Abstract
Almost half of American adults struggle with reading but there is a dearth of reading-related assessments for these adults. In turn, researchers and practitioners use assessments designed for children with these adults. This study examined the psychometric and descriptive attributes of the Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing (CTOPP) Elision and Blending Words subtests with struggling adult readers. The sample included 207 native English speaking adults reading between the third- and fifth-grade levels. Analyses included comparisons of struggling adult readers to the CTOPP norm group. Results revealed lower overall performance and reliability and validity for struggling adult readers compared to the norm group. In addition, analyses included comparisons of performance, reliability, and validity within the group of struggling adult readers by age. The older adults had lower overall performance as well as more questionable reliability and validity. This study raises concern about administering and interpreting Elision and Blending Words subtests with struggling adult readers.
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Acknowledgments
This paper represents part of a larger study that was supported by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the National Institute for Literacy, and the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Vocational and Adult Education—grant # R01 HD43801.
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Nanda, A.O., Greenberg, D. & Morris, R.D. Reliability and validity of the CTOPP Elision and Blending Words subtests for struggling adult readers. Read Writ 27, 1603–1618 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-014-9509-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-014-9509-0