William A. Henk

Developing Reading Fluency in Learning Disabled Students

• More students in learning disabilities programs are handicapped by poor reading skills than by difficulties in any other area (Kirk & Elkins, 1975). Oftentimes, these individuals cannot be taught in the same way as other children in the classroom. Not only do they possess a set of learning characteristics that is different from those of their nonhandicapped peers, but in many cases they have also been turned off to reading due to repeated failures. Consequently, educators must devise and implement reading techniques tailored to meet the special learning needs of this population. Frequently, learning disabled students are viewed as passive readers, exercising little control over how they read (Torgesen, 1982). The six reading approaches presented in this article provide students with the opportunity to take a more active role in improving their reading performance through participation in activities with the teacher or another student and through planned involvement with the reading material. The techniques are designed to make it easier for readers to understand the text by dividing sentences into meaningful phrases and clauses and encouraging the readers to process in-

NEW DIRECTIONS IN READING ASSESSMENT

As educators embrace a new view of the reading process and adjust their instruction accordingly, major shifts in reading assessment practices have become necessary. In this article, I briefly trace the history of the shift in reading evaluation, outline the new view of reading, and address current assessment trends, including prior knowledge, strategic reading, process measurements, use of authentic texts, and habits and attitudes. The nature of each trend is described, its measurement problems identified, relevant techniques and instruments presented, and its limitations cited. In addition, overall diagnostic paradigms such as informal, dynamic, and portfolio assessments are discussed.

A Test of Alternative Cloze Test Formats at the Sixth-Grade Level

AbstractIn seeking a more valid and reliable doze test format, a repeated-measures design was used to compare performances of sixth-grade readers on a traditional and three alternative types of cloze tests. Significant main effects were found for deletion pattern and cue-condition factors. The most accurate performance occurred on the total random deletion plus word length and initial-letter cue format. Validity coefficients for all three alternatives were at least comparable to the traditional cloze format, and each of their reliability coefficients surpassed the traditional form. Results confirm and extend the findings of earlier studies investigating cloze alternatives. Psychometric and psycholinguistic advantages of the alternate cloze forms are discussed.

Effects of Top-Level Comparison-Contrast Text Structures on Reading Comprehension Performance.

Abstract This study examined the effects of two types of comparison‐contrast discourse structures on the initial learning and retention of unfamiliar scientific information by mature readers. Specifically, divided [A‐B] patterns (in which all of the information about one topic is presented in its entirety before corresponding information about the second topic occurs) were matched against alternating [A‐B, A‐B, A‐B] patterns (whereby features of the two topics are compared and/or contrasted in a point‐by‐point fashion). Topics centered on the brain versus a computer, the eye versus a camera, the phonograph versus compact disc players, and dot‐matrix versus daisy wheel computer printers. Despite a host of pattern‐related factors that could have contributed to performance differences, subjects learned and remembered key data equally well regardless of the type of comparison‐contrast pattern used. These findings were interpreted as a demonstration of the mature readers versatility in accommodating unfamilia...

Effects of Issue-Related Attitude on Readers' Comprehension and Judgments of Unbiased Text.

Abstract To learn maximally from texts centering on controversial topics, readers must suspend attitudinal biases in the interest of objectivity. The present study examines the extent to which issue‐related attitudes influence readers’ comprehension and retention of information presented in an impartial text. It expands upon previous research that has yielded equivocal findings by considering readers’ (a) ego‐involvement with the issue, (b) prior knowledge, and (c) purpose for reading. In an immediate and delayed recall phase, readers opposing nuclear power were compared with those not opposed to it on a series of dependent measures that involved either low‐level outcomes or judgmental tasks. No effect of issue‐related attitude was found for the selective encoding or recall of low‐level data; however, when open‐ended questions required readers to make sum‐mative text‐based decisions about the issues, their protocols exhibited attitude‐consistent response tendencies in the immediate learning phase. The fin...

EMTHODOLOGICAL CONCERNS IN EXPERIMENTAL READING RESEARCH: ALL THAT GLITTERS

The potential value of any piece of reading research rests squarely upon the merits of the methodology used to conduct the study. Regrettably, recent years have witnessed the emergence of trends in experimental methodology that deviate considerably from the hypothesis testing model upon which good science depends. This article describes the nature and consequences of liberally or improperly applying traditional research methodology and provides an argument for tempering judgments about the relative contributions that experimental studies make to the professional literature in reading

Renorming the SIT: Implications for Teachers of Reading.

Abstract This study examined the relative value of the 1981 renorming of the Slosson Intelligence Test (SIT). Individual IQ and reading expectancy scores were determined for 180 children referred to a university reading clinic. Both the 1963 and 1981 SIT norms were compared with scores obtained from the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children‐Revised (WISC‐R). Correlational and descriptive analyses indicated that the 1981 norms were somewhat superior to the 1963 norms in approximating the WISC‐R scores. Specifically, the new norms: (1) yielded a higher percentage of exact same individual IQ scores, (2) provided a more balanced distribution of over‐ and underestimation, (3) closely resembled the overall WISC‐R mean and standard deviation, and (4) exhibited a slightly higher correlation with WISC‐R reading expectancy scores. Although the new SIT was found to serve reasonably well as a quick estimate of intellectual ability, it was concluded that the instrument should not be used as an extended substitute f...

Technological advances in the study of reading: An introduction

Abstract Recent years have witnessed the development of several new computer‐driven technologies whose capabilities shed light on brain‐related issues germane to the field of reading. This paper describes the purpose and functional operation of these technologies, outlines their current contribution to our knowledge base, and provides some speculation regarding the role existing and emerging technologies will play in future diagnostic and Instructional reading endeavors. Included among the technologies are computerized axial tomography (CAT), Positron Emission Transaxial Tomography (PETT) .regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) monitoring, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), and Brain Electrical Activity Mapping (BEAM).

EFFECTS OF ALTERNATIVE DELETION PATTERNS, BLANK CONDITIONS, AND SCORING SYSTEMS ON INTERMEDIATE LEVEL CLOZE TEST PERFORMANCE

The majority of cloze research has focused on a traditional test format whereby (1) deletions occur on an every‐nth word basis, (2) standard length blank spaces are provided, and (3) only exact word replacements of the original text receive credit. In this study, an analysis was made of the effects of selected deletion patterns (every‐nth versus total random), blank conditions (standard versus cued), and scoring modes (verbatim versus synonymic) on the cloze test performance of 64 sixth grade readers. Neither the deletion pattern nor blank condition main effects achieved significance; however, as expected, increased performance was observed for synonymic scoring. Most importantly, all first‐order interaction effects attained significance. In the total random/cued/ verbatim cloze format, context distances of less than four words generated correct responses as effectively as context distances of four, the equivalent of an every‐5th word deletion strategy. Further, this format exceeded all others in internal...