Dissertations and Theses @ UNI
Availability
Open Access Thesis
Keywords
Piaget, Jean, --1896-1980; Piaget, Jean, --1896-1980; Reading--Ability testing; Reading readiness;
Abstract
This study examined the relationship between reading and Piagetian conservation ability. It was hypothesized that conservation ability would be significantly related to reading achievement and an addition of a conservation measure to a reading readiness measure would significantly improve prediction of reading achievement.
Forty first and second grade children from a northeast Iowa, middle class, urban school district were involved in this study. They were administered conservation tasks from the Concept Assessment Kit-Conservation during the fall of 1977. In the spring of 1978 Ginn reading mastery scores were obtained and Clymer-Barrett reading readiness test scores were gathered from the school records. Reading mastery scores were converted to a point scale for purposes of statistical analysis.
Results indicate that a significant correlation (.45) exists between conservation task performance and reading achievement. Addition of conservation scores to readiness scores significantly improves reading achievement prediction (.61 to .66). A correlation of .36 was found between conservation scores and reading readiness scores.
Findings indicate early reading achievement correlates higher with conservation than later reading achievement. There are also differences between boys and girls in conservation performance and predictive powers of conservation tasks by sex.
Qualitative response differences were also observed among conservers, transitionals, and non-conservers which appear indirectly to affect readiness for reading.
A multi-variable approach to prediction was found to be most useful. The interaction of variables was seen as crucial for accurate reading prediction and diagnosis of reading difficulties. An addition of a conservation score will give the classroom teacher more diagnostic information and a greater understanding of the child's level of thinking as it relates to reading.
Year of Submission
1979
Degree Name
Specialist in Education
Department
Department of Educational Psychology, Foundations, and Leadership Studies
Department
Department of Educational Psychology and Foundations
First Advisor
Barry J. Wilson
Date Original
1979
Object Description
1 PDF file (61 pages)
Copyright
©1979 Jane Moser Bowlus
Language
en
Recommended Citation
Bowlus, Jann Moser, "Prediction of Reading Achievement Using Conservation Performance" (1979). Dissertations and Theses @ UNI. 1500.
https://scholarworks.uni.edu/etd/1500
Comments
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