first year prep stage at “Al Amal” governmental school for hearing impaired pupils in Mansoura. The researcher used a pre postreading test and a pre post writing test to determine the extent to which EFL hearing impaired prep pupils master the specified reading and writing sub-skills. The researcher used a motivation checklist to identify the level of motivation of EFL hearing impaired pupils towards learning English as a foreign language. Results indicate that the suggested computer-based program is effective in developing only some specific reading and writing skills. However, not all the specified reading and writing skills were developed. In addition, the suggested program is not effective in developing hearing impaired pupils’ motivation towards learning English as a foreign language. Key terms: Hearing impairment, motivation, computer-based program, reading, writing.

Los libros de medicina en el Chile del siglo XVIII: tipologías, propietarios y dinámicas de circulación

Este artículo pretende dar cuenta de las posibilidades analíticas del estudio de los libros de medicina que circularon en Chile durante el siglo XVIII. A partir del estudio de inventarios de bibliotecas privadas, inventarios comerciales y documentación de aduanas, se exploran los vínculos entre la disponibilidad de títulos y los gustos de los propietarios/lectores. Con este objetivo, se identifican las principales características de los libros de medicina que circularon en Chile, para luego examinar los perfiles de sus propietarios, los posibles usos de estos libros y su vinculación con las dinámicas del flujo comercial. El artículo da cuenta de la creciente visibilidad alcanzada por los libros de medicina, sugiriendo que la disponibilidad de títulos no estuvo supeditada únicamente al flujo comercial, sino que fue también determinada por los propietarios, que ejercieron un rol activo configurándose como público lector específico y creando vías de acceso alternativas.

The Development, Preservation and Loss of Differential Case Marking in Inner Asia Minor Greek

In Cappadocian and Pharasiot, the two main members of the inner Asia Minor Greek dialect group, the head nouns of NPs found in certain syntactic positions are marked with the accusative if the relevant NPs are definite and with the nominative if the NPs are indefinite. This differential case marking (dcm) pattern contrasts with all other Modern Greek dialects, in which the accusative is uniformly used in the relevant syntactic positions. After revisiting recent proposals regarding the synchronic status of dcm in Cappadocian and Pharasiot, I show how the two dialects developed this ‘un-Greek’ feature in the model of Turkish, which marks the head nouns of direct object NPs with an accusative suffix only if they take a specific reading leaving non-specific direct object NPs unmarked. I subsequently trace the diachronic trajectory of this contact-induced innovation within the two dialectal systems, seeking to explain why dcm was gradually lost in Cappadocian but preserved in Pharasiot.

The Effectiveness of Interventions for Developmental Dyslexia: Rhythmic Reading Training Compared With Hemisphere-Specific Stimulation and Action Video Games.

Developmental dyslexia is a very common learning disorder causing an impairment in reading ability. Although the core deficit underlying dyslexia is still under debate, significant agreement is reached in the literature that dyslexia is related to a specific deficit in the phonological representation of speech sounds. Many studies also reported an association between reading skills and music. These findings suggest that interventions aimed at enhancing basic auditory skills of children with DD may impact reading abilities. However, music education alone failed to produce improvements in reading skills comparable to those resulting from traditional intervention methods for DD. Therefore, a computer-assisted intervention method, called Rhythmic Reading Training (RRT), which combines sublexical reading exercises with rhythm processing, was implemented. The purpose of the present study was to compare the effectiveness of RRT and that of an intervention resulting from the combination of two yet validated treatments for dyslexia, namely, Bakker’s Visual Hemisphere-Specific Stimulation (VHSS) and the Action Video Game Training (AVG). Both interventions, administered for 13 h over 9 days, significantly improved reading speed and accuracy of a group of Italian students with dyslexia aged 8–14. However, each intervention program produced improvements that were more evident in specific reading parameters: RRT was more effective for improvement of pseudoword reading speed, whereas VHSS + AVG was more effective in increasing general reading accuracy. Such different effects were found to be associated with different cognitive mechanisms, namely, phonological awareness for RRT and rapid automatized naming for VHSS + AVG, thus explaining the specific contribution of each training approach. Clinical Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02791841.

The High School–College Disconnect: Examining First‐Generation College Students’ Perceptions of Their Literacy Preparation

AbstractThe transition from high school to college is challenging for many students, especially first‐generation college students. College courses require disciplinary specific reading, writing, and thinking skills not often taught in high school, such as reading and analyzing complex texts and constructing original arguments in discipline‐specific genres. Drawing on interviews with 18 first‐generation college students in their first year at a four‐year university, the author sought to understand their perceptions of their preparation for the literacy demands of college. Students reported multiple ways that they wished their high schools had better prepared them, including more complex reading assignments and opportunities to engage in original research. Additionally, students wished that they had received more guidance in developing and supporting their ideas in writing. The findings from this study suggest specific changes that secondary teachers from all content areas should make to their instruction to better prepare students for postsecondary literacy demands.

Closing the enjoyment gap: heritage language maintenance motivation and reading attitudes among Chinese-American children

ABSTRACT Research demonstrates strong associations between psychosocial factors (motivation, attitudes, beliefs), outside of class behavior, and second language (L2) learning, particularly reading achievement [Briggs and Walter 2016. Read On! Extensive Reading and Young Second Language Learners’ Motivation and Attitudes; Masgoret and Gardner 2003. “Attitudes, Motivation, and Second Language Learning: A Meta-Analysis of Studies Conducted by Gardner and Associates.” Language Learning 53 (S1): 167–210]. Fewer studies have explored the attitudes of students studying a heritage language (HL). Mandarin Chinese is the second most commonly spoken home language among dual language learner children in the U.S. [Park, Zong, and Batalova 2018. Growing Superdiversity among Young US Dual Language Learners and its Implications. Washington, DC: Migration Policy Institute] and increasing numbers of children receive explicit Chinese instruction. Comparatively less is known, however, regarding their attitudes toward Chinese maintenance and reading or the impact on intended effort. The current study addressed language learning attitudes and motivations, language specific reading attitudes, and out-of-school language use in physical and digital environments, among 58 children ages 10–18 enrolled in Chinese school. Findings revealed that ideal self accounted for significant variance in school effort (12%), but less than previously found in other contexts. L1/L2 reading attitudes had a significant negative relationship; the more enjoyable reading in English, the less enjoyable reading in Chinese. Chinese reading activity in digital environments uniquely accounted for significant variance in school effort. Results expand our understanding of motivation variability and underscore the importance of digital environments for young learners.

The print exposure of teacher candidates in relation to their achievement and self-ratings of early reading experiences

This study examined the print exposure of teacher candidates (N = 195) in relation to their GPAs, achievement in reading and writing on the SAT, and their self-ratings of their own early (K to Grade 5) reading experiences. Participants came from undergraduate and Masters programs in varied certification areas and from two different universities. Print exposure measures included author recognition tests for both fiction and nonfiction; a questionnaire about participants’ current voluntary reading habits for books, magazines, newspapers, and digital print media; and favorite authors/books questions. Exploratory factor analysis suggested four factors underlying the different print exposure measures: (1) fiction book reading volume; (2) current magazine and newspaper reading; (3) nonfiction book reading volume and (4) current book reading habits for enjoyment. Only fiction and nonfiction book reading volume related positively to participants’ achievement, in writing as well as reading, and to their early reading experience ratings. A subgroup of participants who had taken a specific reading methods course involving structured language content, and who had positive early reading experience self-ratings, had higher performance in the course than did participants with mixed or negative self-ratings, although the two groups did not differ in overall GPA. Findings support the view that different measures of print exposure tap somewhat different aspects of print exposure, with differing relationships to varied indicators of achievement. Results also support concerns about the reading volume and print exposure of some teacher candidates.

Dispassionate Eroticism in “Either/or” by Søren Kierkegaard and Tiger Lillies

The main focus of the present article is to research the specific reading of Søren Kierkegaard’s (1813–1855) philosophy by the British musical trio “Tiger Lillies” in their studio album “Either/or”. The questions to be answered are the following: (1) Was the choice of the Kierkegaard’s text of the accidental or rather conscious nature? (2) Does this interpretation shed new light upon Kierkegaard’s conception of the sensual-erotic phenomenon, in particular, and his strategy of existential communication, in general? The answer to the first question is that the choice if fully conscious and rational. The album works two-fold: first, it explores the themes and musings from the Danish thinker, second, it creates a backdrop for disclosure of the dark side of the human self, the despair, the impossibility of the existential choice that comes about in the result of the pursuit of instant gratification and boredom. Answer to the second research question is to be found when exploring principles of the Brechtian epic theatre in the music album “Either/or” and then applying them to Kierkegaard’s texts.

L1 AND L2 READING ATTITUDES AND THEIR CONTRIBUTION TOWARD READING HABIT

The aims of the study are threefold. The first is to investigate the reading attitudes toward first language (L1) and second language (L2) in an English as a foreign language (EFL) context. The second aim is to find out the correlation between both variables. The last objective of the study is to find out the contribution of L2 reading attitude toward reading achievement. This study involved two sets of questionnaires adapted from Yamashita (2004) and Mikami (2016) and 177 freshmen, sophomore and junior English language education department students. The data revealed that means of reading attitude toward L1 and L2 are not significantly different with 2.60 and 2.65 respectively, and that reading attitude in L1 is strongly correlated with reading attitude in L2 (r = 0.637). An interesting finding of the present study pointed out that although students have positive attitude in L2, it does not automatically motivate them to spend their time reading. External factors such as teachers and specific reading programs both in L1 and L2 seem to play bigger roles in shaping students� reading attitudes. Pedagogical implications are also discussedKeywords: Reading attitude in L1; reading attitude in L2; reading habit; external factors.