Three experiments are reported which attempt to provide a basis for assessing the importance of word shape for beginning readers. Kindergarten and first grade students chose from an array the response alternatives that most resembled a nonsense stimulus trigram or quingram. (GO)

The stimulus properties of the letters b, d, p, and q were investigated in an attempt to demonstrate that the common reversal of these letters by beginning readers is in part determined by the vertical aspect of the stimulus figure. One hundred eighty kindergarteners were randomly selected from a racially mixed population and randomly assigned to…

Various eye problems and the effects they can have on children's reading abilities are explored in this pamphlet, which is one of a series designed to answer parents' questions about their children's reading development. Topics discussed are the demands on vision made by reading, problems that affect visual acuity (nearsightedness, farsightedness,…

Four studies with infants and preschool-age children examined various pattern perception tasks considered to be related to the perceptual basis of the development of reading skills. Study 1 used 28 neonates to test the hypothesis that supplemental stimulation (rocking, patting, holding) has measurable effects upon attention to visual patterns.…

THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN AUDITORY AND VISUAL FUNCTIONING AND READING ACHIEVEMENT WERE EXPLORED. AN ADDITIONAL OBJECTIVE WAS TO INVESTIGATE THE INFLUENCE OF DEVELOPMENTAL FACTORS ON THESE VARIABLES. A WIDE RANGE OF AUDITORY AND VISUAL SKILLS WAS SAMPLED IN POOR AND NORMAL READERS AT THREE DIFFERENT GRADE LEVELS (FIRST, THIRD, AND FIFTH). DATA…

Reports study on speed of response to printed letters, syllables, words, and word sequences in 150 children from kindergarten through grade 11. Tasks included visual matching to a visual sample, visual matching to an auditory sample, oral reading, and visual scanning tasks. (Author/SB)

Kindergarten children from 17 Los Angeles, California, schools were the subjects in a research project designed to measure the effects of a structured prereading program. The program emphasized six types of reading skills: (1) listening for comprehension, (2) listening for auditory discrimination, (3) visual discrimination, (4) oral language…

This paper examines the letter recognition difficulties of 322 primary grade students with decoding problems. Each student was asked to name all of the lower case letters, which were presented in non-alphabetical order. Each response was accurately recorded to determine which letters were taken for others. All responses were then tallied, and an…

Because learning to read is based on the ability to sift and organize sensory input, it is important for teachers and curriculum planners to know of the sorts of language experiences which develop reception and, subsequently, reading skills. Research on the effects of visual and auditory presentation of information and on early sensory experience…

This guide was developed to meet the corrective reading needs of primary children in the classroom. An integrated organic approach to the teaching of the language arts with as much individualization of instruction as possible is stressed. The suggested instructional method is diagnostic teaching, enabling the teacher to provide the child with…

Designed to provide a variety of prescriptions for supplementing the reading program through reinforcement of specific skills, this book presents 100 reading activities in the following areas: motivation, auditory discrimination, word analysis, vocabulary, and comprehension. For each activity an objective is stated, materials are listed, and a…

BROUGHT TOGETHER HERE IS THE WIDELY-SCATTERED LITERATURE ON SELF-INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAMS AND DEVICES BY LEADERS, PAST AND PRESENT, IN THEIR DEVELOPMENT. S.L. PRESSEY IN HIS ARTICLES DESCRIBES THE APPARATUS, METHODS, THEORY, AND RESULTS ATTENDANT UPON USE OF HIS TEST-SCORING DEVICES. B.F. SKINNER IN HIS ARTICLES DEVELOPS THEORY, DESCRIBES MACHINES,…

In the first experiment, the development of the ability to copy alphabet letters by black males aged 3-9 (middle and low S.E.S.) was studied, using a newly-developed scoring system. In the second experiment, kindergarteners learned to associate letter names with six lower-case printed letters by the anticipation method. The addition of an…