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Thesis/Dissertation Information
- Degree Disciplines:
- Education
Notes
- Abstract:
- Purpose : Because of the importance of reading in today’s society, it is crucial that students become proficient in the reading process. Unfortunately, a great many students, especially those with specific learning disabilities (SLD), do not appear to be developing sound reading skills in classrooms across the country, the state, and in southeast Florida. Much research has been devoted to the development of excellent reading strategies and programs; however, there is a lack of data indicating any dramatic improvement in reading achievement for struggling readers. Is it possible that because psychological factors such as self-esteem, self-efficacy, and locus of control are currently not typically addressed in reading programs, the students’ reading attitude and reading achievement do not improve significantly? This study examined these three psychological factors, along with the factors of reading attitude and reading achievement to see if they are truly related to one another. This is a preliminary step that must be undertaken before a shift in the direction of reading instruction can be suggested, particularly for students with SLD. Method : Correlation and multiple regression analyses were used to examine the relationships among the variables of interest for 80 middle school students with SLD in southeastern Florida. Pearson product moment correlations were computed among all variables to analyze the associations between them. Major Findings : Results indicated that there were significant positive relationships among the psychological variables (self-esteem, self-efficacy, locus of control), the attitudinal variable (reading attitude), and the achievement variable (reading achievement). Since a high number of correlations may lead to an increase in potentially confounding, moderating, or mediating patterns in variables, a linear multiple regression was calculated to explain reading achievement scores. Results indicated that all of the predictor variables together accounted for about 72 percent of the variance in reading achievement. A stepwise regression analysis was also conducted at the predetermined level of significance of 0.05 which identified that locus of control by itself accounted for about 56 percent of the variance in reading achievement.
- Thesis:
- Thesis (Ph.D.)--Barry University, 2009.
- Bibliography:
- Includes bibliographical references (leaves 132-208).
Record Information
- Source Institution:
- Barry University
- Holding Location:
- Barry University Archives and Special Collections
- Rights Management:
- Copyright Susan E. Hildenbrand. Permission granted to Barry University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder.
- Resource Identifier:
- LB1632.H55 2009_HildebrandSusan ( BU-Local )
- Classification:
- LB1632.H55 2009 ( lcc )
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