Understanding Reading: Methods for Assessing Underlying Processes and Problems

Session Type: Symposium

Abstract

Improving reading outcomes in diverse democracies often relies on a clear understanding of underlying processes which may not be visible through traditional assessment methods. This is especially true when assessing students from diverse backgrounds, as they may possess a variety of strengths and weaknesses in their reading processes. Fortunately, education researchers are beginning to use new methods for examining reading in order to better understand silent reading fluency, patterns of mistakes made by poor comprehenders, and mind-wandering during reading. This symposium will include presentations from three research studies funded by the Institute of Education Sciences which use unique methods to examine underlying reading processes and problems: (1) eye tracking; (2) think alouds; and (3) electroencephalogram and reaction time.

Sub Unit

• Division C - Learning and Instruction / Division C - Section 1a: Literacy

Chair

• Rebecca Kang McGill-Wilkinson, Institute of Education Sciences

Papers

• Eye Movements in Oral and Silent Reading and Reading Proficiency for Beginning Readers - Young-Suk Kim, Florida State University; Yaacov Petscher, The Florida Center for Reading Research; Christian Vorstius, University of Wuppertal

• Using a New Reading Comprehension Assessment to Distinguish Among Diverse Subgroups of Intermediate-Grade Readers - Gina Biancarosa, University of Oregon; Sarah Elizabeth Carlson, University of Oregon; Ben Seipel, California State University, Chico; Mark L. Davison, University of Minnesota

• Covert Measures of Reading Comprehension and Mind-Wandering While Reading - Jonathan W Schooler, University of California - Santa Barbara; James Broadway, University of New Mexico; Claire M Zedelius, University of California - Santa Barbara