Assessing Early Grade Reading: The Value and Limits of "Words per Minute"

Autor/inn/en	Graham, Barbara Elaine; van Ginkel, Agatha J.
Titel	Assessing Early Grade Reading: The Value and Limits of "Words per Minute"
Quelle	In: Language, Culture and Curriculum, 27 (2014) 3, S.244-259 (16 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0790-8318
DOI	10.1080/07908318.2014.946043
Schlagwörter	Elementary School Students; Statistical Analysis; African Languages; Reading Comprehension; Scores; Correlation; English; Indo European Languages; Benchmarking; Educational Quality; Contrastive Linguistics; Reading Rate; Native Language; Literacy; Reading Tests; Language Minorities; Language Attitudes; Foreign Countries; Kenya; Netherlands; United Kingdom (England) + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Statistische Analyse; Africa; Language; Languages; Afrika; Sprachen; Afrikanische Sprache; Leseverstehen; Korrelation; English language; Englisch; Indoeuropäisch; Quality of education; Bildungsqualität; Linguistics; Kontrastive Linguistik; Reading readiness; Reading speed; Lesegeschwindigkeit; Alphabetisierung; Schreib- und Lesefähigkeit; Lesetest; Sprachminderheit; Sprachverhalten; Ausland; Kenia; Niederlande
Abstract	Primary school enrolment in low-income countries has increased in recent years. The quality of education is, however, still a cause for concern. Better measurement of early reading progress has been suggested as a means of improving education quality. Benchmarks based on the number of 'words per minute' (WPM) students are able to read correctly have been proposed as a basis for assessment and comparison, even where languages and orthographies differ. This paper explores the extent to which WPM benchmarks, based mainly on research with native English speakers, are appropriate for cross-language comparisons. A quantitative study of early grade reading in two European (English and Dutch) and two African languages (Sabaot and Pokomo) analysed WPM and comprehension scores of over 300 children in three countries. Results indicate that similar comprehension scores were associated with diverse WPM rates. This suggests that WPM is not a reliable comparative measure of reading development since linguistic and orthographic features can differ considerably and are likely to influence the reading acquisition process. We argue that a good understanding of the languages of literacy (L1 and/or other) and their effects on reading acquisition are essential to the quest for quality education. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10