The study sought to investigate transfer between single-word decoding skill and contextual reading comprehension using 60 sixth grade pupils classified as 30 poor and 30 very poor readers. There were two training groups, content-specific and non-content-specific. One group received single-word decoding training, which led to decoding mastery of all words to be read in narrative prose passages and the accompanying literal and inferential comprehension questions. The other group learned to identify and pronounce words, equal in difficulty and number to those of the content-specific group but never a part of the passages and questions for the study. Pupils given content-specific training answered significantly more literal and inferential questions correctly than did those given non-content-specific training. It is suggested that there is transfer between single-word decoding skill and contextual, literal and inferential comprehension.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
AllingtonR. L.Word identification abilities of severely disabled readers: A comparison in isolation and context. Journal of Reading Behavior, 1978, 10, 409–416.
2.
BleyerJ. F.The effect of a word-in-isolation program of vocabulary development on reading comprehension scores of fourth grade subjects. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Univer. of Pittsburgh, 1970.
3.
BormuthJ. R.CarrJ.ManningJ.PearsonD.Children's comprehension of between- and within-sentence syntactic structures. Journal of Educational Psychology, 1970, 61, 349–357.
4.
California Test Bureau. Comprehensive Tests of Basic Skills. Monterey, CA: California Test Bureau/McGraw-Hill, 1973.
5.
CohenJ.Some statistical issues in psychological research. In WolmanB. (Ed.), Handbook of clinical psychology. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1965. Pp. 95–121.
6.
ColemanE. B.Words rank ordered as to frequency, Thorndike and Lorge. Paper presented at the National Reading Conference, Los Angeles, December, 1968.
7.
DewitzP.PatbergJ.SamuelsS. J.The use of context and the level of perceptual processing in skilled and unskilled second and fourth grade children. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the International Reading Association, Atlanta, April, 1979.
8.
DunnL. M.Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test. Circle Pines, MN: American Guidance Service, 1965.
9.
DurrellD. D.First-grade reading success study: A summary. Journal of Education, 1968, 140, 2–6.
10.
FleisherL. S.JenkinsJ. R.PanyD.Effects on poor reader's comprehension of training in rapid decoding. Reading Research Quarterly, 1979, 15, 30–48.
11.
FryE.Graph for estimating readability. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Reading Center, 1968.
12.
GoodmanP. B.One second of reading. In KavanaughJ.MattinglyI. G. (Eds.), Language by ear and eye. Cambridge: MIT Press, 1972. Pp. 351–358.
13.
HarrisA. J.SipayE. R.How to increase reading ability. (6th ed.) New York: David McKay, 1975.
14.
HughesM. A.Word identification and comprehension in learning to read. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Univer. of Toronto, 1977.
15.
JastakJ. F.Wide Range Achievement Test, examiner's manual. Wilmington, DE: C. L. Story, 1946.
16.
JeffersonG. L.Lexical and structural items as predictors of readability for high and low ability readers. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Univer. of Georgia, 1969.
17.
KatzL.WicklundD. A.Letter scanning rate for good and poor readers in grades two and six. Journal of Educational Psychology, 1972, 63, 363–367.
18.
LaBergeD.SamuelsS. J.Toward a theory of automatic information processing in reading. Cognitive Psychology, 1974, 6, 293–323.
19.
LangerJ. H.A comparison of the effects of three types of vocabulary development on the reading comprehension and thinking ability of sixth grade children. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Wayne State Univer., 1965.
20.
McCallW. A.CrabbsL. M.Standard test lessons in reading. New York: Teachers College Press, Columbia Univer., 1961.
21.
NieN. H.HullC. H.JenkinsJ. G.SteinbrennerK.BentD. H.Statistical Packages for the Social Sciences (SPSS). (2nd ed.) New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1979.
PerfettiC. A.HogaboamT.Relationship between single word decoding and reading comprehension skills. Journal of Educational Psychology, 1975, 67, 461–469.
24.
ShankweilerD.LibermanI. Y.Misreadings: A search for uses. In KavanaughJ. G.MattinglyI. G. (Eds.), Language by eye and ear. Cambridge: MIT Press, 1972. Pp. 293–317.
25.
SherkJ. K.LiebertR. E.Developing word recognition: A study of the effect of rehearsal and practice of key words on the subsequent identification of those words. Paper presented at the National Reading Conference, St. Petersburg, December, 1978.
26.
SpacheG. D.Diagnostic Reading Scales, examiner's manual. Monterey, CA: California Test Bureau/McGraw-Hill, 1963.
27.
TuinmanJ. J.BradyM. E.How does vocabulary account for variance on reading comprehension tests? a preliminary instructional analysis. Paper presented at the National Reading Conference, Houston, November, 1973.
