Academic Commons Search Results Academic Commons Search Results en-us The Relevance of Text Structure Strategy Instruction for Talmud Study: The Effects of Reading a Talmudic Passage with a Road-Map of its Text Structure Jaffe, Yael Fri, 18 Dec 2015 12:33:53 +0000 This study investigates the effect of access to a visual outline of the text structure of a Talmudic passage on comprehension of that passage. A system for defining the text structure of Talmudic passages was designed by merging and simplifying earlier text structure systems described for Talmudic passages, following principles taken from research on text structure. Comprehension of two passages were compared for students who did traditional reading of a Talmudic passage (the passages had punctuation added, and a list of difficult words and their meanings was appended) (the control condition), and students who read the passage with these same materials as well as with an outline of the text structure of that passage (the experimental condition). Seventy-two 10th and 11th graders participated. After a brief training on text structure, students were randomly assigned to the control or experimental condition for Passage 1. All students took a comprehension exam on Passage 1. In the next session, all students who read Passage 1 in the control condition read Passage 2 in the experimental condition, and all students who read Passage 2 in the experimental condition read Passage 2 in the control condition. Students then took a comprehension exam for Passage 2. The text structure outline improved students’ ability to comprehend Passage 2, but no benefits were seen on Passage 1. The results provide evidence that awareness of the text structure of a Talmudic passage helps readers when the passage is concrete and somewhat well organized. Reading instruction, Religious education, Educational psychology ycg2001 Cognitive Studies in Education, Mathematics, Science, and Technology Dissertations The Effects of a Reading Intervention to Teach Silent Reading with Comprehension on the Speaker-As-Own-Listener Capability among Third Grade Students and Comparisons with Fluent Readers Hill-Powell, Joanne Marie Tue, 12 May 2015 00:00:00 +0000 I conducted two experiments on silent reading. Experiment I was a non-intervention experimental comparison study conducted with 60 participants. Data were collected across two reading conditions 1) reading aloud or 2) reading silently and answering multiple choice comprehension questions. The data were analyzed within and between two groups, elementary-age and adult readers, across the two conditions using a repeated measure ANOVA. The results indicated significant differences in fluency rates between age groups and reading conditions and non-significant effects between and within subjects for reading comprehension. Adult readers read on average, two times faster with accurate reading comprehension in the silent reading condition compared to the read aloud condition and when compared to elementary-aged participants across both reading conditions. The results indicated that fluent adult readers are more efficient when reading silently. Experiment II tested the effects of a treatment package designed to teach participants to read silently on reading comprehension with six third graders using a delayed non-concurrent multiple probe design. Participants selected for the study could not read silently and respond correctly to comprehension questions. All of the participants had fluent vocal textual responding at a minimum rate of 90 correct words per minute with no more than two errors for their reading level and speaker-as-own-listener comprehension when they read aloud. The dependent variables consisted of silent reading probes and listener and speaker comprehension responses. The independent variable was a reading instruction treatment package using a peer-yoked contingency game board. During intervention sessions, participants rotated between opportunities to read silently and listening to audio recordings of spoken text. Participants completed selection and production questions to assess comprehension following each reading condition. Participants were matched in pairs based upon reading capabilities, reading repertoires, and the peer contingences that were arranged during intervention sessions with a yoked contingency game board. During intervention, progression on the peer-yoked contingency game board was contingent upon silent reading and criterion level responding to comprehension questions for both participants in the pair. Following the intervention, all participants acquired silent reading and criterion level comprehension. Reading instruction, Special education, Behavioral sciences jmh2199 Applied Behavior Analysis Dissertations The Effects of the Establishment of Conditioned Reinforcement for Observing Books on Rate of Acquisition of Textual Responses with Two- to Four-Year-Old Participants Buttigieg, Susan F. Tue, 24 Feb 2015 00:00:00 +0000 I tested the effects of conditioning books on the rate of acquisition of textual responses for 16 participants with (11 participants) or without (5 participants) developmental delays, ranging in age from 2.4 to 4.6 years old, in three experiments. Eight males and 8 females participated; the children were selected from an early intervention/preschool program that implemented a behavior analytic approach to all instruction, and they were selected for participation because they did not have book stimuli as conditioned reinforcers for observing, but they did have the necessary prerequisite skills in repertoire to acquire textual responses. The independent variable was the establishment of books as reinforcers for observing responses and as a preferred activity in a free play area. The dependent variable was the rate of acquisition of textual responses before and after books were established as conditioned reinforcers. The embedded dependent variable was the number of 5s intervals participants observed books in the free play setting, and the embedded independent variable was one of three methods of conditioning book stimuli (textual operant discrimination training, Pavlovian second order conditioning, or conditioning books through peer observation). A non-concurrent multiple pre- and post-intervention probe design across groups was used. In Experiment I, the participants ranged in age from 2.4 to 2.7 years old. Participants A and B acquired conditioned reinforcement for observing books as a function of mastering pre-requisite skills (word/picture discrimination) and one set of sight words. Participants C and D required stimulus-stimulus pairings to acquire books as conditioned reinforcers. Results showed that Participants A-D learned sight words 2.20 to 7.25 times faster as a function of having books as conditioned reinforcers. Experiment II differed in that: a) the participants were 3.7 and 4.6 years old, b) more sets of sight words were taught, and c) free play area probes were conducted with peers with and without books as conditioned reinforcers in a systematic fashion. Participant E acquired conditioned reinforcement for observing books as a function of mastering two sets of sight words. Participant F did not acquire books as conditioned reinforcers through sight word instruction, nor through stimulus-stimulus pairings, but did acquire conditioned reinforcement for observing books as a function of the conditioning books through a peer observation intervention. Results indicated that Participants E and F learned sight words 1.6-2.06 times faster than in pre-intervention conditions. Experiment III differed in that a) additional sight words were taught and b) free play sessions were conducted without peers. Results showed that Participants A1- C3 learned sight words 1.5 to 9 times faster (mean= 3.28 times faster) with the exception of Participant A4, who required a mean of one more session (mean of 3.5 sessions to 4.5 sessions) in post-intervention conditions. Participants A2, A4, B3, and C1, acquired books as reinforcers as a function of textual operant discrimination training (TODT). Marked increases in observing books was noted for Participant C3 after TODT, but not to criterion levels. TODT was not effective for Participants A1, A3, B2, and C2, but Pavlovian second order conditioning (PSOC) was effective for these participants. Neither TODT nor PSOC was successful in conditioning books as reinforcers for Participant B1, but conditioning books through peer observation was successful. Results are discussed in terms of: (a) the different interventions to condition books as reinforcers individualized per the repertoires of the participants, (b) the establishment of books as reinforcers as a developmental cusp, and (c) supporting the argument for the establishment of books as conditioned reinforcers as an empirical definition of reading readiness. Word count: 580 Keywords: stimulus-stimulus pairing, book conditioning, sight words, learn units to criterion, nursery school students, developmental delays, reading readiness Reading instruction, Education, Special education sfb2120 Health and Behavior Studies Dissertations The effectiveness of inserted strategy questions on elementary students' comprehension of well-structured and less-structured expository text Ordynans, Jill Goodman Thu, 20 Mar 2014 00:00:00 +0000 The present research examined the effects of inserted strategy questions (ISQs) and structured text on fifth grade students' comprehension of expository text passages that presented the cause/effect text structure at the sentence level (least complex) and at the paragraph level (more complex). Two studies were conducted to investigate this relationship. In the first study, an independent factorial design was utilized with two between-subjects variables (ISQs and structured text). Based on the positive findings from the first study, a second study was conducted that added a within-subjects variable (cause/effect complexity). A total of 48 fifth-grade students in the first study and 95 fifth-grade students in the second study were asked to read expository text passages that presented the cause/effect structure at both the sentence level and the paragraph level. Students were randomly assigned to one of four conditions: (1) ISQs present with well-structured text; (2) ISQs absent with well-structured text; (3) ISQs present with less-structured text; or (4) ISQs absent with less-structured text. In both studies, the effectiveness of ISQs and well-structured text was measured by performance on a written summary task. For the second study, a comprehension questions task was added. Analyses of variance (ANOVA) were carried out to analyze the data. In the first study, main effects of ISQs and structured text were found on the written summary, as was an interaction between these two factors when the cause/effect structure was presented at the more complex level. In the second study, main effects of ISQs, structured text, and cause/effect complexity were found on the written summary task, but not for the comprehension question task. While the interaction between these three factors did not reach conventional significance on the written summary task, the relationship was investigated further due to our findings from the first study. Taken together, these results suggest that both ISQs and well-structured text improve students' comprehension of expository social studies passages; however, the effect is greatest when both factors are combined, especially when the text is more complex. Suggestions for extending this work and pedagogical implications based on these findings are discussed. Cognitive psychology, Reading instruction jfg2107 Cognitive Studies in Education, Human Development Dissertations A Case Study of the Preventing Academic Failure Orton-Gillingham Approach With Five Students Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing: Using the Mediating Tool of Cued Speech Montgomery, Jennifer Lynn Tue, 04 Jun 2013 00:00:00 +0000 Struggling deaf readers, like struggling readers with dyslexia, share similarities in their difficulty with phonemic awareness, decoding, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Orton-Gillingham instruction is used to remediate these difficulties among hearing readers, but data is needed on its effectiveness with deaf students. Five subjects, who were severely deaf or hard of hearing, participated in a year long case study analyzing the impact of an Orton-Gillingham approach, supported with Cued Speech, on the development of their reading skills. Participants ranged from kindergarten to Grade 5, had additional learning, language, and socioeconomic challenges, and were mainstreamed in a public school district. Data were obtained in the fall, winter, and spring of one academic year from assessments (DRA, DIBELS, PAF), interviews with classroom teachers, and field notes. Results demonstrated that all five students made a year of growth, or more, on their reading achievement, similarly to expected yearly progress of students without disabilities. Results indicated that Orton-Gillingham instruction, supported with Cued Speech, may mitigate reading challenges among severely deaf or hard of hearing students in the mainstream. Additional studies are needed to verify the results in different educational settings. Special education, Reading instruction, Education Health and Behavior Studies, Physical Disabilities Dissertations The Effect of Explicit Teaching of Comprehension Strategies on Reading Comprehension in Elementary School Atkins, James Grant Thu, 30 May 2013 00:00:00 +0000 This study investigated the effect of explicit teaching of comprehension strategies on the comprehension performance of elementary school students. Two schools with similar demographics, including a significant proportion of students at risk for reading failure, participated in the study. One school utilized an explicit comprehension strategy instruction program while the other school utilized traditional comprehension programs. A quasi-experimental mixed methods design was employed; standardized and researcher-developed pretests and posttests were administered and observations were conducted over a two-year period. Analyses of covariance that treated the pretests as covariates resulted in significant differences between the schools on several measures, but the overall results did not favor either school. Significantly more instances of explicit instruction were demonstrated by teachers using the explicit program than teachers using the traditional programs. Differences in the number of instances of explicit instruction were most substantial during the student practice and feedback sections of the lessons. Correlations between teacher explicitness scores and student achievement scores and a comparison of the achievement scores of high-explicit and low-explicit teachers (regardless of the school's program) did not demonstrate a significant relationship between explicit instruction and student performance. However, teachers using the explicit program for their second year demonstrated more explicit instruction than teachers using the program for their first year. Students in the second-year teachers' classrooms demonstrated superior performance on a passage comprehension assessment compared to students in the first-year teachers' classrooms. Also, a comparison of the students who had been exposed to the explicit program for two consecutive years and the students who had been exposed to the traditional program for two consecutive years found that second-grade students exposed to the explicit program outperformed their counterparts on most assessments. These results did not indicate an overall relationship between teacher explicitness and student performance. The results do indicate, however, that an explicit comprehension program can result in more explicit instruction in the classroom and that instances of explicit instruction increase when teachers have more experience teaching such a program. Moreover, there is evidence that among experienced teachers, there is a positive relationship between teacher explicitness and student performance. Educational psychology, Reading instruction jga2107 Cognitive Studies in Education, Human Development Dissertations The Effects of Graphic Organizers and Content Familiarity on Second Graders' Comprehension of Cause/Effect Text Snyder, Anne Elizabeth Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0000 The ability to comprehend expository text is vital for academic and professional success; however, many students struggle with this genre. While it has been found that text structure-based graphic organizers (GOs) may assist older students in comprehending expository text, it is uncertain whether this type of scaffold is effective for primary-grade students. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of graphic organizers, level of text structure complexity, and content familiarity on second grade students' comprehension, recall, and sensitivity to cause/effect text structure. A mixed-factorial posttest-only design was utilized, with two between-subjects factors (graphic organizers and level of cause/effect structure complexity) and one within-subjects factor (content familiarity). Eighty second-grade students from two elementary schools were asked to read four cause/effect passages with familiar content (i.e. concerning objects and events that students encounter in their everyday lives) and four cause/effect passages with unfamiliar science content. Students were randomly assigned to either a graphic organizer condition or a control condition. Students in the graphic organizer condition read a cause/effect graphic organizer after reading each passage, while students in the control condition re-read the passage. Half of the students read passages with a one cause-one effect text structure and half read passages with a more complex one cause-multiple effects structure. Text structure comprehension, recall, and sensitivity were measured via student performance on three tasks. In the first task, students answered questions designed to assess structural awareness and comprehension. The proportions of structure questions answered correctly were calculated for the set of four passages used in this task. In the second task, students answered similar questions about non-structure sentences; again, proportion scores were calculated. Finally, students were asked to provide an oral free recall of text after reading each passage and its corresponding graphic organizer (or after reading and re-reading each passage). Protocols were scored for the proportions of structure and non-structure details correctly recalled for the four additional passages utilized in this task. A mixed factorial analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted to analyze the data. Results indicated that reading the graphic organizer, as opposed to re-reading the passage, lead to significant improvements in both recall and text structure sensitivity. In contrast, students in the control group demonstrated lower recall and structural sensitivity. There was a significant main effect for level of causal structure (one cause-one effect and one cause-multiple effects) on comprehension questions requiring structure sensitivity, with students demonstrating higher performance on the simpler one cause-one effect passages. A significant interaction was found between GO condition and level of structure complexity, such that students who re-read the text experienced a decline in performance on comprehension questions at the one cause-multiple effects level. No other effects emerged for structure complexity. Students demonstrated significantly greater performance on structure and non-structure comprehension questions and structure recall when reading familiar rather than unfamiliar content. Additionally, a marginally significant interaction was found between GO condition and familiarity; students in the re-reading condition experienced a decline in structure comprehension question performance when reading unfamiliar content. These results may inform efforts toward improving second-graders' text structure sensitivity and expository text comprehension through the use of graphic organizers. Educational psychology, Reading instruction, Education as2024 Cognitive Studies in Education, Human Development Dissertations