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Reading profiles for adults with low-literacy: cluster analysis with power and speeded measures

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Abstract

The United States’ National Institute for Literacy’s (NIFL) review of adult literacy instruction research recommended adult education (AE) programs assess underlying reading abilities in order to plan appropriate instruction for low-literacy learners. This study developed adult reading ability groups using measures from power tests and speeded tests of phonemic decoding, word recognition, fluency, and comprehension. A multiple cluster analysis of these reading ability scores from 295 low-literacy AE participants yielded seven reading ability groups. These groups are described in terms of instructional needs relevant to an instructor’s planning and activities.

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Abbreviations

ABE:

Adult Basic Education

AE:

Adult Education

ASE:

Adult Secondary Education

CASAS:

Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment System

NIFL:

National Institute for Literacy

NRS:

National Reporting System

QRI:

Qualitative Reading Inventory

TABE:

Test of Adult Basic Education

TOSWRF:

Test of Silent Word Reading Fluency

TOWRE:

Test of Word Reading Efficiency

USDE:

U.S. Department of Education

WRMT-R:

Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests-Revised

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Acknowledgements

This paper reports findings from a study funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institute for Literacy, and the U.S. Department of Education Office of Vocational and Adult Education (Award # RO 1 HD 43775).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Research on Learning, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA

    Daryl F. Mellard, Emily Fall & Caroline Mark

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  1. Daryl F. Mellard
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  2. Emily Fall
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  3. Caroline Mark
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Correspondence to Daryl F. Mellard.

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Mellard, D.F., Fall, E. & Mark, C. Reading profiles for adults with low-literacy: cluster analysis with power and speeded measures. Read Writ 22, 975–992 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-008-9136-8

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