Leo M. Schell

The Effect of Male Teachers on the Academic Achievement of Father-Absent Sixth Grade Boys.

AbstractPrevious research has shown that as a group the reading achievement of father-absent elementary school boys is very low. It has been hypothesized that these boys might benefit from instruction by a male teacher. This study investigated whether assigning father-absent sixth grade boys to male teachers would result in higher academic achievement than that of similar boys assigned to female teachers, holding fifth grade achievement test scores and intelligence quotients statistically constant. Results indicated that male teachers had no significant effect upon the academic achievement of these boys. It is suggested that strategies other than assignment to male teachers be pursued by educators committed to helping improve the academic achievement of these boys.

How Accurate are Oral Reading Tests

Abstract The results of oral reading tests may be interpreted as being more precise and reliable than is warranted. The amount of error in the results of these tests may make them more variable than is typically assumed. Two kinds of error are examined: (1) examinee fluctuation (test reliability) and (2) examiner subjectivity (interscorer reliability), the former via data in test manuals and the latter via a study involving both college professors of reading and teachers. The results graphically show the subjectivity in scoring oral reading tests and how the score an examinee receives depends in part upon who is doing the scoring. Recommendations for improving the interpretation of these scores are made.

EFFECT OF WARM-UP PASSAGES IN MEASURING READING RATE

Will one or more warm-up exercises prior to a 1-min. measure of reading rate improve reliability? Students in Grades 4, 6, and 8 read four 1-min. passages. One-fourth of each sample took the passages in each of four orders. Interpassage correlations were significantly greater for later pairs of consecutive passages than for the first-administered pairs in Grades 4 and 8 but not in Grade 6. The findings offered some support to the claim that a warm-up exercise enhances consecutive-passage reliability of rate scores but inconsistencies among the samples prevented definitive conclusions.

The Validity of the Potential Level Via Listening Comprehension: A Cautionary Note.

Historical background and relevant research were examined to determine whether the commonly recommended procedure of determining the reading potential level via listening comprehension is valid in the primary grades. No support was found for the unstated assumptions necessary for this procedures validity. And three major studies conclusively revealed that use of this procedure to identify children for remedial instruction would drastically over‐refer and would include vast numbers of primary grade children progressing normally in learning to read. Based on this evidence, it was concluded that listening comprehension definitely not be used to determine the reading potential level in grades 1‐3.