ERIC Number: EJ683132
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2004-Apr-1
Pages: 31
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1088-8438
EISSN: N/A
Variability in Text Features in Six Grade 1 Basal Reading Programs
Foorman, Barbara R.; Francis, David J.; Davidson, Kevin C.; Harm, Michael W.; Griffin, Jennifer
Scientific Studies of Reading, v8 n2 p167-197 Apr 2004
California and Texas mandate 75% to 80% decodable texts for first-grade reading programs, yet these percentages have no empirical base. This study examines the text selections in 6 first-grade programs from the perspective of lexical, semantic, and syntactic features. The composition of text differed across the 6 programs with respect to length, grammatical complexity, the number of unique and total words, repetition of words, and coverage of important vocabulary. Potential decoding accuracy rates, as computed by a relational database program created for this project, varied widely across the 6 programs and often depended heavily on holistically taught words. Moreover, the majority of words appeared only once in each 6-week instructional block across the year. Implications are discussed for (a) learning to read from basals, (b) design of basal reading programs, and (c) future research.
Descriptors: Grade 1, Semantics, Reading Programs, Basal Reading, Beginning Reading, Decoding (Reading), Elementary School Students
Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc., Journal Subscription Department, 10 Industrial Avenue, Mahwah, NJ 07430-2262. Tel: 800-926-6579 (Toll Free); e-mail: journals@erlbaum.com.
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Grade 1
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A