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Literacy Skills (literacy + skill)
Kinds of Literacy Skills Selected AbstractsHow Can We Improve the Accuracy of Screening Instruments?LEARNING DISABILITIES RESEARCH & PRACTICE, Issue 4 2009Evelyn S. Johnson Screening for early reading problems is a critical step in early intervention and prevention of later reading difficulties. Evaluative frameworks for determining the utility of a screening process are presented in the literature but have not been applied to many screening measures currently in use in numerous schools across the nation. In this study, the accuracy of several Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) subtests in predicting which students were at risk for reading failure in first grade was examined in a sample of 12,055 students in Florida. Findings indicate that the DIBELS Nonsense Word Fluency, Initial Sound Fluency, and Phoneme Segmentation Fluency measures show poor diagnostic utility in predicting end of Grade 1 reading performance. DIBELS Oral Reading Fluency in fall of Grade 1 had higher classification accuracy than other DIBELS measures, but when compared to the classification accuracy obtained by assuming that no student had a disability, suggests the need to reevaluate the use of classification accuracy as a way to evaluate screening measures without discussion of base rates. Additionally, when cut scores on the screening tools were set to capture 90 percent of all students at risk for reading problems, a high number of false positives were identified. Finally, different cut scores were needed for different subgroups, such as English Language Learners. Implications for research and practice are discussed. [source] Levels of literacy among juvenile offenders: the incidence of specific reading difficultiesCRIMINAL BEHAVIOUR AND MENTAL HEALTH, Issue 4 2000Margaret J. Snowling Introduction Academic achievement is low among offenders. Yet there is little evidence that prisoners are less literate than the general population. Do they have more dyslexia? This paper considers three definitions of dyslexia to see whether they relate to young offenders' literacy difficulties. Method The reading and spelling skills of 91 15- to 17-year-old male juvenile offenders who were incarcerated are reported, together with assessments of their vocabulary and non-verbal (spatial) skills. Estimates of the prevalence of reading disability are considered in relation to different definitions of dyslexia. Results The regression of literacy skills on non-verbal ability yielded an estimated prevalence of 57% while a more conservative estimate of 43% followed from the regression of literacy skill on verbal ability, and 38% of the sample had specific phonological deficits. Many of the offenders had experienced social and family adversity and reported poor school attendance. Discussion It is proposed that as a group, juvenile offenders are best described as having general verbal deficits encompassing problems of language and literacy. Copyright © 2000 Whurr Publishers Ltd. [source] The role of sensorimotor impairments in dyslexia: a multiple case study of dyslexic childrenDEVELOPMENTAL SCIENCE, Issue 3 2006Sarah White This study attempts to investigate the role of sensorimotor impairments in the reading disability that characterizes dyslexia. Twenty-three children with dyslexia were compared to 22 control children, matched for age and non-verbal intelligence, on tasks assessing literacy as well as phonological, visual, auditory and motor abilities. The dyslexic group as a whole were significantly impaired on phonological, but not sensorimotor, tasks. Analysis of individual data suggests that the most common impairments were on phonological and visual stress tasks and the vast majority of dyslexics had one of these two impairments. Furthermore, phonological skill was able to account for variation in literacy skill, to the exclusion of all sensorimotor factors, while neither auditory nor motor skill predicted any variance in phonological skill. Visual stress seems to account for a small proportion of dyslexics, independently of the commonly reported phonological deficit. However, there is little evidence for a causal role of auditory, motor or other visual impairments. [source] Balancing and pointing tasks in dyslexic and control adultsDYSLEXIA, Issue 4 2006Catherine J. Stoodley Abstract Developmental dyslexia may affect as much as 15% of the population, but the aetiology of the disorder is still being debated. The cerebellar theory of dyslexia proposes that cerebellar dysfunction could lead to the myriad of symptoms seen in dyslexic individuals, both in literacy and non-literacy domains. The cerebellum is crucial to the fluent performance of motor skills. Previous studies have found that dyslexic children are worse than control children on certain motor and balancing tasks. Here the performance of 28 dyslexic compared to 26 control adults on rapid pointing and balancing measures, tasks which are thought to reflect cerebellar function, was investigated. There were no significant differences between the dyslexic and control participants on the balancing tasks or when the speed and accuracy of pointing were analysed separately. However, when the speed and accuracy of pointing were combined, the dyslexic participants showed poorer performance than the controls (p = 0.045). Furthermore, there were significant relationships between performance on the pointing task and literacy skills, and regression analysis showed that the error and speed of pointing contributed significantly to the variance in literacy skill. The implications for the role of the cerebellum and processing speed in dyslexia are discussed. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] On the relationship between dynamic visual and auditory processing and literacy skills; results from a large primary-school studyDYSLEXIA, Issue 4 2002Joel B. Talcott Abstract Three hundred and fifty randomly selected primary school children completed a psychometric and psychophysical test battery to ascertain relationships between reading ability and sensitivity to dynamic visual and auditory stimuli. The first analysis examined whether sensitivity to visual coherent motion and auditory frequency resolution differed between groups of children with different literacy and cognitive skills. For both tasks, a main effect of literacy group was found in the absence of a main effect for intelligence or an interaction between these factors. To assess the potential confounding effects of attention, a second analysis of the frequency discrimination data was conducted with performance on catch trials entered as a covariate. Significant effects for both the covariate and literacy skill was found, but again there was no main effect of intelligence, nor was there an interaction between intelligence and literacy skill. Regression analyses were conducted to determine the magnitude of the relationship between sensory and literacy skills in the entire sample. Both visual motion sensitivity and auditory sensitivity to frequency differences were robust predictors of children's literacy skills and their orthographic and phonological skills. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Predicting curriculum and test performance at age 11 years from pupil background, baseline skills and phonological awareness at age 5 yearsTHE JOURNAL OF CHILD PSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHIATRY AND ALLIED DISCIPLINES, Issue 7 2007Robert Savage Background:, Phonological awareness tests are amongst the best predictors of literacy and predict outcomes of Key Stage 1 assessment of the National Curriculum in England at age 7. However, it is unknown whether their ability to predict National Curricular outcomes extends to Key Stage 2 assessments given at age 11, or also whether the predictive power of such tests is independent of letter-knowledge. We explored the unique predictive validity of phonological awareness and early literacy measures, and other pupil background measures taken at age 5 in the prediction of English, Maths, and Science performance at age 11. Method:, Three hundred and eighty-two children from 21 primary schools in one Local Educational Authority were assessed at age 5 and followed to age 11 (Key Stage 2 assessment). Teaching assistants (TAs) administered phonological awareness tasks and early literacy measures. Baseline and Key Stage 2 performance measures were collected by teachers. Results:, Phonological awareness was a significant unique predictor of all nine outcome measures after baseline assessment and pupil background measures were first controlled in regression analyses, and continued to be a significant predictor of reading, maths, and science performance, and teacher assessments after early literacy skill and letter-knowledge was controlled. Gender predicted performance in writing, the English test, and English teacher assessment, with girls outperforming boys. Conclusions:, Phonological awareness is a unique predictor of general curricular attainment independent of pupil background, early reading ability and letter-knowledge. Practically, screening of phonological awareness and basic reading skills by school staff in year 1 significantly enhances the capacity of schools to predict curricular outcomes in year 6. [source] Levels of literacy among juvenile offenders: the incidence of specific reading difficultiesCRIMINAL BEHAVIOUR AND MENTAL HEALTH, Issue 4 2000Margaret J. Snowling Introduction Academic achievement is low among offenders. Yet there is little evidence that prisoners are less literate than the general population. Do they have more dyslexia? This paper considers three definitions of dyslexia to see whether they relate to young offenders' literacy difficulties. Method The reading and spelling skills of 91 15- to 17-year-old male juvenile offenders who were incarcerated are reported, together with assessments of their vocabulary and non-verbal (spatial) skills. Estimates of the prevalence of reading disability are considered in relation to different definitions of dyslexia. Results The regression of literacy skills on non-verbal ability yielded an estimated prevalence of 57% while a more conservative estimate of 43% followed from the regression of literacy skill on verbal ability, and 38% of the sample had specific phonological deficits. Many of the offenders had experienced social and family adversity and reported poor school attendance. Discussion It is proposed that as a group, juvenile offenders are best described as having general verbal deficits encompassing problems of language and literacy. Copyright © 2000 Whurr Publishers Ltd. [source] The impact of developmental speech and language impairments on the acquisition of literacy skillsDEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES RESEARCH REVIEW, Issue 3 2004C. Melanie Schuele Abstract Children with developmental speech/language impairments are at higher risk for reading disability than typical peers with no history of speech/language impairment. This article reviews the literacy outcomes of children with speech/language impairments, clarifying the differential risk for three groups of children: speech production impairments alone, oral language impairments alone, and speech production and oral language impairments. Children at greatest risk for reading and writing disabilities are children with language impairments alone and children with comorbid speech impairments and language impairments. For children with speech impairments alone, there is limited risk for literacy difficulties. However, even when reading skills are within the average range, children with speech impairments may have difficulties in spelling. Children with language impairments are likely to display reading deficits in word decoding and reading comprehension. It is not clear what role early literacy interventions play in the amelioration of reading difficulties in these populations. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc. MRDD Research Reviews 2004;10:176,183. [source] Computer-based training with ortho-phonological units in dyslexic children: new investigationsDYSLEXIA, Issue 3 2009Jean Ecalle Abstract This study aims to show that training using a computer game incorporating an audio-visual phoneme discrimination task with phonological units, presented simultaneously with orthographic units, might improve literacy skills. Two experiments were conducted, one in secondary schools with dyslexic children (Experiment 1) and the other in a speech-therapy clinic with individual case studies (Experiment 2). A classical pre-test, training, post-test design was used. The main findings indicated an improvement in reading scores after short intensive training (10,h) in Experiment 1 and progress in the reading and spelling scores obtained by the dyslexic children (training for 8,h) in Experiment 2. These results are discussed within the frameworks of both the speech-specific deficit theory of dyslexia and the connectionist models of reading development. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Predictors of word-level literacy amongst Grade 3 children in five diverse languagesDYSLEXIA, Issue 3 2008Ian Smythe Abstract Groups of Grade 3 children were tested on measures of word-level literacy and undertook tasks that required the ability to associate sounds with letter sequences and that involved visual, auditory and phonological-processing skills. These groups came from different language backgrounds in which the language of instruction was Arabic, Chinese, English, Hungarian or Portuguese. Similar measures were used across the groups, with tests being adapted to be appropriate for the language of the children. Findings indicated that measures of decoding and phonological-processing skills were good predictors of word reading and spelling among Arabic- and English-speaking children, but were less able to predict variability in these same early literacy skills among Chinese- and Hungarian-speaking children, and were better at predicting variability in Portuguese word reading than spelling. Results were discussed with reference to the relative transparency of the script and issues of dyslexia assessment across languages. Overall, the findings argue for the need to take account of features of the orthography used to represent a language when developing assessment procedures for a particular language and that assessment of word-level literacy skills and a phonological perspective of dyslexia may not be universally applicable across all language contexts. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Dichotic listening and school performance in dyslexiaDYSLEXIA, Issue 1 2008Turid Helland Abstract This study focused on the relationship between school performance and performance on a dichotic listening (DL) task in dyslexic children. Dyslexia is associated with impaired phonological processing, related to functions in the left temporal lobe. DL is a frequently used task to assess functions of the left temporal lobe. Due to the predominance of the contralateral neuronal pathways, a right ear advantage in the DL task reflects the superior processing capacity for the right ear stimulus in the left hemisphere (Kimura, 1963). Previous studies using DL in dyslexia are, however, inconclusive, and may reflect degree of severity of dyslexia. The aim of the present study was therefore to investigate lateralized processing in two sub-groups of dyslexia, differing in symptom severity. Two groups of dyslexic 12-year-old children and an age-matched control group were tested with a consonant,vowel DL task. The two dyslexia groups differed in severity through how they responded to training efforts being made in their schools, while otherwise being matched for age, IQ and diagnosis. The D1 (respondent group) group showed a DL performance pattern similar to the control group, i.e. a right ear advantage, while the D2 (non-respondent) group failed to show a right ear advantage on the DL task. The performance on the DL task by the two dyslexia groups may provide better insight as to the degree of reading and writing impairment in dyslexia. ,Cracking the code' and acquiring automatized literacy skills may seem harder for the D2 group children compared to the D1 children. Also, the present study points to the use of DL as a valid assessment tool in clinical work to improve differential diagnoses, particularly in relation to measures of school performance. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Balancing and pointing tasks in dyslexic and control adultsDYSLEXIA, Issue 4 2006Catherine J. Stoodley Abstract Developmental dyslexia may affect as much as 15% of the population, but the aetiology of the disorder is still being debated. The cerebellar theory of dyslexia proposes that cerebellar dysfunction could lead to the myriad of symptoms seen in dyslexic individuals, both in literacy and non-literacy domains. The cerebellum is crucial to the fluent performance of motor skills. Previous studies have found that dyslexic children are worse than control children on certain motor and balancing tasks. Here the performance of 28 dyslexic compared to 26 control adults on rapid pointing and balancing measures, tasks which are thought to reflect cerebellar function, was investigated. There were no significant differences between the dyslexic and control participants on the balancing tasks or when the speed and accuracy of pointing were analysed separately. However, when the speed and accuracy of pointing were combined, the dyslexic participants showed poorer performance than the controls (p = 0.045). Furthermore, there were significant relationships between performance on the pointing task and literacy skills, and regression analysis showed that the error and speed of pointing contributed significantly to the variance in literacy skill. The implications for the role of the cerebellum and processing speed in dyslexia are discussed. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Phonological processing skills as predictors of literacy amongst Arabic speaking Bahraini childrenDYSLEXIA, Issue 4 2005Haya al Mannai Abstract This paper reports a study of the reading and spelling skills of grades 1,3 Arabic-speaking children in Bahrain. Children were tested on their literacy skills (single word reading and spelling), their ability to decode letter strings (non-word reading) and measures of phonological awareness, short-term memory, speed of processing and non-verbal ability. These tests were included to identify the best predictors of literacy skills amongst Arabic young readers. The results were consistent with the literature based on tests of English-speaking children in that measures of phonological skills (decoding and awareness) were the best predictors of variability in reading and spelling among the Bahraini children. The results are discussed in terms of the literacy experiences of the children and the use of short vowels in Arabic writing. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Adults with self-reported learning disabilities in Slovenia: Findings from the international adult literacy survey on the incidence and correlates of learning disabilities in SloveniaDYSLEXIA, Issue 4 2003Lidija Magajna This study of adults with self-reported learning disabilities (SRLD) in Slovenia is part of a larger secondary analysis of the data from the International Literacy Survey project (IALS). The purpose of the study was to examine the characteristics of 79 (2.68%) individuals who reported experiencing learning disabilities and compare them to the general population on a variety of indicators of educational background, employment status, and reading and writing activities at work and at home. The proficiency scores of the SRLD individuals were lower in all three literacy domains (prose, document and quantitative literacy). In prose literacy 77.9% of SRLD adults performed at Level 1 and only 7.8% reached the level necessary for a modern technological society. Experiencing learning disabilities was not related to gender or age, however, results showed significant differences between the levels achieved by older and younger people with SRLD. In SRLD groups aged 40 years and above, no one achieved more than the second level of literacy in any domain. Learning disabilities were reported more frequently in rural areas. SRLD groups achieve significantly lower educational attainment, and lower employment status, with a preference for manual labour or craft. These findings are of critical importance. SRLD people report that poorer literacy skills are an obstacle to their progression in employment. In the Slovene sample, the SRLD group stands out for low scores in quantitative literacy. Results show that they are less active, pick up information only auditorily or in short written form. They need more frequent help from relatives in literacy activities. Interpretation of the IALS data on SRLD presents many problems. These include amongst others, problems in terminology, different background factors, and the validity of self-report measures. However, the study also raises many interesting challenges for future research and policy. Increasing the availability of support, assistance and counselling for adolescents and adults with learning disabilities remains a very important goal for dyslexia and LD policies in Slovenia. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Measurement mischief: A critique of Reynolds, Nicolson and Hambly (2003)DYSLEXIA, Issue 3 2003Chris Singleton Abstract Reynolds, Nicolson and Hambly (2003) report an intervention study of the effects of exercise-based training on literacy development, using literacy measures from the Dyslexia Screening Test (DST), the NFER-Nelson Group Reading Test, and the Standard Assessment Tasks (SATs). Investigation of the nature and psychometric characteristics of these measures casts serious doubt on their appropriateness in a study of this nature. Consideration of the findings obtained using these measures does not support the authors' conclusion that reading was improved by the intervention. The study by Reynolds et al. does not demonstrate that exercise-based treatment improves literacy skills and the use of its purported findings as evidence that exercise-based treatment would be beneficial for children with literacy difficulties is scientifically untenable. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Dyslexia and music: measuring musical timing skillsDYSLEXIA, Issue 1 2003Katie Overy Abstract Over the last few decades, a growing amount of research has suggested that dyslexics have particular difficulties with skills involving accurate or rapid timing, including musical timing skills. It has been hypothesised that music training may be able to remediate such timing difficulties, and have a positive effect on fundamental perceptual skills that are important in the development of language and literacy skills (Overy, 2000). In order to explore this hypothesis further, the nature and extent of dyslexics' musical difficulties need to be examined in more detail. In the present study, a collection of musical aptitude tests (MATs) were designed specifically for dyslexic children, in order to distinguish between a variety of musical skills and sub-skills. 15 dyslexic children (age 7,11, mean age 9.0) and 11 control children (age 7,10, mean age 8.9) were tested on the MATs, and their scores were compared. Results showed that the dyslexic group scored higher than the control group on 3 tests of pitch skills (possibly attributable to slightly greater musical experience), but lower than the control group on 7 out of 9 tests of timing skills. Particular difficulties were noted on one of the tests involving rapid temporal processing, in which a subgroup of 5 of the dyslexic children (33%) (mean age 8.4) was found to account for all the significant error. Also, an interesting correlation was found between spelling ability and the skill of tapping out the rhythm of a song, which both involve the skill of syllable segmentation. These results support suggestions that timing is a difficulty area for dyslexic children, and suggest that rhythm skills and rapid skills may need particular attention in any form of musical training with dyslexics. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] On the relationship between dynamic visual and auditory processing and literacy skills; results from a large primary-school studyDYSLEXIA, Issue 4 2002Joel B. Talcott Abstract Three hundred and fifty randomly selected primary school children completed a psychometric and psychophysical test battery to ascertain relationships between reading ability and sensitivity to dynamic visual and auditory stimuli. The first analysis examined whether sensitivity to visual coherent motion and auditory frequency resolution differed between groups of children with different literacy and cognitive skills. For both tasks, a main effect of literacy group was found in the absence of a main effect for intelligence or an interaction between these factors. To assess the potential confounding effects of attention, a second analysis of the frequency discrimination data was conducted with performance on catch trials entered as a covariate. Significant effects for both the covariate and literacy skill was found, but again there was no main effect of intelligence, nor was there an interaction between intelligence and literacy skill. Regression analyses were conducted to determine the magnitude of the relationship between sensory and literacy skills in the entire sample. Both visual motion sensitivity and auditory sensitivity to frequency differences were robust predictors of children's literacy skills and their orthographic and phonological skills. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The prevalence of reading and spelling difficulties among inmates of institutions for compulsory care of juvenile delinquentsDYSLEXIA, Issue 2 2001Idor Svensson Abstract Recent studies have focused on reading and writing disabilities among inmates in prisons and at juvenile institutions. Some studies in Sweden have demonstrated that more than half of the delinquents have serious reading difficulties, and for immigrants the situation is even worse. However, these studies have focused on small groups. Furthermore, little attention has been paid to different types of reading and writing difficulties. The main purpose of this investigation was to estimate the prevalence of reading and writing disabilities in juvenile institutions. The study analyses gender differences and differences between immigrants and Swedish pupils. The study included 163 pupils from 22 institutions and used three tests of literacy skills: word identification, spelling and reading comprehension. More than 70% showed some problems in reading and spelling. However, only 11% had serious difficulties. Moreover, the results showed that comprehension ability among immigrant boys was lower than among Swedish boys, despite the same level of word reading skill. The high prevalence of reading and writing disabilities seems primarily to be related to social and cultural factors, home backgrounds, limited school attendance and poor self-esteem rather than to constitutional problems of a dyslexic nature. The implication of this conclusion may be important for the intervention process. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Early Versus Late Start in Foreign Language Education: Documenting AchievementsFOREIGN LANGUAGE ANNALS, Issue 4 2005Rocío Domínguez Abstract: This study compares 27 sixth grade students who have been learning Spanish since kindergarten with 5 who have had Spanish for only 1 year using a battery of Spanish oral and written tests. The students who started early outperformed the new students in listening, speaking, and writing Spanish. Those who started early also displayed a positive attitude toward speaking Spanish in the classroom, a high level of confidence in their Spanish oral and literacy skills, and the use of sophisticated language structures in writing. These findings provide additional evidence supporting the case for early foreign language learning. [source] The influence of education on the interpretation of pharmaceutical pictograms for communicating medicine instructionsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PHARMACY PRACTICE, Issue 1 2003Ros Dowse senior lecturer Objective To assess the influence of formal education on the interpretation of pharmaceutical pictograms. Method A total of 46 pictograms were used: 23 were extracted directly from the USP-DI, and 23 with corresponding meanings were designed in accordance with the local culture (local pictograms). One hundred and thirty Xhosa respondents, who ranged from having no formal education to tertiary level education, were interviewed with the aid of an interpreter. Demographic data were collected, a literacy test was conducted and respondents were tested for their interpretation of all 46 pictograms. Preference for either the USP-DI or the local pictogram was determined. Setting Respondents were interviewed in primary health care clinics, a variety of work settings or in their homes in Grahamstown, South Africa. Key findings Standard of education had a significant influence on the interpretation of 24 of the 46 pictograms. Generally, significant differences in interpretation were apparent between those with only primary school education and those who had completed at least some senior school education (P < 0.05). The group with tertiary education was significantly better than the other groups (P < 0.05). Only 15 of the 46 pictograms met the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) 85% correct criterion. Conclusion Interpretation was dependent on education and the development of visual literacy skills, but potential for misinterpretation in all educational groups was noted. These results suggest that pictograms should only be used as a communication aid in combination with text or verbal information from the health care provider. [source] Assessment of the equivalence of conventional versus computer administration of the Test of Workplace Essential SkillsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT, Issue 4 2006Hal Whiting This study examined the equivalency of computer and conventional versions of the Test of Workplace Essential Skills (TOWES), a test of adult literacy skills in Reading Text, Document Use and Numeracy. Seventy-three college students completed the computer version, and their scores were compared with those who had taken the test in the conventional paper-and-pencil mode. Scores for the two groups for all three subscales were equivalent based on their means and variances. Rank order equivalency was demonstrated for two of the three TOWES subscales (Reading Text and Document Use). Additionally, participants rated the computer version of the test as easy to use. [source] Robotics and science literacy: Thinking skills, science process skills and systems understandingJOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN SCIENCE TEACHING, Issue 3 2008Florence R. Sullivan Abstract This paper reports the results of a study of the relationship of robotics activity to the use of science literacy skills and the development of systems understanding in middle school students. Twenty-six 11,12-year-olds (22 males and 4 females) attending an intensive robotics course offered at a summer camp for academically advanced students participated in the research. This study analyzes how students utilized thinking skills and science process skills characteristic of scientifically literate individuals to solve a robotics challenge. In addition, a pre/post test revealed that course participants increased their systems understanding, t (21),=,22.47, p,<,.05. It is argued that the affordances of the robotics environment coupled with a pedagogical approach emphasizing open-ended, extended inquiry prompts the utilization of science literacy-based thinking and science process skills and leads to increased systems understanding. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 45: 373,394, 2008 [source] Reading Comprehension in Adolescents with LD: What We Know; What We Need to LearnLEARNING DISABILITIES RESEARCH & PRACTICE, Issue 2 2008Michael N. Faggella-Luby The changing job market requires a sophisticated array of literacy skills that adolescents with learning disabilities reading below grade level have not yet acquired. This summary of the research on reading comprehension highlights emerging findings and related instructional conditions necessary to achieve optimal student outcomes with limited instructional time. Limitations in the existing evidence base are addressed via four factors for future research and development agendas: (a) use theory to inform research and practice, (b) study the role that dosage plays as an independent variable, (c) study tiered models of instruction that are applicable for use in middle and high school settings, and (d) study factors that can enhance scaling of reading comprehension interventions. [source] "Too many theories and not enough instruction": perceptions of preservice teacher preparation for literacy teaching in Australian schoolsLITERACY, Issue 2 2006William Louden Abstract In this paper, we describe part of an Australian national research project that aimed to find out how well prepared beginning teachers are to teach literacy. A majority of beginning teachers participating in a series of national surveys and focus group meetings were confident about their personal literacy skills, their conceptual understandings of literacy, their understanding of curriculum documents and assessment strategies and their broad preparation to teach. Fewer beginning teachers were confident about their capacity to teach specific aspects of literacy such as viewing, spelling, grammar and phonics, or about their capacity to meet the challenges of student diversity. Senior staff working with beginning teachers were generally sceptical about the quality of teacher preparation for teaching literacy and were less confident than the beginning teachers about personal literacy skills. We discuss these findings in relation to the relative importance placed on particular substantive and structural issues by the study participants and in terms of previous findings. [source] "More universal for some than others": Canada's health care system and the role of adult educationNEW DIRECTIONS FOR ADULT & CONTINUING EDUCATION, Issue 124 2009B. Allan Quigley The literature and pan-Canadian consultations involving adults with low literacy skills, immigrants and refugees, adults with HIV/AIDS, and those in remote Canadian communities all point to a health learning gap and a critical role for adult educators,a role that crosses all borders. [source] Storybook Reading and Parent Teaching: Links to Language and Literacy DevelopmentNEW DIRECTIONS FOR CHILD & ADOLESCENT DEVELOPMENT, Issue 92 2001Monique S?n?chal This chapter addresses the question of how home experiences are related to the development of children's language and literacy skills. [source] The Role of Family and Home in the Literacy Development of Children from Low-Income BackgroundsNEW DIRECTIONS FOR CHILD & ADOLESCENT DEVELOPMENT, Issue 92 2001Stacey A. Storch The authors of this chapter propose and test a model of individual differences in the development of emergent literacy. The model provides a means for evaluating the contribution of various aspects of the home environment to children's emerging literacy skills and helps to clarify the processes by which family environment and different domains of emergent literacy are related. [source] Beyond Shared Book Reading: Dimensions of Home Literacy and Low-Income African American Preschoolers' SkillsNEW DIRECTIONS FOR CHILD & ADOLESCENT DEVELOPMENT, Issue 92 2001Pia Rebello Britto This chapter examines the associations between individual dimensions of the home literacy environment and specific emergent literacy skills in low-income preschoolers. [source] The talking touchscreen: A new approach to outcomes assessment in low literacyPSYCHO-ONCOLOGY, Issue 2 2004Elizabeth A. Hahn Purpose. Cancer patients who are deficient in literacy skills are particularly vulnerable to experiencing different outcomes due to disparities in care or barriers to care. Outcomes measurement in low literacy patients may provide new insight into problems previously undetected due to the challenges of completing paper-and-pencil forms. Description of study. A multimedia program was developed to provide a quality of life assessment platform that would be acceptable to patients with varying literacy skills and computer experience. One item at a time is presented on the computer touchscreen, accompanied by a recorded reading of the question. Various colors, fonts and graphic images are used to enhance visibility, and a small picture icon appears near each text element allowing patients to replay the sound as many times as they wish. Evaluation questions are presented to assess patient burden and preferences. Results. An ethnically diverse group of 126 cancer patients with a range of literacy skills and computer experience reported that the ,talking touchscreen' (TT) was easy to use, and commented on the usefulness of the multimedia approach. Clinical implications. The TT is a practical, user-friendly data acquisition method that provides greater opportunities to measure self-reported outcomes in patients with a range of literacy skills. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Bifocals in children with Down syndrome (BiDS) , visual acuity, accommodation and early literacy skillsACTA OPHTHALMOLOGICA, Issue 6 2010Krithika Nandakumar Acta Ophthalmol. 2010: 88: e196,e204 Abstract. Purpose:, Reduced accommodation is seen in children and young adults with Down syndrome (DS), yet providing bifocals has not become a routine clinical management. This study investigates the impact of bifocals on visual function, visual perceptual and early literacy skills in a group of school children with DS. Methods:, In this longitudinal study, each child was followed for 5 months with single-vision (SV) lenses after which bifocals were prescribed if required, based on their accommodative response. Visual acuity (VA), accommodation, perceptual and literacy skills were measured after adaptation to bifocals and 5 months later. Educational progress and compliance with spectacle wear were assessed through school and parental reports. Results:, Fourteen children and young adults with DS participated in the study. Eighty-five percent required bifocals with additions ranging from +1.00 D to +3.50 D. The mean near logMAR VA improved with bifocals (p = 0.007) compared to SV lenses. Repeated measures anova showed that there was more accurate focus (less accommodative lag) through the bifocals (p = 0.002), but no change in the accommodation exerted through the distance portion compared to SV lenses (p = 0.423). There was a main effect of time on sight words (p = 0.013), Word Identification (p = 0.047), Visual Closure (p = 0.006) and Visual Form Constancy (p = 0.001). Conclusion:, Bifocals provide clearer near vision in DS children with reduced accommodation. This is shown by improved VA and decreased lag of accommodation. The results indicate that the improvement in VA results in improved scores in early literacy skills. Better compliance with bifocals over SV lenses was seen. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||