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Abstract

A sample of 3135 grade 3 to grade 6 children from ten metropolitan
Hobart, Tasmania primary schools was selected to contrast three reading
schemes: Wide Range Readers (UK), the SRA Basic Reading Programme (USA),
and SRA Reading Laboratories (USA). Standardised test results from
the Tasmanian Education Department Sub-Junior and Junior General Ability
Tests, the Raven's Coloured Progressive Matrices Sets and the Schonell
Silent Reading Tests A and B for the period 1971 to 1976 were provided
by high school Guidance Officers and primary school principals.
Schools were selected on the basis of using one reading scheme
exclusively and only those children who were in continuous attendance
were considered. Numbers per reading scheme were: Wide Range Readers,
1598; the SRA Basic Reading Programme, 501; SRA Reading Laboratories,
1036. The Commonwealth Bureau of Census and Statistics furnished data
(1971 Census) which enabled the following grouping of classes by socioeconomic
level: Lower, 1340; Middle, 1413; Upper Middle, 382.
Factors influencing children's reading achievement that have been
considered in this study are: Reading scheme, sex, IQ, change of school,
socioeconomic level and school grade. The following factors, outlined
in the literature on children's reading, were not considered: Teaching
style and teacher effect, effect of television and other media, parent's
attitudes to education, parent's educational level, reading opportunities
in the home, home stability, language spoken in the home, family size,
child's position in the family, and various psychological and physiological
problems. Experimental procedures were selected to minimise
the influence of these factors.
Analysis of Variance, Analysis of Covariance, and a posteriori
testing were performed on IQ and RQ (reading quotient) scores for the
various groups with computer programmes provided by the Commonwealth
Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and the
University of Tasmania.
With the significance cut-off taken at p ≤ 0.05 no significant
pattern of one reading scheme's effectiveness over another was found.
Superior class mean RQ and IQ levels for middle socioeconomic level
children were found. irrespective of reading scheme, with the exception
of the grade 3 sample. Male and female reading achievement was not
significantly different, with the exception of the grade 6 sample, where
females' achievement was superior. Wide variation was found in reading
achievement over time and SRA Reading Laboratories showed the most
regular improvement.

Item Type:	Thesis - Coursework Master
Authors/Creators:	Bush, Stephanie
Keywords:	Reading (Elementary)
Copyright Holders:	The Author
Copyright Information:	Copyright 1980 the Author - The University is continuing to endeavour to trace the copyright owner(s) and in the meantime this item has been reproduced here in good faith. We would be pleased to hear from the copyright owner(s).
Additional Information:	Thesis (M.Ed.)--University of Tasmania, 1981. Bibliography: l. 103-122
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