Speed Reading Articles |
|
Index Index Articles Download Registration Sub vocalization Wide your span eye Words games
|
PSYCHOLOGY: Speed Reading
Content provided in partnership with Read the full article with a Free Trial of HighBeam Research » 00-00-0000 Pronouncing English words is notoriously difficult because the same combination of letters (a grapheme) can be pronounced differently in different words and, sometimes, the same combination of graphemes can be pronounced differently in different contexts. Paulesu et al. show that the need to access lexical or semantic resources is correlated with slower reading times--as Read the full article with a Free Trial of HighBeam Research »HighBeam Research Members: View the full text of this article » Try HighBeam Research for seven days of free unlimited access to the most powerful research engine on the web. Access superior sources and sophisticated research tools, including the HighBeam Library archive of over 32,000,000 articles from thousands of business and consumer magazines and journals, transcripts of TV & radio news and entertainment broadcasts, maps, images and more! Modeling the response of normally achieving and at-risk first grade children to word reading instruction Annals of Dyslexia , 2000 by Compton, Donald LThe purpose of this study was to identify important subject characteristics that predicted individual differences in responsiveness to word reading instruction in normally achieving and at-risk first grade children. This was accomplished by modeling individual word and nonword reading growth, and the correlates of change in these skills, in first grade students during two different phases of the school year. In the first phase of the study (October-January), word and nonword reading skill was modeled in normally achieving and at-risk children. Results of growth modeling indicated significant group differences in word and nonword reading growth parameters. A combination of phonemic awareness skill, advanced graphophoneme knowledge, and initial word/nonword reading skill predicted word and nonword reading growth in the control group, whereas, a combination of rapid naming speed, letter sound knowledge, and phonemic awareness skill predicted word and nonword reading growth in the at-risk group. In the second phase of the study (January-April), a subgroup of the atrisk subjects who exhibited limited growth in word reading skills during the first phase of the study was enrolled in 12 weeks of small group reading intervention designed to improve reading skills. Results of growth modeling indicated significant increases in word and nonword reading growth rates in this group during the intervention phase. Only rapid naming speed uniquely predicted word and nonword reading growth in the group of subjects receiving intervention. As early as first grade, individual differences in word reading skills are significant predictors of later reading performance (e.g., Foorman et al. 1997a; Juel 1988; Wagner et al. 1997). Considering the importance of word reading development in first grade, and the fact that an estimated 20 percent of all children in the United States will experience significant difficulties learning to read (Shaywitz et al. 1990), it is not surprising that there has been increasing interest in programs aimed at improving the basic reading skills of first grade children at risk of developing reading problems. Results from various intervention studies support the general conclusion that intensive early intervention programs can significantly improve the reading skills of at-risk and reading disabled (RD) children (e.g., Abbott et al. 1997; Berninger et al. 1999; Blachman et al. 1999; Felton 1993; Felton and Pepper 1995; Foorman et al. 1997b; Foorman et al. 1998; Hatcher, Hulme, and Ellis 1994; Invernizzi et al. 1997; Ivers en and Tunmer 1993; Marston et al. 1995; Lovett et al. 1994; McCarthy, Newby, and Recht 1995; Olson et al. 1997; Pikulski 1994; Santa and Hoien 1999; Shanahan and Barr 1995; Torgesen, Wagner, and Rashotte 1997; Torgesen et al. 1999; Vellutino et al. 1996). Nevertheless, results from these intervention studies, with the possible exception of the Toregsen et al. (1999) study, have generally failed to demonstrate robust and long lasting treatment effects based on specific components of various intervention programs. (For a review see Snow, Burns, and Griffin 1998.) Instead, there is growing evidence to suggest that successful intervention programs provide at-risk children with structured opportunities to acquire a wide array of skills aimed at improving various aspects of phonological processing, understanding of the alphabetic principle, basic decoding and spelling skills, orthographic knowledge, reading fluency, and reading connected text. In addition, effective intervention programs are generally designed to take place in one-on-one or small group situations where instruction can be designed to match the developmental level of the child and be paced at an appropriate rate. While systematic early intervention has generally been shown to improve the basic reading skills of at-risk and RD children, it is also true that there is considerable individual variation in the responsiveness of at-risk and RD children to treatment (e.g., Foorman et al. 1997a, 1997b; Hatcher and Hulme 1999; Torgesen et al. 1999; Vellutino et al. 1996). For instance, Torgesen et al. (1999) have reported that over 20 percent of a sample of kindergarten children, identified as having phonological processing difficulties who received 88 hours of one-to-one instruction (beginning the second semester of kindergarten and extending through second grade), remained significantly impaired in both word and nonword reading skill. In the Torgesen study (1999), individual differences in word and nonword reading growth were predicted by a combination of phonological processing variables, a home background measure, and classroom behavior rating. Vellutino et al. (1996) also reported significant individual variation in th e response of first grade poor readers to systematic reading intervention. Similar to the Torgesen study, Vellutino and colleagues found that the children who were the least responsive to remediation generally had very weak phonological processing skills. These results suggest that there are important child characteristics that predict responsiveness to early reading intervention. Speed reading index
Copyright c 2005-2006 www.magicspeedreading.com. All Rights Reserved.
|
|
| | ||||||||||||||||