An investigation into the effect of prestated purposes on the silent reading comprehension : of good and poor readers using an informal reading inventory

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of prestated purposes on the silent reading comprehension of good and poor readers using an informal reading inventory. This study was conducted using 38 third grades and 38 fourth graders from a rural school in east central Indiana. These subjects were designated as good or poor readers by performance on the Metropolitan Achievement Test, Reading subtest. Each subject scored an intelligence quotient of 85 or above on the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test. Ten good readers and nine poor readers from the third and fourth grades, respectively, were randomly assigned the purpose treatment; and ten good readers and nine poor readers from each grade, respectively, were randomly assigned the nonpurpose treatment.The purpose treatment consisted of giving the oral prestated purpose labeled "examiners introduction" in the Analytical Reading Inventory. The nonpurpose treatment consisted of no prestated purpose prior to the silent reading of the passages.Each subject was administered the Analytical Reading Inventory. Procedures for administration recommended in the Analytical Reading Inventory were followed. A silent reading comprehension score was obtained by adding the total number of questions correct between and including the independent and frustration reading levels.Four null hypotheses were tested using a fully crossed 2x2x2 design with all factors fixed. The Bonferroni t-test 95 percent confidence interval procedure was applied in analyzing the silent reading comprehension scores. No significant differences were found on any of the four hypotheses.The major conclusion drawn from the results of the analysis was that prestated purposes do not appear to aid or hinder the silent reading comprehension of good or poor third and fourth grade readers. The results of this study would appear to indicate that the use of prestated purposes on an informal reading inventory are of little consequence to the total silent reading comprehension score. Therefore, consideration needs to be given as to whether or not to use prestated purposes when administering an informal reading inventory in a diagnostic testing situation. This consideration may be no more than to leave the use of prestated purposes to the discretion of the examiner.