Reading Difficulties Flashcards
What could cause reading difficulties?
Difficulties with:
- Sound categorisation.
- Memory.
- Comprehension.
What is the use in identifying children who have struggle reading?
- Help design/provide support that is well suited.
- Combat stigma for children struggling to read.
- Help identify poor readers.
What is sound categorisation and how does this help reading? Cite the source of your evidence.
Sound categorisation involves breaking down words into phonemes and the ‘sound’ of words. (e.g., chair = ch + eh + r).
Which can allow for better understanding of the sounds of phonetics which can help for spelling and reading.
Bradley and Byrant (1983) highlight understanding rhymes and alliteration (the breakdown of words into their separate components) can predict children’s future ability of reading three years later.
State the limitations of Bradley and Bryant’s (1983) findings in sound categorisations, and also interventions that could be used to improve this.
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Limitations of sound categorisation? How does this then link to memory?
Sound categorisation alone does not determine reading ability. Other considerations include:
From categorisating sounds, comes with encoding words and their meanings.
This involves:
WM = phonological loop, processing of words. WM can be trained to better reading ability.
after processing these words and their meanings they are encoded to the LTM, where they are remembered and retrieved.
How does the phonological loop in WM contribute to reading ability? Cite sources.
The phonological loop registers auditory and verbal information, crucial for speech based, comprehension, and reading ability.
Important for learning new words, processing language.
Those with higher skills in phonological loop have higher phonological awareness (the ability to manipulate different sounds in words) crucial for reading.
Gathercole and Baddeley (1993) phonological loop ability linked to language impairment = those with shorter phonological loop leads to language impairment.
How can the phonological loop in WM be improved for reading ability? Cite sources.
Gathercole et al. (1992)
- Repeating non-words was associated with reading ability score.
Phonological loop linked with reading ability.
How to improve phonological loop in WM?
- Rehearsal can improve the phonological loop in WM by repeating syllables of words.
- Design a task in which children are asked to identify similarities and differences in pronunciation of words: can help organisation of components that make up specific sounds.
How can comprehension affect ability?
Children can read words internally and aloud fluently, but not understand/comprehend what they read.
What study tests comprehension? Explain this study’s methodology and results, and suggestions towards comprehension and reading.
Oakhill (1984) tests (basically key) comprehension by:
- Giving children passage of text to read.
- Children will be asked questions about the passage.
- One question will be explicit (answer is within the text).
- Another question requires an inference (suggestion).
- 2 groups: good vs bad comprehenders.
Results:
- Low comprehenders were able to answer explicit answers, but struggled with inference question.
Suggests poor comprehenders struggle with connecting pieces together unless explicitly said.
Describe Oakhill (2004) in terms of comprehension.
Low vs High skilled comprehenders are given panelled story.
They are asked to retell the story.
Results
- Low skilled comprehenders: struggle to connect story pieces together, does not flow as nicely, uses the same connectives. Mixture of past and present tense.
- High skilled comprehenders: read in a more story-like structure, using connectives. Use of past tense, consistent. They also make more inferences.
Low skilled comprehenders struggle to piece together and form coherent retelling of the story.
What are the memory (automisation) effects that affect reading ability? Explain these aspects.
There are 3 aspects that influence information processing:
- Automisation: Occurs when something is done repeatedly that it becomes automatic (reduces cognitive resources).
- automisation occurs with words, being able to instantly recognise what a word means. - Organisation: grouping information into categories (like chunking, alliteration, types).
- helps understand structure of paragraph, improving comprehension. - Selective attention: when partial information is retained and unimportant information is filtered out.
- certain information is picked out and remembered.
Understanding memory processing can help us understand how children sort, and process information when reading, and what specific areas they may struggle with.
Does WM improve as the years go on? Cite study.
DeMarie-Dreblow and Miller (1998)
- Children (ages 7-9) were shown boxes containing either household objects (labelled house) or animals (labelled cage).
9 year olds opened more relevant boxes.
7 year olds opened random boxes.
shows how WM and strategising memory increases as we get older to aid problem solving.
What is metacognition and how can this facilitate reading? Cite studies.
Metacognition is the awareness of cognitive skills (thinking, comprehension, etc), and using these skills effectively to better their learning/problem solving.
Kuhn and Pearsall (1998)
- Measured metastrategic functioning in children (aged 10-11) by measuring knowledge of OBJECTIVE and knowledge of STRATEGIES.
Those who displayed no awareness (no strategy) had < 1/2 questions correct = learned little to nothing.
Those with high meta-awareness had > 1/2 questions correct = learned the most.
Suggests that metacognition can affect comprehension and understanding, as they test one’s understanding.
How can metacognition be encouraged in school?
Educate children on metacognition: Teach children on ways to strategise their memory and thinking processes (use of flashcards, mindmaps, pomodoro effect).
Reflective practices: Encourage children to reflect on their work to analyse their own comprehension and approaches to thinking.
Feedback: Provide children with feedback to encourage continued use of existing metastrategic methods, and how to improve.
