The role of nonspeech rhythm in Spanish word reading

The present study examines the role of instruction in the development of reading and writing skills in Spanish as a heritage language during childhood. Sixty-six (n=66) Spanish heritage speakers in K-4th grade participated in an 18-week Spanish intervention. The curriculum included the development of phonological awareness, reading fluency and accuracy as well as vocabulary via cognate instruction. Undergraduate students majoring in Spanish conducted the intervention as part of a service-learning program. Standardized measures given to the students before and after the intervention included phonological awareness, receptive vocabulary knowledge, word reading accuracy, and word reading fluency. The treatment group was compared to a group of twenty-five children (n=25) who did not participate in the program. The two groups were matched by age and non-verbal reasoning. Results from pre and post-tests showed significant gains for the treatment group in vocabulary growth, word reading fluency and word reading accuracy. Phonological awareness developed significantly for both groups, but there was no advantage for the experimental group. Overall, the intervention was effective at promoting both Spanish language and literacy skills (Rhoades, 2009). Contextualized and explicit instruction on word reading and decoding, as well as oral language and vocabulary knowledge in Spanish, helped Spanish heritage learners develop academic language and literacy skills in their first/minority language. Furthermore, the results provide strong evidence supporting the efficacy of a service-learning program aimed at facilitating the development of literacy skills among child heritage language learners.

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Reading Fluency in Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Readers

The Oxford Handbook of Deaf Studies in Literacy ◽

10.1093/oxfordhb/9780197508268.013.14 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 184-199

Author(s):

Susan R. Easterbrooks ◽

Paula J. Schwanenflugel

Keyword(s):

Reading Fluency ◽

Hard Of Hearing ◽

Word Reading ◽

First Language ◽

Repeated Readings ◽

Alphabetic Principle ◽

Reading Vocabulary ◽

National Reading Panel ◽

Points Of View

Prior to 2000, the role of fluency was poorly understood in deaf and hard-of-hearing learners beyond the examination of the use of repeated readings as an intervention technique. In 2000, the National Reading Panel identified factors critical to the development of literacy: phonological awareness, alphabetic principle, vocabulary, reading comprehension, motivation, and fluency. Since that time, much has been written on all these topics, except motivation and fluency. This chapter examines the various points of view necessary to understand the complexities of fluency, including but not limited to speed of word reading, vocabulary, prosody, and supralexical unitization. Further, it examines how these components differ based on an individual child’s first language. A concluding section explores successful interventions and lays out a research agenda that will allow the field to move forward.

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From letter names to word reading: The nascent role of sublexical fluency

Contemporary Educational Psychology ◽

10.1016/j.cedpsych.2005.10.001 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 31 (3) ◽

pp. 301-327 ◽

Cited By ~ 45

Author(s):

Kristen D. Ritchey ◽

Deborah L. Speece

Keyword(s):

Word Reading ◽

Letter Names

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