Date of Award

1985

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Psychology

Abstract

A study to investigate the effects of early reading ability, IQ, gender, and socioeconomic status on the use of higher level thinking skills in response to literature was conducted with 60 first-grade children. Thirty children reading at 2.5 grade equivalency or above as measured on the Metropolitan Achievement Tests Primer Form JS upon entrance to first grade were paired with 30 non-early readers on gender, IQ, and chronological age. A Thinking Skills Response Form, consisting of six questions formulated based on Bloom's Taxonomy at one of the three higher levels (analysis, synthesis, or evaluation), was developed using two children's books. Each of the 60 children was tested individually. Statistical analysis included four t-tests for independent data. A significant difference between early readers' use of higher level thinking skills in response to literature and non-early readers' use of higher level thinking skills in response to literature was determined. A significant difference between children of high socioeconomic status and children of low socioeconomic status in the use of higher level thinking skills was determined. There was no significant difference between children of high IQ as defined for the study and children of low IQ as defined for the study in the use of higher level thinking skills. Differences between boys' and girls' use of higher level thinking skills were nonsignificant. The conclusions based on statistical analysis of the data from this study were: (1) Children who learn to read prior to reading instruction in school were able to respond to the stimulus stories with higher level thinking responses significantly more often than children who were non-early readers. (2) Children of high socioeconomic status demonstrated the ability to respond to the stimulus stories with higher level thinking responses significantly more often than children from low socioeconomic status. (3) The use of higher level thinking skills in response to literature was not related to IQ. (4) Girls and boys did not differ significantly in ability to use higher level thinking skills in response to literature. It was concluded from the study that a significant relationship between early reading and the use of higher level thinking skills in response to literature exists. (Abstract shortened with permission of author.)

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