Conservation and Expressive/Receptive Language Abilities in Normal and Disabled Readers

Date of Graduation

Summer 1982

Degree

Master of Science in Education in Elementary Education

Department

Childhood Education and Family Studies

Committee Chair

Ruth Burgess

Abstract

The study was conducted in order to determine the relationship between conservation expressive/receptive language abilities in normal and disabled readers. Subjects were 24 seven year old males and females, 12 good readers and 12 disabled readers. SRA reading achievement scores were obtained from each subject's permanent record. The Test of Language Development was administered to all subjects. The study found that all 12 disabled readers evidenced deficits in one or more aspects of oral language as measured by the Test of Language Development. The Receptive Syntactic Semantic Test was administered to all subjects. The study found that a significant number of disabled readers evidenced deficits in the area of receptive language. The concept Assessment Kit was administered to all subjects as a measure of conservation. The relationship between conservation and reading achievement was not found to be significant. However, a power curve fit yielded correlation coefficients that were significant at the .01 level. The results of the study indicate that perphaps reading models based on a psycholinguistic and cognitive approach should be employed. And, the results of the study indicate the need to include measures of both receptive and expressive language in programs designed to provide early identification of students, who are apt to experience reading difficulties. These students would benefit from an individualized language experience approach to reading.

Subject Categories

Elementary Education and Teaching

Copyright

© Rebecca Susan Standley

Citation-only

Dissertation/Thesis

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