SYSTEMATic PHONlCZSuSiGHT VGCABULARY BUlLDl'NC-s‘: COMPARED WITH A‘DD‘TIONAL DIRECTED READNNG IN A BASAL READER: TM RELATIVE EFFECYNENESS 6F YWO METWS GP WACHNG REMED‘AL READWG CLASSES This “61er Edpb‘ MIWIQ STATE UNIVERSWY gust-us Gardn'm‘ L‘x‘mtdnen:1 1952 James Au This is to certify that the thesis entitled SYSTEMATIC PHONICS-SIGHT VOCABULARY BUILDING COMPARED WITH ADDITIONAL DIRECTED READING IN A BASAL READER: THE RELATIVE EFFECTIVENESS OF TWO METHODS OF TEACHING REMEDIAL READING CLASSES presented by JAMES AUGUSTUS GARDNER LINDNER has been accepted towards fulfillment of the requirements for WW 62.8124sz Major professor Date W2— O~169 LIBRARY Michigan State University ‘. v—v' ABSTRACT SYSTEMATIC PHONICS-SIGHT VOCABULARY BUILDING COMPARED WITH ADDITIONAL DIRECTED READING IN A BASAL READER: THE RELATIVE EFFECTIVENESS OF TWO METHODS OF TEACHING REMEDIAL READING CLASSES by James A. G. Lindner The Problem Different methods for correcting reading difficulties are fre- quently proposed. When a method is prOposed, it is important to eval- uate its effectiveness experimentally. This study was the presentation of an original system compiled by the author, Systematic Phonics-Sight Vocabulary Building, and a comparison of this system with a commonly used procedure. It was predicted under the null hypothesis that if sub—potential readers received, as a supplement to directed reading instruction in a basal reader, SP-SVB or additional directed reading in a basal reader, they would experience the same mean growths in word recognition, sen— tence comprehension, paragraph comprehension, and total reading achieve- ment. Design and Procedure The study was conducted at the Belmont Elementary School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Six remedial classes that met every day were used. One 30-minute and one 45-minute class were designated as James A. G. Lindner control classes. Three 30-minute and one 45-minute class were designated as experimental classes. The control group received additional directed reading instruction, and the experimental group received §£;§!§, All classes were taught by the same teacher. The pupils participating were second and third-graders who were retarded in reading at least one year and had a mental age of at least six years and an IQ of at least eighty. Sixty-three children initially participated in the study, thirteen transferred from the school, and scores for the eight part-time pupils were not used in the results. The reading book level was determined by an individual informal reading inventory. To determine the amount of growth, Form 1 of the Gates Primary Reading Tests was given in October and Form 3 was given in June. The difference between the scores was considered the amount of growth. Mental age and IQ were determined by using the California Short-Form Test of Mental Maturity. Analyses of variance were carried out to determine if there was a significant interaction between the method used and the length of the reading period. In order to determine if the differences between the means of the 30-minute control group and the 30-minute experimental group were significant, t tests were carried out. A similar comparison was made between the 45-minute groups. Findings The 30-minute experimental group achieved higher means than the 30-minute control group. The 45-minute control group achieved higher means than the 45-minute experimental group. The 45-minute control group achieved higher means than the 30-minute control group. However, the 30-minute experimental group achieved higher means than the James A. G. Lindner 45-minute experimental group. The analyses of variance indicated significant interaction between time and method for sentence comprehension and total reading grade. The t tests indicated that the only differences that were significant at the 5% level were the differences, in favor of the experimental group, be- tween the 30-minute control group and the 30-minute experimental group in sentence comprehension and total reading achievement. Summary Due to several factors present in the design and the nature of the test results, the following conclusion was drawn: There is not sufficient evidence provided by the present study to positively determine if Systematic Phonics-Sight Vocabulary Building or additional reading instruction will produce the greater growth in reading achievement when used as a remedial technique in addition to directed reading in a basal reader. SYSTEMATIC PHONICS-SIGHT VOCABULARY BUILDING COMPARED WITH ADDITIONAL DIRECTED READING IN A BASAL READER: THE RELATIVE EFFECTIVENESS OF TWO METHODS OF TEACHING REMEDIAL READING CLASSES By JAMES AUGUSTUS GARDNER LINDNER A THESIS Submitted to Michigan State University in partial fulfillment of the'requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF EDUCATION College of Education 1962 k.) \W LN ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The writer is indebted to Miss Grace A. Taylor, who conducted the remedial reading classes, for her assistance throughout this study and to Mr. Bernard J. Keiser, principal of the school where the study was undertaken, for granting permission allowing the pupils to participate in the study. The writer is grateful to Dr. Charles A. Blackman, Chairman of the Guidance Committee, and to Dr. William K. Durr, director of the dissertation, for their guidance and stimulation. He is also grateful to Dr. John D. Krumboltz, Dr. Gordon L. Gray, and Dr. David Krathwohl who served on the Guidance Committee. The writer wishes to express thanks to Mr. Thurman Brown, Graduate Assistant, Department of Statistics, Michigan State University, for his assistance in the statistical analysis of the data. ii BIOGRAPHICAL SUMMARY I, James A. G. Lindner, was born July 19, 1933 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I attended the public schools in Philadelphia and graduated from high school in 1951 after having completed a college preparatory'curriculum. As an undergraduate, I attended The Pennsylvania State University majoring in Elementary Education with a specialty in the teaching of the mentally advanced. I received a Bachelor of Science degree in 1955. My master's program was also undertaken at The Pennsylvania State University. Some credits were transferred from‘Temple University. My major was Elementary Education, and my minor was Speech. During my first semester, I received an appointment as a graduate assistant. I received a Master of Education degree in 1956. I was admitted to a doctoral program at Michigan State University 'at the beginning of the spring term in 1958 following my release from military service. Credits have been transferred for this program from Temple University and the University of Pennsylvania. The credits were taken during the regular school year while I was employed as a teacher. I began teaching in Philadelphia in September of 1955. I taught for one year, was on military leave for two years, and returned to teaching for four more years. I have taught fourth, fifth, and sixth grades. In September of 1962, I began serving an appointment as Assistant iii Professor of Education at Morgan State College located in Baltimore, Maryland. iv TABLE OF ACKNOWLEDGMENTS . . . . . . . . . BIOGRAPHICAL SUMMARY . . . . . . LIST OF TABLES . . . . . . . . . LIST OF FIGURES . LIST‘OF‘APPENDICES Chapter I. THE PROBLEM . . . . . . . . Purpose of the Study Importance of Study . . . CONTENTS Overview of the teaching of reading . . . . . Overview of reading difficulties and their remediation . . Statement of Hypotheses . Definition of Terms . . II. REVIEW OF RELATED RESEARCH Phonics and Reading Achiev Effects of Teaching Phonic Vocabulary Building . Remediation Through Phonic Summary . . . . . . . . . III. DESIGN AND PROCEDURE . Location of Study . Formation of Classes . Measurements . . . . . Factors and Procedures Hel ement . 8 . d Constant . . . . . . . . Instructional Procedure of Control Classes . . . . . Instructional Procedure of Experimental Classes . . Method Control . . . Comparison of Experimental Plan for Treatment of Data IV. ANALYSIS OF RESULTS . and Control Procedures . Page ii iii vii . viii ix NNH 12 13 15 15 19 25 '7 I 29 31 31 31 34 36 37 50 51 53 55 Chapter Page V. CONCLUSIONS, IMPLICATIONS FOR FURTHER STUDY, A—ND SUMRY 0 0 0 0 O O O 0 O O O O O O O O 0 O 0 O I O O 6 6 Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Implications for Further Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 BIBLIOGRAPHY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 APPENDICES O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O 0 O O O 74 vi 10. 11. LIST OF TABLES Page Control and Experimental Group Means . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Means of the Differences Between Form 1 and Form 3 Scores . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Analysis of Variance--Significance of Interaction Between Method and Length of Reading Period as Reflected in Word Recognition Tests . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Analysis of Variance--Significance of Interaction Between Method and Length of Reading Period as Reflected in Sentence Reading Tests . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Analysis of Variance--Significance of Interaction Between Method and Length of Reading Period as Reflected in Paragraph Reading Tests . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Analysis of Variance--Significance of Interaction Between Method and Length of Reading Period as Reflected in Total Reading Grades . . . . . . . . . . . . 6O Significance of the Differences Between Means of the Differences Between Form 1 and Form 3 Scores . . . . . 64 Total Information and Raw Scores-- 30-Minute Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 Total Information and Raw Scores-- 45-Minute Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 Total Information and Raw Scores-- 30-Minute Experimental . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 Total Information and Raw Scores-- 45-Minute Experimental . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 vii Figure 1. 2. LIST OF FIGURES Comparison of experimental and control procedures . Key to Tables 8, 9, 10, & 11 . . . . viii Page 52 75 LIST OF APPENDICES Appendix Page A. Total Information and Raw Scores . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 B. Individual Informal Reading Inventory (Example) . . . . . . 80 C. §§;§V§_(Examp1es) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 ix CHAPTER I THE PROBLEM In many schools there is a great concern about the large number of children whose levels of reading achievement are below standardized norms. Different methods for correcting reading difficulties are fre- quently proposed. When a method is prOposed, it is important to evaluate its effectiveness experimentally. This study is the presentation of an original system compiled by the author, Systematic Phonics-Sight Vocabulary Building, and a com- parison of this system with another commonly used procedure. Purpose of the Study In some schools remedial reading classes are conducted in order to give additional instruction to children whose levels of reading achieve- ment are below their expected levels. This remedial instruction is given in addition to the reading the child receives in his regular classroom and is given with the intent of decreasing or eliminating the difference between the actual level of reading achievement and the ex- pected level of reading achievement. The purpose of this study was to determine if two different methods of remedial instruction given in addition to reading in basal readers in the regular classroom will produce the same amount of growth in reading achievement. Three areas of reading achievement were studied--word recognition, sentence comprehension, and paragraph comprehension. One 1 2 method is the Systematic Phonics-Sight Vocabulary Building method deve10ped by the author, and the other instructs through the use of an additional basal reader program. Importance of Study Overview of the teaching of reading Perhaps the most basic and important skill that formal education attempts to instill is reading. Not only is reading the key to the mastery of many other skills and forms of knowledge, but, without the ability to read, a person in our modern day society is seriously handi- capped in pursuing the normal, everyday routine of life. Without some skill in reading, an adequate level of formal education is difficult, higher levels are improbable, and the highest levels are impossible. An overview of the general area of reading will give a picture of the broad field in which remedial reading Operates and plays a part. Definitions of reading.--Of the many definitions offered, the following two seem to be the most comprehensive: Reading involves the recognition of printed or written symbols which serve as stimuli for the recall of meanings built up through the readers's past experience. New meanings are derived through manipulation of concepts already in his possession. The organiza- tion of these meanings is governed by the clearly defined purposes of the reader. In short, the reading process involves both the acquisition of the meanings intended by the writer and the reader's own contributions in the form of interpretation, evaluation, and reflections about these meanings.1 That is, the child may be said to have learned to read when he makes the physical, mental, and emotional responses to the printed word that he would make upon hearing the word spoken in an oral 1Guy L. Bond and Miles A. Tinker, Reading Difficulties: Their Diagnosis and Correction (New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, Inc., 1957), 19. 3 context identical with the printedone.1 Abilities basic to reading.--Regard1ess of the approach to reading used, each may be considered successful if it can effectively and efficiently deve10p the following abilities that are basic to reading:2 Perceiving the sounds of our language Associating meanings with words Grasping clues to meaning from syntax Identifying another's purpose or vieWpoint Identifying another's organization of ideas Forming sensory images Sensing emotions and moods Perceiving relationships expressed and implied Anticipating sequence of ideas, or outcome Evaluating ideas and making judgments Summarizing and organizing ideas Linking old and new learnings Adjusting to size and format of materials Associating sounds with printed words and parts of words Memory of word form Left to right visual progression Effective rhythm and rate Sensitivity to the function of punctuation Organizing ideas Forming sensory images Principles of teaching reading,--A successful reading program should be based on principles similar to those formulated by the schools of Columbia, Missouri:3 1. A child's progress in the mastery of reading has direct rela- tion to his physical, mental and emotional maturity; to the rich- ness or inadequacy of his background of experience; to his home influences and to the total learning situation at school. 2. An adequate program in reading takes into account all the 1Irving Anderson and Walter Dearborn, The Psychology of Teaching Reading (New York: The Ronald Press Company, 1952), 138-39. 2Helen M. Robinson, Marion Monroe and A. Sterl Artley, Guide- book: Fun with Our Friends, The New Basic Readers, Curriculum Founda- tions Series, Sheldon Basic Reading Series (Chicago: Scott, Foresman and Company, 1962), 9-10. 3Adalene Drew Hoke, Reading Instruction in Columbia Elementary Schools: A Resource Bulletin for Teachers (Columbia, Missouri: Columbia Public Schools, 1959), 12. 4 above factors and adjusts its course of study to meet the needs of the pupils. 3. Children deve10p at varying rates and each child has his own particular pattern of growth which cannot be altered;_therefore, all children cannot be taught the same thing at the same time. In- struction must be differentiated to meet individual differences. 4. Each room will have pupils at varying levels of deve10pment. No one course of study can be followed since some children are not capable of reading the prescribed work of the grade, while others ‘will need an enriched program. 5. Reading instruction should permeate all subject matter with every teacher being a teacher of reading. 6. Since learning to read is a continuous process, a develOp- mental plan of reading is followed in the Columbia Schools. It 'may be defined as a program that provides continuous progress in reading and is adjustable at all times to meet the needs of the individual. In order to ensure a continuity of materials and skills, the Individual Pupil Progress Record follows each child in Columbia Schools from kindergarten through grade six. 7. Reading readiness applies not only to the pre-reading period in kindergarten and first grade but as an approach to each unit of work in all grades. 8. The steps of the directed reading lesson should be known and followed by each teacher. 9. Every lesson should be a diagnostic lesson. The teacher should constantly be on the alert to discover difficulties and make pro- visions for re-teaching before these weaknesses become serious reme- dial problems. Prevention should be the keynote rather than remedia- tion. 10. Individual progress in reading is conditioned by the care- fully planned daily guidance of the teacher. 11. Since progress in reading depends to a large extent upon a well controlled growth in vocabulary and a sequence of reading -skills, it is felt to be desirable that basic readers be used. Supplementary books must also be made available for each reading level. Individual differences can be well met with such a plan. 12. As children's needs differ so do their interests. Material that interests one child may have little appeal for another. 13. Since reading is a thoughtful process, emphasis should be upon meaning. Recognition of symbols should be a means to an and rather than an end in itself. 14. Periodic appraisal of growth by standardized and informal 5 tests is needed to measure growth, to determine strengths, to correct weaknesses and to stimulate additional growth. 15. The reading program should have as its chief aim the whole deve10pment of the child. Overview of readingydifficulties and their remediation When it is discovered that a child's progress in reading has not reached its expected level, then, it is the duty of the school to remedy the causes of slow progress and attempt to bring the child up to his expected level. The school must also attempt to prevent a re- occurrence of the causes of slow progress lest they hinder the progress of subsequent pupils. Without these attempts, the school may right- fully be judged irreSponsible. Extent of reading retardation.--According to one estimate, be- tween ten to twenty-five per cent of the children completing elementary school are two or more grades retarded in reading achievement as measured by standardized tests.1 The concern is for the child who, as far as it can be determined, has the ability to achieve higher than his actual level of achievement. Causes of readingyretardation.--Nila singles out five of the major causes of reading retardation:2 ...a wrong start in grade one; advancement of the pupil from one reading level to the next higher level faster than his present ability and capacity permit; lack of adequate material; lack of systematic instruction throughout all grades; and last but not .least, faulty teaching. Additions to the above list include physical handicaps, 1Maurice Woolf and Jeanne Woolf, Remedial Reading: Teaching and Treatment (New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., 1957), 3. 2Sister Mary Nila, "Foundations of a Successful Reading Program," Education, LXXII (May, 1953), 545. 6 impoverished experiential backgrounds, intellectual deficiencies, emotional and social maladjustments, and prolonged or frequent absences from school. In its most comprehensive sense, the correction of reading dif- ficulties would include any-or all measures taken to remediate any or all of the above mentioned causes. The present study, however, is concerned with instruction in reading pg; 39 to increase the reading ability of the sub-potential reader. Classification of reading difficulties.--Reading difficulties may be manifested by the appearance of one or more of the traits listed in the following classification of reading difficulties:1 A. Deficiencies in basic comprehension abilities. . Limited meaning vocabulary. . Inability to read by thought units. . Insufficient sentence sense. . Lack of the sense of paragraph organization. . Failure to appreciate the author's organization. aulty word identification and recognition. Failure to use context and other meaning clues. . Ineffective visual analysis of words. .. Limited knowledge of visual, structural, and phonetic elements. 4. Lack of ability in auditory blending or visual synthesis. 5 Overanalytical. a. Analyzing known words. b. Breaking words into too many parts. c. Using letter by letter or spelling attack. 6. Insufficient sight vocabulary. 7. Excessive locational errors. a. Initial errors. b. Middle errors. c. Ending errors. C. InapprOpriate directional habits. l. Orientational confusions with words. 2. Transpositions among words. 3. Faulty eye movements. D. Poor oral reading. 1. InapprOpriate eye-voice span. 2. Lack of phrasing ability. 3. Unfortunate rate and timing. 1 2 3 .4 5 F l 2 3 1Bond and Tinker, 148. H 7 Emotionally tense oral reader. imited in special comprehension abilities. Inability to isolate and retain factual information. Poor reading to organize. Ineffective reading to evaluate. Insufficient ability in reading to interpret. Limited proficiency in reading to appreciate. eficiencies in basic study skills. Inability to use aids in locating materials to be read. Lack of efficiency in using basic reference material. Inadequacies in using maps, graphs, tables, and other visual materials. Limitations in techniques of organizing material read. eficient in ability to adapt to needs of content field. InapprOpriate application of comprehension abilities. Limited knowledge of Specialized vocabulary. Insufficient concept develOpment. Poor knowledge of symbols and abbreviations. Insufficient ability in the use of pictorial and tabular material. Difficulties with organization. Inability to adjust rate to suit the purposes and the difficulty of material. Deficiencies in rate of comprehension. oomuo‘mbwmw Inability to adjust rate. Insufficient sight vocabulary. Insufficient vocabulary knowledge and comprehension. Ineffectiveness in word recognition. Being an overanalytical reader. Insufficient use of context clues. Lack of phrasing. Using crutches. Unnecessary vocalization. Inappropriate purposes. While each of these is important and merits thoughtful attention, the one skill basic to all reading is effective word identification. The SP-SVB system concentrates on this facet of the complex reading process. Basic principles of a remedial reading program.--A remedial reading program should be based on the following principles:1 Remedial work is most effective when given individually; however, it can be given effectively to small groups, if individual needs are not overlooked in the group. 1Marion Monroe and Bertie Backus, Remedial Reading (Cambridge: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1937), 39-44. 8 Remedial work is most effective when given at a favorable time of day, at systematic, regular periods. Remedial reading requires a supply of interesting and varied reading materials suitable to the child's needs and reading level. ‘ Remedial reading requires the specific training of teachers for the work. The remedial reading program may be carried out by a specially trained remedial teacher or by regular teachers working with their poor readers under supervision. Arrangements for remedial reading instruction.--Remedial reading instruction is conducted under various arrangements. Sometimes the instruction is conducted in a reading clinic: "An institution Operated primarily to provide careful diagnosis of reading difficulties and intensive individual or small group teaching."1 Clinical treatment is usually recommended for severe sub-potential reading cases. At times, sub-potential readers are placed in small sized classes for a period of two to three hours a day and receive instruction not just in reading but in all phases of language arts. The pupils are all, approximately, on the same reading level. The pupils return to their regular classes for instruction in non-language arts subjects. In other instances, the sub-potential reader receives remedial reading instruction within a small class, located within his school, every day or several days each week. The periods are usually of a shorter duration than the periods mentioned above. Usually, in the case of the slightly sub- potential reader, the regular classroom teacher instructs him individ- ually or in a small group within the classroom. Often, a sub-potential reader is retained in the same grade for another year so that he can "get what he missed". Various emphases of remedial readinggprograms.--Partially reflected 1William Kottmeyer, Teacher's Guide for Remedial Readigg (St. Louis: Webster Publishing Company, 1959), 8. 9 in the above arrangements for instruction are the varying emphases of remedial instruction. An attempt may be made to enhance all language arts abilities in the belief that each strengthens the others and they can not be separated. The emphasis may be on the general area of reading alone because this is the area in which there are difficulties and the entire area must be treated since each phase supplements each other phase. The attempt may be to bolster a particular weak skill because progress cannot be made until the particular weakness is overcome, or to further develop a skill in which the child has facility in order to compensate for lack of facility in another skill. Of the two methods compared in this study, the basal reader method attempts to strengthen the general area of reading; and the SP-SVB method attempts to bolster a particular weak skill. Each method, however, has the same goal, an increase in the sight vocabulary of the child and an increase in his ability to comprehend ideas con- tained within sentences and paragraphs. Importance of study.--The importance of this study lies in deter- mining which of two methods, each representing a different point of emphasis, can better achieve growth in reading when used as a remedial technique. Also, this study is important in that it tests the validity of a newly developed method--Aystematic Phonics-Sight Vocabulary Building. l .Rationale for SP-SVB.--On what grounds can a rationale for SP-SVB be built? In the following chapter, "Review of Research", it will be shown that, according to the findings of most research, both the teaching of phonics and vocabulary building have a positive effect on reading achievement and that a lack of skill in the use of phonics and 10 a low sight vocabulary are associated with poor readers. The SP-SVB method attempts to combine the effects of both phonics and vocabulary building in an effort to raise the level of reading achievement of the sub-potential reader. In regard to theories of learning, SP-SVB is related to the. associative school of learning:1 Learning by association requires the presentation of the new stimulus simultaneously with the response to the old. In teaching reading, these conditions can be met by showing the word to the child and pronouncing it for him. After some repetition, the reaponse to the sound of the word will become associated with the sight of it. The oral stimulus can then be omitted, and the sight of the word alone will carry the reaponse or recognition. How is associative learning manifested when teaching by the SP-SVB method? In accordance with the above quotation, drills on word lists are an important part of the method. Other manifestations of associative learning are found in the SP-SVB method. One of these, the use of reviews throughout the method, has the purpose of aiding recall of the words which is essential to building a sight vocabulary. This is related to associative learning in that, according to this school of learning, "to make sure of recall, learning should include well-arranged reviews from time to time."2 Within the SP-SVB method, the structure of the words increase in length and complexity. Each step builds upon what was previously taught. These inherent aSpects of the method are related to two main ideas of associative learning:3 1Anderson and Dearborn, 139. 2Louis P. Thorpe and Allen M. Schmuller, Contemporary Theories of Learnigg: With Applications to Education and Psychology_(New-York: The Ronald Press Company, 1954), 160. 31bid., 137. ll .... (l) The emphasis upon a hierarchy of habits and (2) The con- cept of compound responses. Viewed in this light, instruction can be broadened so as to accomodate many habits. However, since different situations can be used to bring out these habits, in- struction should be logically arranged. Also related to associative learning is the presentation of words grouped according to similar letters or combinations of letters with the intent of teaching the sounds that the similar letters or similar combinations of letters represent. This practice is related to the associative belief that generalization aids transfer of learning and generalization is facilitated by having a large number of examples con- taining common elements which are recognized as following the same pattern or rule. If the comprehension of ideas is the goal of reading, what reasoning can be given for placing an emphasis on learning words? How can one expect to enhance a child's ability to comprehend ideas in reading by teaching a child to recognize in print words that already have meaning to him, to add these words to his sight vocabulary, to give meanings to new words, and to add these new words to his sight vocabulary? In answer to these questions, the words of Bond and Tinker are very apprOpriate:1 The acquisition of word meanings is fundamental to all compre- hension in reading. When word meanings are ample, precise, and rich, and when semantic variations are understood, adequate con- cepts are available for the pupil to draw upon in the thinking he must do in effective reading. Without satisfactory word mean- ings, comprehension of either spoken or printed language is impossible. Comprehension of sentences and paragraphs naturally require an understanding of the words in them. 1Bond and Tinker, 234. 12 Statement of Hypotheses Assumptions All important, controlable variables affecting growth in reading achievement are held constant except the method of instruction in the remedial classes. The measurements used are valid and reliable. The prescribed procedure for each method is followed. The prescribed methods are basically different. Hypotheses As a supplement to directed reading instruction in a basal reader, if the Systematic Phonics-Sigh; Vocabulary Building method is used to instruct sub-potential readers, there will be no difference between their mean growth in total reading achievement and the mean growth in total reading achievement of sub-potential readers who receive addi- tional directed reading instruction in a basal reader. As a supplement to directed reading instruction in a basal reader, if the Systematic Phonics-Sight Vocabulary Building method is used to instruct sub-potential readers, there will be no difference between their mean growth in word recognition and the mean growth in word recognition of sub-potential readers who receive additional directed reading instruction in a basal reader. As a supplement to directed reading instruction in a basal reader, if the Systematic Phonics-Sight Vocabulary Building'method is used to instruct sub-potential readers, there will be no difference between their mean growth in sentence comprehension and the mean growth in sentence comprehension of sub-potential readers who receive additional 13 directed reading instruction in a basal reader.