The dramatic rise in cases of children with learning disorders has caused interest in the field and many researchers are trying to better understand the recently established Nonverbal Learning Disorder. This has sparked an interest in researchers who are currently focusing on locating a cause, a universal diagnostic method, and treatment options for the disorder. The current study concentrated on establishing a link between environmental factors and the occurrence of NVLD in children. Archival data was used to determine whether the mother and father's education level and occupation correlated with the occurrence of the disorder in the child. The study used data from 172 children who were tested for Nonverbal Learning Disorder. The subjects ranged in age from 5 years old to 24 years old. There were 78 girls and 94 boys that participated in the testing. The children's verbal intelligence test scores and performance intelligence test scores were compared to their parents' occupation and education levels to determine if the results would be statistically significant. Statistical analyses revealed that the mother and father's occupation and education level were not significant in the outcome of the child's nonverbal learning abilities. This study did not find the correlation between environmental factors and whether or not a child is more likely to develop Nonverbal Learning Disorder due to those factors. It is suggested that future research examine a larger number of participants and collect all the data from the mother and father to determine if there is a significance between environmental factors and the occurrence of Nonverbal Learning Disorder in children.
New information suggests the deficits are not as great in skills such as spelling,
solving verbal word problems, social interactions, and reading comprehension.
This could be from a lack of standardized testing. Since there is no specific test or
...
Preservice teachers in general education and special education completed tests of word structure knowledge tests designed by Dr. Spear-Swerling. Additionally, course syllabi were analyzed and faculty interviewed regarding the nature and extent of specific word structure knowledge infused in courses.
reading achievement of students increases as measured by a variety of
standardized assessments in (a) phonological processing, (b) reading comprehension, (c) fluency, and (d) decoding. Imbedding word structure
knowledge in semester ...
The purpose of this study was twofold: to determine if, and how integrating the writing process with the second grade science curriculum in the classroom improved science learning and impacted higher order thinking skills. Instruction incorporated Writing-to-learn concepts with lecture, laboratory experiments, and writing opportunities in science. A teacher-made unit assessment was used as a Pre-Test and Post-Test. Percentage scores were compared to determine the level of content mastery in science. Student work was collected in portfolios and assessed using a rubric to determine evidence of higher-level thinking. Data were triangulated using the student portfolios, student self-assessments and researcher notes. The population was a second grade classroom, at an elementary school in a school district in Houston, Texas. A mixed-methodology design was used over a four-week period. This research study showed that writing in the science classroom improved students' learning and impacted higher order thinking skills and student achievement gains.
assert that reading comprehension strategies and writing skills can be developed
in low- achieving students if they are fostered in elementary school. Eisner (2000)
also argues that higher order thinking skills can be promoted and developed ...
For more than two decades, teacher efficacy has been identified as being crucial for improving educational reform, teacher education, teachers' teaching behaviors, and teachers' attitudes toward inclusive schooling. This study utilized the Teacher Sense of Efficacy Scale (TSES) (Tschannen-Moran & Woolfolk Hoy, 2001), the Scale of Teachers' Attitudes Toward Inclusive Classrooms (STATIC) (Cochran, 1998) and demographic information to investigate the levels of teacher efficacy beliefs and attitudes toward inclusion of 123 special education teachers involved in co-taught education classrooms in 10 school districts across North Carolina.
Comment #46 expressed his challenge as related to reading comprehension. . . .
However, what I see as the most challenging is my lack of experience as a
teacher and lack of knowledge in the core courses. I realize that this will improve
with ...
Urban middle schools face the overwhelming challenge of assisting a diversity of learners in the area of literacy. Many of these learners are in need of academic support and need assistance from educators in reaching grade-level competency within the academic area of reading. Differentiation addresses the possibility of assisting each of these students academically. This study examined the types, and the frequency of use, of differentiated instructional strategies utilized by middle school teachers to assist diverse learners in achieving grade-level reading competency. Qualitative data was gathered via questionnaire, focus group sessions, and classroom observations. This case study analyzed the methods and the frequency of use of differentiation utilized by middle school teachers within all disciplines to assist low-level readers. A middle school in an urban area of California was used for this study. Analysis of data was coded to establish recurring themes and to determine teacher understanding, educators' use of, and the frequency of use of differentiated instruction. Teachers of reading, in all academic areas, were asked how they use differentiation, what factors determine which differentiated instructional strategies they use, their knowledge and skills of the use of differentiation, and their frequency of use of differentiation. The findings of this study have implications for future staff developments within this urban middle school and teachers of reading in other settings.
Therefore, it is essential that a comprehensive approach to reading takes place in
conjunction with teacher training in literacy. There is a need to assist low-level
readers in the area of increasing reading comprehension because of state ...
In recent years, schools have felt increased pressure to comply with standards imposed in the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) laws. In Pennsylvania, one aspect that is measured on state assessment tests is reading comprehension. In addition, current research and literature state that schools could do more to help their students comprehend what they read in class. In an attempt to find ways to improve reading comprehension, this study focuses on using "story web" graphic organizers in a ninth grade social studies classroom in rural Pennsylvania. This study examines how well students use the graphic organizers on in-class assignments and analyzes student assessment data to determine if graphic organizers improve student achievement.
Some research has shown that students cannot comprehend what they read
because they do not know how to read effectively. “Readers need to understand
the context and the structure of the text to understand the content, yet many
students ...
The purpose of this study was to analyze verbal interactions during dialogic storybook reading while using the child's native language or English. Four Spanish-speaking children were read to during Head Start home visits by an English-speaking teacher or a Spanish-speaking paraprofessional. Each session was videotaped and then analyzed using the Adult-Child Interactive Reading Inventory (ACIRI) (DeBruin-Parecki, 2007) and ¡Dime mas!, a researcher-developed event-based cross classifying coding scheme. Effect sizes calculated for the three subscale scores on the ACIRI (DeBruin-Parecki, 2007) indicated differences in using literacy strategies both at the adult and child levels between the English and Spanish condition favoring English. Results of ¡Dime mas! indicated slight increases in shared meaning when Spanish was used, but the quality of child responses remained essentially the same. Implications for native language support in early childhood programs are discussed.
However, they also found correlations between Spanish oral vocabulary and
English reading comprehension such that Spanish oral language predicted reading comprehension more highly than Spanish word identification (Lindsey et
al., ...
Students from diverse cultures present challenges to psychologists and educators. One of those challenges is to validate the current use of test scores with these students. The goal of the present study was to provide information on the validity of using a specific measure of ability with a specific cultural group. The research analyzed correlation coefficients between scores obtained on the Universal Nonverbal Intelligence Test (UNIT; Bracken & McCallum, 1998) and scores obtained on the reading and math portions of the Stanford Achievement Test-10th Edition (SAT-10; The Psychological Corporation, 2003) by Limited English Proficient (LEP) Mexican-American elementary school students. The study used a follow-up with selection by existing system predictive design (Guion & Cranny, 1982) of all elementary school students who met study criteria for a three year period in a small agrarian community. Correlation coefficients between the UNIT Full Scale and area scores and SAT-10 reading and math scores were computed. Standard adjustments for restrictions of range were completed. Coefficients were then examined for significance and effect size. Differences between correlations were also examined for significance and relative strength. The data documented predictive, convergent, and discriminant validity with the targeted population for UNIT Full Scale IQ. Implications and limitations of the research are discussed.
The LEP sample obtained corrected correlations of the UNIT Full Scale IQ and
the WLPB-R Broad Reading, Basic Reading and Reading Comprehension
Clusters of .32, .12 and .39 respectively. The UNIT Symbolic Quotient correlations
with ...
The purpose of this research is to document the correlations between reading skills and the mathematics performance, in particular on word problem solving. This research was carried out at a private school in El Paso, Texas. The sample population consists of fifty-eight students currently enrolled from six through eleventh grades. This study considers the Stanford Achievement Test scores imparted in March 2006. The Stanford Achievement Test is a multiple-choice assessment that facilitates educators to find out what students know and are able to do at the end of a school year. Six out of the fifty-eight students' problem solving sessions were recorded when solving four word problems chosen from the textbook. Results show that reading skills are correlated to mathematics but these correlations are not strong as one may think. Also, results from the student problem-solving sessions reveal that students may read and understand word problems having a high reading score yet they may have problems decoding and setting them up. This indicates that there may be another set of skills for student success in mathematics problem solving than the reading skills.
into four independent scores such as Synonyms, Multiple Meaning of Words,
Context Clues, and Thinking Skills. Every story or poem in the Reading Comprehension section is followed by a set of questions. A sample question
referring to a ...
