Reading and Language Commons^™

The Relationship Of An Ipad, A Video Magnifier, And Large Print Text With Oral Reading Outcomes For Children With Low Vision, Rosemary L. Nave Stawasz

Dissertations

Low vision may cause a decrease in visual performance and interfere with daily functioning, especially reading print or text materials. Reading standard text can be particularly challenging for students with low vision in an educational setting and can reduce oral reading rates. Students with low vision may use large print or low vision devices for reading. Limited evidence currently exists to compare oral reading outcomes across various reading media for children with low vision.

The purpose of this exploratory project was to examine oral reading rate, fluency, and comprehension among children with low vision when using an iPad, a video …

The Effects Of Decoding Instruction On Oral Reading Fluency For Older Students With Reading Delays, Gaige J. Johnson

Dissertations

Struggling older readers often have difficulty with early decoding skills (Tolman, 2005; Toste, Williams, & Capin, 2017). If they are unable to master decoding, they may have difficulty with more complex skills, such as passage reading fluency. The current study extends research on reading fluency for older students by evaluating the combined effects of a phonics procedure and a fluency-building strategy on their reading fluency. Participants were older students with below grade level reading performance who had deficits in oral reading fluency and decoding. Dependent variables were the number of correctly sorted word patterns and the number of correct words …

Acquisition Of Word Spellings And Meanings During Reading In Nonnative Chinese Speakers, Yang Liu

Dissertations

This dissertation explored the acquisition of word spellings (orthographic learning) and word meanings (incidental word learning) during reading in adult nonnative Chinese speakers. Two studies were designed for this dissertation. In Study One, 45 Chinese as a foreign language (CFL) learners at intermediate and advanced proficiency levels participated and completed a character learning experiment in a self-teaching paradigm. Results indicate that CFL learners were able to use the phonetic regularity and semantic transparency of radicals to learn the spellings and pronunciations of new characters after limited exposures to the characters in a story context. In Study Two, 72 CFL learners …

Legal Discourse, Conceptual Metaphors, And Basic Writing Programming: A Study Of Ayers V. Fordice, Joyce Olewski Inman

Dissertations

In what ways does legal discourse influence our perceptions of students labeled as basic writers and these students’ perceptions of themselves? How does standards-based discourse affect student writers’ abilities to define themselves in academe? This dissertation involves an examination of legal and public discourse surrounding Ayers v. Fordice, one of the most prominent desegregation cases in higher education, in an attempt to answer these questions. Its intent is to explore how conceptual metaphors prevalent in these discourses affect our understandings of basic writing programming in the state of Mississippi but also in the field of composition more globally.

My …

Metacognitive Awareness And Strategy Use In Academic English Reading Among Adult English As A Second Language (Esl) Students, Yuko Iwai

Dissertations

This mixed method research study explored the role of metacognitive awareness in reading among adult English as a Second Language (ESL) students of various academic levels enrolled in a university in the southeastern part of the United States of America while engaged in academic reading. In addition, this study examined metacognitive reading strategies employed by those students.

In the quantitative portion of the study, 98 students responded to the Survey of Reading Strategies (SORS) instrument and a background information questionnaire. The SORS measured metacognitive awareness and use of reading strategies. In the qualitative portion of the study, six students (two …

"The Anchor Of The Soul That Enters Within The Veil": The Ascension Of The "Son" In The Letter To The Hebrews, Felix H. Cortez

Dissertations

Problem
This dissertation studies the nature of Jesus’ ascension to heaven and its role in the argument of Hebrews.

Method
The study consists of an analysis of those passages in which Jesus’ ascension is referred to directly (Heb 1:6; 4:14-16; 6:19-20; 9:11-14, 24; 10:19-22) and a study of the imagery Hebrews uses to couch its theology, giving special attention to the role of this imagery in the progression of the argument. The study is both exegetical and theological in nature, seeking to provide an analysis of specific passages as well as systematization of their import.

Results
The six passages that …

The Heavenly Sanctuary/Temple Motif In The Hebrew Bible : Function And Relationship To The Earthly Counterparts, Elias Brasil De Souza

Dissertations

The present dissertation investigates the function of the heavenly sanctuary/temple and its relationship to the earthly counterparts, as reflected in forty-three passages of Hebrew Bible.

Following an introductory chapter, the second chapter of this dissertation is devoted to a survey of the heavenly sanctuary/temple motif in the ANE literature, as represented by Sumerian, Akkadian, Hittite, Ugaritic, and Egyptian texts. The investigation of these texts reveals that the heavenly sanctuary/temple motif was part of the worldview of the ANE, where the heavenly sanctuary was not only assumed as existing in heaven, but also as functioning in close relationship to the earthly …

The Name Israel And Related Expressions In The Books Of Amos And Hosea, Ganoune Diop

Dissertations

This study provides an investigation of the occurrences of the designation "Israel," the related names "Judah," "Jacob," "Joseph," "Isaac," "David," "Ephraim," and their combinations in the books of Amos and Hosea in order to find out their referents and the reasons for their usages. Chapter 1 provides a statement of the problem, pointing out the considerable divergence of opinions regarding the etymology, origin, and usage of the designation "Israel." Chapter 2 begins with a review of etymological and historical points of view in order to provide a background for the study. Then follows a review of the literature that addresses …

Ecclesiology In Dialogue : A Critique Of The Understanding Of The Nature Of The Church In The Thought Of G. C. Berkouwer, Bruce Norman

Dissertations

This dissertation deals with the concept of the nature of the church in the thought of G. C. Berkouwer as indicated in the following chapter sketches. Chapter 1 briefly outlines the historical and theological development of thought about the nature of the church, her function, and the interrelationship of the two. The most revelant elements of the church's nature are identified, described, and analyzed in both Roman Catholic and Reformed thought. Chapter 2 presents biographical, methodological, and theological backgrounds of Berkouwer. These provide the framework within which one must understand Berkouwer's view of the nature of the church. Chapter 3 …

A Study Of Hemispheric Preference As It Relates To Reading And Recalling Nonsense Words From A Card Reader, Charlotte V. Groff

Dissertations

Problem. Information was not found in the literature concerning whether an individual, beginning reader or problem reader, consistently recalled a greater percentage of nonsense words attempted from a card reader with the right ear and right visual field (a Left Hemisphere Method), or with the left ear and left visual field (a Right Hemisphere Method), and whether one of these two methods achieved better results than using both eyes and both ears (the Both Hemispheres Method).

Method. This pilot study employed case study/clinical, formative methodology with eighteen boys and nine girls, ages 6-12 in preschool through grade four. The probability …