Growth in reading of culturally disadvantaged pupils : a two year study using enriched programmed instruction and basal readers

In recent years there have been many suggested innovations in beginning reading procedures, methods, and materials, especially for pupils identified as culturally disadvantaged. It is important that adequate evaluation be given to appraise these recent trends, materials, and developments.The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a programmed linguistic approach augmented by enrichment and supervisory support when compared with a traditional basal reader approach in improving the reading growth of a group of pupils identified as culturally disadvantaged. The study extended across two years of language and reading instruction through kindergarten and first grade. A further purpose of the study was to secure evidence of how teachers evaluate programmed materials utilized in the study and how teachers perceive pupil response to these materials.The population, almost exclusively black, consisted of 89 pupils in the experimental group and 330 pupils in the control group. These pupils attended kindergarten and first grade in schools identified as Title I schools. Consideration was given to the socio-economic status of the two groups.Instruction for the experimental group included pre-programmed and programmed materials in kindergarten and first grade. These were augmented by pre-service and in-service support throughout the study arranged by the supervisor. Enrichment and reinforcement activities were developed and utilized. Teachers in the control group using the basal reader approach received in-service training and had access to teachers' manuals and resources that had previously been developed.Analysis of data included comparison of the experimental and control population and performance of girls and boys separately. Since socio-economic status has correlated highly with achievement, analysis of covariance design was used to control effect of this variable. Standardized instruments were employed as follows: Clymer-Barrett Prereading Battery, Form A, Metropolitan Readiness Tests, Form A, and Stanford Achievement Test, Primary I Battery.Pre-reading skills of Visual Discrimination and Auditory Discrimination at the end of kindergarten; performance on readiness skills of Word Meaning, Listening, Matching, Alphabet, Numbers, and Copying at the beginning of grade one; and Word Reading, Paragraph Meaning, Vocabulary, and Word Study Skills at the end of the first grade for the experimental group were higher to a statistically significant degree when compared with the control group.The difference between the performance of girls and boys on each of the subtests administered to the experimental and control groups, yielded no significant difference except on Word Reading. The experimental program increased the Word Reading skill of boys and they also manifested a trend in improved performance in Vocabulary and Word Study Skills, but the latter two were not statistically significant.From evidence presented when boys and girls of both groups were combined on each of the 12 variables, it can be inferred that there was a significant difference between the performance of girls and boys consistently favoring the girls on five variables. However, there was no significant difference between them on seven variables. Since girls typically perform higher on reading measures administered in kindergarten and first grade, these results provide some evidence that the experimental program helped boys to improve performance on seven reading measures.An appraisal of teacher responses to the experimental program suggested the amount of oral reading and the teaching of comprehension skills were less extensive than in the traditional program. However, most teachers in the experimental group expressed the opinion that opportunities for success and positive reinforcement were provided. All teachers responding felt that the experimental program succeeded in encouraging individualization of instruction, and effectiveness in teaching decoding skills was more extensive than the traditional basal reader program.Thesis (D. Ed.