The effect of verbal fluency training on word recognition skills of beginning readers.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of training readers in producing words under time, sound and contextual constraints and the resultant impact on reading test scores. The subjects were one hundred and five second grade students enrolled in four classrooms in a single elementary school in southcentral Alabama. A modified Solomon Four Group design provided controls for treatment and testing effects. Measures consisted of the Speaking Fluency Test and the Silent Reading Diagnostic Test (SRDT). It was predicted that students systematically trained in word and context fluency would improve their word recognition skills while control subjects using placebo activities would not. Children were trained in word fluency, context fluency, both word and context fluency or neither for 12 hours over 12 weeks. The theoretical rationale for the study maintained that: (1) Word recognition results from hypothesis-testing (Smith, D. E., 1976). (2) Hypothesis-testing requires that alternative solutions be available to be tested (Semmelroth, 1967). (3) The alternative solutions are generated by using the context and /or by using initial and final sounds of words (Smith, J. M., 1973). (a) If a word is generated by using the context, it is tested for correctness by using sound-symbol correspondence. (b) If a word is generated by using sound-symbol correspondence, it is tested for correctness by using context cues. Data analysis included analysis of variance, pairwise t-tests and student t-tests. While training in word fluency alone and context fluency alone produced gains in fluency, they had no effect on word recognition scores. However, children trained in both fluency skills showed a marked increase in word recognition scores. The control group and the context-only group showed small gains in word recognition. There were no effects attributable to race. It was concluded that: (1) Word fluency and context fluency are trainable skills. (2) Students trained in word fluency increase in word fluency only, and students trained in context fluency increase in context fluency only. (3) Skill in word fluency and context fluency together are necessary though not sufficient conditions for recognition of unknown words. That is, word fluency and context fluency appear to be components of the word recognition process.