Evaluating the Whole Language Approach to Language Arts

1990 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 244-249 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolyn Chaney

Whole language is an approach to teaching written language that focuses on the oral language experiences of the child, and the communication of meaning through print, rather than emphasizing the teaching of reading skills such as word recognition, sound symbol associations, or sound blending. This paper provides a critical analysis of the whole language approach, describing both its strengths and weaknesses. An integrated instructional approach which balances meaning and exposure to literature with skills instruction and practice is recommended.

1996 ◽  
Vol 83 (1) ◽  
pp. 195-204 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Sparks ◽  
Leonore Ganschow ◽  
Alex Thomas

This study examined the relation of the WISC–R Verbal IQ with measures of oral and written language among 190 students referred to a private educational clinic over a 5-yr. period. Correlations of Verbal IQ with scores on measures of oral language, written language, receptive language, reading comprehension, and basic reading skills were calculated for the total sample and by Grades 1–3, 4–7, and 8–11. Standard regression coefficients were used to estimate the proportion of variance explained by these five measures. Significant correlations were found for Verbal IQ with the measures, ranging from .36 (Basic Reading Skills) to .69 (Receptive Vocabulary). Multiple regression indicated that 59% of the variance was explained by the five measures and that three—Oral Language, Receptive Vocabulary, and Reading Comprehension—contributed significantly to Verbal IQ. Correlations across grades showed inconsistent differences by grade for Verbal IQ with language variables. Implications for speech-language referral practices are discussed.


2018 ◽  
Vol 49 (4) ◽  
pp. 787-797 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meredith Saletta

Purpose Reading skills continue to develop into adolescence and adulthood. Difficulties in reading have lifelong repercussions. Many speech-language pathologists who work with older individuals in the school setting face significant issues, including those mandated by recent changes in legislation. Theoretical topics related to reading development and disorders include the variety of orthographic systems across languages and the ways in which adults who are literate in an alphabetic orthographic system experience changes to their spoken and written language processing. In addition, older readers with intellectual or developmental disabilities may benefit from the use of leveled books and the inclusion of illustrations or drawings along with text. Method I completed a focused literature review regarding typical reading skills, dyslexia in adolescence and adulthood, recent changes in legislation, orthography, and the use of leveled books for adolescents and adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities. Conclusions Further study of reading in older individuals may lead to important theoretical and clinical applications. Speech-language pathologists should keep in mind the various components of reading (such as decoding and comprehension), how these factors relate to oral language, and how they may be addressed in therapy.


1980 ◽  
Vol 89 (5_suppl) ◽  
pp. 179-181
Author(s):  
Pamela E. Hook

The purpose of this paper is to highlight the complexity of the relationship between oral language development and the acquisition of reading skills. As background information, a hierarchy of language development including factors related to both oral and written language is discussed. Case studies of two learning-disabled males are presented to illustrate the differences in reading skills between two children with similar language comprehension abilities. Discussion of the underlying processing deficits responsible for these differences is also included.


1994 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 24-27
Author(s):  
Jill McDougall

Most educationalists now acknowledge the pedagogical power of the Whole Language or Language Experience approach to the teaching of reading and other language skills. This approach is particularly valuable in remote Aboriginal schools where teaching resources can be made culturally relevant by centering learning around local and community driven experiences. Once a theme has been selected (usually around a personal or mediated experience such an excursion or other activity or a Big Book), the children are immersed in the oral and written language that arises from this experience. Activities may include creating a negotiated text, modelled writing, co-operative cloze and formulating a personal response to the experience. A thematic approach seeks to provide sufficient repetition of language structures and vocabulary for children to increase their fluency as readers and to generally expand their skills as language users.


2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 10-18
Author(s):  
Tsvetanka Tsenova

This article focuses on the relationship between literacy methods applied at school and the emergence of serious difficulties in mastering reading and writing skills that shape the developmental dyslexia. The problem was analyzed theoretically and subjected to empirical verification. Experimental work was presented which aims to study the phonological and global reading skills of 4- th grade students with and without dyslexia. Better global reading skills have been demonstrated in all tested children, and this is much more pronounced in those with dyslexia than their peers without disorders. Hence, the need to develop a special, corrective methodology for literacy of students with developmental dyslexia consistent with their psychopathological characteristics.


2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-32
Author(s):  
Yee Bee Choo ◽  
Nurul Syazana Zainuddin

This is an Action Research of using the Story Jumper as an E-book to improve the reading comprehension among Year 4 pupils in one of the primary schools in Malaysia. The participants involved were twenty pupils consisting of seven males and thirteen females. Three data collection methods employed were pre-test and post-test, pupils’ work and teacher’s reflective journal. The findings showed that the use of E-book had increased the level of understanding in reading comprehension among the research participants. The mean for the pre-test and post-test had increased from 45.83 to 93.33. The pupils’ work indicated positive improvements in terms of their level of understanding and responses in reading. It was also found from the reflective journal that the research participants had participated actively in the learning process and their level of motivation was also increased. The implication is to use E-book in the teaching of reading skills among the primary school learners.


Author(s):  
Kirsty Walter ◽  
Julie Dockrell ◽  
Vince Connelly

AbstractChildren who struggle with writing are a heterogeneous group and may experience difficulties in a range of domains, including spelling, reading, and oral language. These difficulties are reflected in their writing and may influence their responsiveness to writing interventions. The effectiveness of a targeted sentence-combining intervention to improve the writing skills of 71 struggling writers, aged 7 to 10 years, was compared with a spelling intervention and a business as usual (waiting list) control condition. Some struggling writers also performed poorly on measures of reading and oral language. Children's performance on a range of writing measures were assessed at baseline (t1), immediate post-test (t2) and delayed post-test (t3). Children receiving the sentence-combining intervention showed significant improvements in the sentence combining measure at t2 and t3 compared to both the spelling intervention and waiting list controls. Exploratory regression analyses found that children in the sentence-combining intervention, with a low t1 sentence combining score, low reading skills or better t1 spelling skills, were more likely to show improvements at t2. Findings indicate that when devising interventions for struggling writers, specific profiles of skills should be considered. Specifically, sentence combining may be more appropriate for SWs whose primary area of difficulty is reading, rather than poor spelling or oral language.


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