Reading and Spelling Skills in Adults of Low Literacy

Abstract

We tested the basic reading and spelling skills of50 men of low literacy, from prisons. We describe in detail their skills in decoding and encoding, performance IQ and short-term memory, judgments of phonetic similarities, and segmentation, all measured with multiple tasks. Compared with children at the same grade levels in reading, the men performed better on some tasks but worse on those that required a knowledge of sound-spelling correspondences, on which they resembled children who are poor readers. The men in this sample were surprisingly uniform in lacking segmentation and decoding skills. Our measures of segmentation turned out to be of two types, one of which is closely related to the ability to read and spell new words. PurposesThe purposes of our study were • To describe accurately and in greater detail than previous studies the basic skills of adults who are poor readers and spellers; in particular, we have focused on wordlevel skills often called "decoding" and "encoding."RASE 6(6), 43-52 (1985) 074l-9325/85/0066-0043$2.00 © PRO-ED Inc. 43

Are phonological processes the same or different in low literacy adults and children with or without reading disabilities?

“…Previous studies of English LLA using a reading level match design have revealed phonemic deficits irrespective of the task used to assess phonemic awareness (Greenberg et al, 1997;Read & Ruyter, 1985;Thompkins & Binder, 2003). Our finding is particularly significant, as it indicates that LLA learning to read consistent orthographies also exhibit the same difficulties in PA displayed by English-speaking LLA.…”

“…English previous studies using reading-matched controls have shown that LLA have more difficulty in solving PA tasks and the reading of non-words than do nondisabled children reading at grade level (Greenberg et al, 1997;Read & Ruyter, 1985;Thompkins & Binder, 2003). For instance, Greenberg et al (1997) examined whether word reading processes operate similarly in English adult literacy (AL) students and elementary school students matched for reading level.…”

“…As to the difficulties in reading or spelling, 20% reported that learning to read is difficult, 72% reported difficulty with spelling, and 7% reported difficulty with both areas. No intelligence measure was used because it has been demonstrated that adults may remain poor readers despite general cognitive maturity, experience with written language, and adequate general intelligence (e.g., Read & Ruyter, 1985).…”

The use of phonological, orthographic, and contextual information during reading: a comparison of adults who are learning to read and skilled adult readers

“…For example, Blalock (1981) observed that ABE readers could read many words in context that they could not read in isolation. Furthermore, Read and Ruyter's (1985) adult literacy participants' comprehension scores over-predicted their decoding skills, suggesting that they were able to use context to effectively mask their deficits in word decoding.…”

Language Basis of Reading Disabilities and Implications for Early Identification and Remediation

“…Because of the abstract nature of phonology, instruction and practice in an alphabetic orthography leads to a more explicit awareness of phonemes (Morais, Bertelson, Cary, & Alegria, 1986, Morais, Cary, Alegria, & Bertelson, 1979Read & Ruyter, 1985). Thus, children with RD might also be expected to have some deficits in phonological awareness as a result of their poor reading abilities.…”