Jane Shore

Relationships Among Reading Skills of Adults With Low Literacy

In this study, confirmatory factor analyses were used to examine the interrelationships among latent factors of the simple view model of reading comprehension (word recognition and language comprehension) and hypothesized additional factors (vocabulary and reading fluency) in a sample of 476 adult learners with low literacy levels. The results provided evidence for reliable distinctions between word recognition, fluency, language comprehension, and vocabulary skills as components of reading. Even so, the data did not support the hypothesis that the simple view needs to be expanded to include vocabulary or fluency factors, as has been posited in a few prior studies of younger and more able readers. Rather, word recognition and language comprehension alone were found to account adequately for variation in reading comprehension in adults with low literacy.

The Automated Text Adaptation Tool

Text adaptation is a teacher practice used to help with reading comprehension and English language skills development for English language learners (ELLs) (Carlo, August, McLaughlin, Snow, Dressler, Lippman, Lively, & White, 2004; Echevarria, Vogt and Short, 2004; Yano, Long and Ross, 1994). The practice of text adaptation involves a teachers modification of texts to make them more understandable, given a students reading level. Teacher adaptations include text summaries, vocabulary support (e.g., providing synonyms), and translation. It is a time-consuming, but critical practice for K-12 teachers who teach ELLs, since reading-level appropriate texts are often hard to find. To this end, we have implemented the Automated Text Adaptation Tool v. 1.0 (ATA v. 1.0): an innovative, educational tool that automatically generates text adaptations similar to those teachers might create. We have also completed a teacher pilot study. Schwarm and Ostendorf (2005), and Heilman, Collins-Thompson, Callan, and Eskenazi (2006) describe related research addressing the development of NLP-based reading support tools.

Relative Effectiveness of Reading Intervention Programs for Adults with Low Literacy.

Abstract To compare the efficacy of instructional programs for adult learners with basic reading skills below the 7th-grade level, 300 adults were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 supplementary tutoring programs designed to strengthen decoding and fluency skills, and gains were examined for the 148 adult students who completed the program. The 3 intervention programs were based on or adapted from instructional programs that have been shown to benefit children with reading levels similar to those of the adult sample. Each program varied in its relative emphasis on basic decoding versus reading fluency instruction. A repeated measures multivariate analysis of variance confirmed small to moderate reading gains from pre- to posttesting across a battery of targeted reading measures but no significant relative differences across interventions. An additional 152 participants who failed to complete the intervention differed initially from those who persisted. Implications for future research and adult literacy instruction are discussed.

Changes in Reading Practices and Perceptions in Low-Literacy-Level Adult Learners

This article reports on pre to post changes found in learners who participated in the Relative Effectiveness of Adult Literacy (REAL) reading interventions study (n = 81). Changes reported cover the types of texts learners read, the frequency of self-reported reading, perceptions of how well they read the texts, and their perceptions of how skilled they were at various reading-related tasks. Relationships among the changes in habits and perceptions and reading achievement are explored. For 36 of the 81, a six-month follow up interview was conducted.

Development of an Evidence-Based Reading Fluency Program for Adult Literacy Learners

Fluency is an essential part of skilled reading that has only recently begun to receive its deserved attention. However, programs that meaningfully engage adult learners in fluency training have not been widely explored in research. In this article, the authors describe an evidence-based adult Guided Repeated Reading program developed for low-literate adult learners (reading at the seventh-grade equivalent or below). Lessons incorporated teacher-guided, choral, paired, and other repeated readings of these texts, supplemented by lessons that build on prior knowledge, embedded phonics and vocabulary, comprehension, and reading strategy support. The program has been implemented in a national efficacy study of reading in adults. Outcomes and future implications of the implementation are discussed.