Research Byte: Potential implications of performance on the WJ IV Oral Reading test in word reading and reading comprehension--indirect mediated effect of prosody

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The WJ IV Achievement test battery includes a new reading test (Oral Reading) that contributes to the Reading Fluency cluster.  It is a measure of oral reading skill (story reading accuracy and prosody).  Briefly, prosody, in reading, refers to the expressiveness with which a student reads.  Why?  Because, fluent readers must be accurate readers.  The Oral Reading tests is a measure of fluency of oral expression in connected discourse. Fluent reading of the passages requires attention to the grammatical structure of prose. 

 

The recent study noted above may be relevant to the interpretation of the Oral Reading test.  This study suggests that prosody (prosodic sensitivity) does not have a direct causal effect on word reading or reading comprehension.  Rather, prosodic sensitivity may have an indirect impact on word reading via the mediating abilities of phonological and morphological awareness and an indirect impact on reading comprehension via word reading and listening comprehension.

 

This study suggests that the WJ IV phonological awareness tests (Phonetic Coding cluster; Oral Language tests of Segmentation and Sound Blending) should receive special attention when interpreting the impact of prosody (Oral Reading test) on the WJ IV Letter-Word Identification test (word reading).  In the case of performance on the WJ IV reading comprehension tests, the study suggests that special attention should be paid attention to prosody (Oral Reading) as mediated through a person's word reading (Letter-Word Identification) and listening comprehension (WJ IV Listening Comprehension cluster tests).

Conflict of interest disclosure.  I am a coauthor of the WJ IV.

Gv Gallery Hall of Fame: Visual word recognition model explanations

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Research byte: Phonemic awareness, working memory, RAN related but separate reading related constructs

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Research byte: Phonological awareness across different cultures/languages

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Dissertation dish: Does music perception predict phonological awareness

The role of music perception in predicting phonological awareness in five- and six-year-old children by Lathroum, Linda M., Ph.D., University of Miami, 2011 , 130 pages; AAT 3491105

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the role of music perception in predicting phonological awareness in five- and six-year-old children. This study was based on the hypothesis that music perception and phonological awareness appear to have parallel auditory perceptual mechanisms. Previous research investigating the relationship between these constructs--music perception and phonological awareness--has been promising, but inconclusive. Phonological awareness is an important component of early literacy which many children struggle to acquire. If the constructs are shown to be related, music-based interventions may then be developed to promote phonological awareness, thus enhancing early literacy.

Music perception, phonological awareness, and visual-spatial skills of 119 five- and six-year-old children were tested. The researcher administered the Children's Music Aptitude Test (Stevens, 1987) in order to assess perception of pitch, rhythm, and melody. Subsequently, the Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing (Wagner, Torgesen, & Rashotte, 1999) was administered in order to measure phonological awareness skills, including blending, elision, and sound matching. The Visual Spatial Relations subtest of the Woodcock Johnson III (Woodcock, McGrew, & Mather, 2001) was later used to assess visual spatial skills.

Structural equation modeling (SEM) allowed the researcher to model relationships between the latent variables to investigate the contribution of music perception, visual-spatial skills, and age to phonological awareness. Results supported the hypothesis that music perception, visual spatial skills, and age predict phonological awareness.

Additionally, music perception made a statistically significant contribution to phonological awareness, when controlling for visual spatial skills and age. Specifically, music perception predicted a larger amount of standardized unit change in phonological awareness than did the other predictors in the theory. Thus, music perception appears to have a stronger relationship with phonological awareness than age or visual spatial skills.

Further, results showed that a model without music perception as a predictor of phonological awareness was not supported. These findings confirm that music perception plays a unique role in predicting phonological awareness, above and beyond the contribution made by visual spatial skills and age. This study's results could be used in support of the development of music-based interventions for promoting phonological awareness in five- and six-year-old children.




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Rapid Automatic Naming (RAN) and reading fluency: Annual Review of Psychology article (2012 in press)

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Annual Review of Psychology RAN rapid automatic naming phonological processing Ga Glr reading fluency

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Dissertation Dish: Can pitch or rhythm (Ga-auditory processing) training improve phonological awareness (Ga)

The effectiveness of Separate Pitch and Rhythm Training Interventions on the Phonological Awareness of Kindergarten Learners by Richards, Susannah Converse, Ed.D., Northcentral University, 2011 , 171 pages; AAT 3472255

Abstract

Although neuroscientists assert that music training impacts neural development, previous research has not teased apart which components of music possibly enhance language literacy in emergent readers. The purpose of this quantitative research study was to establish if immersion in pitch activities as compared with rhythm activities could cause the significant development of initial sound (IS) skills, letter sounds (LS) skills, and sound pattern skills in kindergarten readers. This study examined the effectiveness of supplemental music instruction on the phonological awareness skills of kindergarten learners ( N = 38) who originated from seven classrooms in one suburban elementary school. Leveled subjects randomly were assigned to an experimental pitch group ( n = 12), or an experimental rhythm group ( n = 11), or a control group ( n = 15). During sixteen 40-minute sessions that spanned eight weeks, pitch group subjects explored the highness and lowness of sound, while rhythm group subjects investigated the duration of sound. The control group engaged in 20-minute weekly read-aloud sessions. Pre- and post-test data collection consisted of the kindergarten version of the Test of Phonological Awareness - Second Edition: Plus , and the sound patterns music subtest of the Woodcock Johnson III . Data was converted to Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) for analysis. Separate 3 x 3 factorial Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) revealed the levels differed on each of the IS variables (pitch [ F =7.74; df = 3], rhythm [ F = .07; df = 3], control [ F = .18; df = 2]); and the LS variables (low pitch [ F = 1.0; df = 3], low rhythm [ F = 6.62; df = 3], low control [ F = 4.0; df = 2]). Significance was observed with a matched-pairs t -test with the low pitch treatment group ( t [3] = 0.034, p < 0.04). Future research should recruit a larger sample and utilize a different music assessment. This study provides insight into a real-world application relative to specific components of music that potentially enhance the phonological awareness of the most challenged of kindergarten readers before remediation is necessary.



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Research Byte: Spanish childhood phonological awareness: Structure and sequence

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Research byte: Cognitive development of reading fluency

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intelligence IQ tests IQ scores CHC theory Cattell-Horn-Carroll human cognitive abilities psychology school psychology individual differences cognitive psychology neuropsychology special education educational psychology psychometrics psychological assessment psychological measurement IQs Corner Reading reading fluency dyslexia Ga Glr rapid naming RAN Phonological processing Orthographic processing