Computer-assisted assessment of reading comprehension with Hispanic fourth grade pupils

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of language and academic competency as mediators of Hispanic pupils' reading behavior and perception. Separate groups of Hispanic fourth grade pupils with differing English and Spanish oral language and academic status (achieving and at-risk) were used in two separate experiments. Language categorizations were based on the school district's classification and a commonly used oral language assessment instrument used in Texas. Academic standing was determined by overall grade point average and confirmed by teacher and administration input. The computer-assisted reading assessment involved the programed presentations of two separate stories. One story was presented in English and the other was presented in Spanish. Story line times, reading lookback behaviors and allocated attention data were computer measured and recorded. Comprehension scores and pupil perception responses were also recorded into the computer. Descriptive, General Linear Model, and correlational analyses were conducted to examine the data. Results indicated that these fourth grade Hispanic readers' academic standing and the language of the text affected their reading behavior. The comprehension scores were significantly higher for the English stories than for the Spanish stories for all groups. The achieving groups scored higher on the English text than the Spanish text without regard to their primary language. Reading skills of the academically achieving pupils appeared to support the idea of language skill transference (Moll, 1983) in that skilled readers appeared to take longer and were more attentive when reading the second language as compared to the first language. This was evidenced in line time, allocated attention and comprehension. Finally, oral language did influence pupil perception as reported by the children. The children reported having more perceived ability in their primary language. Perceived ability/inability that could eventually affect pupil performance in terms of motivation and efforts toward expectation. In sum, the study indicated that while oral language does not affect reading behavior, it does affect perception. Academic standing and the language of the story appear to be the primary factors that impact reading behavior