The Effect of Parents Using Structured Tutoring Techniques in Teaching Their Children to Read.

EDRS Price MF-$0.65 HC-33.29 Beginning Reading, *Grade 1, Individualized Instruction, *Kindergarten Children, Letters (Alphabet), *Parent Participation, *Phonics, Reading Programs, Reading Readiness, Reading Research, Reading Skills, *Tutorial Programs, Word Recognition A structured tutoring technique utilizing the services cf Farents ana high school students was devised. A study was carried out in Provo, Utah, with 10 children in each of six grolps--three kindergarten and three first-grade groups consisting of ore control grouc, one with parent tutors, and one with student tutors. The tutors were given a manual of instructions and received a limited amount of training in one session lasting 1 hours. The tutoring lasted for 6 weeks during which time the child was taught naming, sounding, and blending of specified letters. Pretesting and post-testing was done to obtain gain scores and the percentage of children who achieved the criterion in each skill practiced. In mean gain scores the difference between the control and the treatment groups as significant, but there was no significant difference between the two treatment groups. A significant difference was found between the tutored and non-tutored groups for the sounding of letters and blending letters into nonsense words, but not for naming letters. Tables and references are included. (DH) U. S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION I WELFAIM OFFICE OF EDUCATION THIS DOCUMENT HAS BEEN REPRODUCED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED FROM THE PERSON OR ORGANIZATION ;JRZGINATINS IT. POINTS OF VIEW OR OPINIONS STAID DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT OFFICIAL OFFICE JF EDUCATION POSITION OR POLICY. T9E EFFECT OF PARENTS USING STRUCTURED TUTORING 'TECHNIQUES 1N TEACHING THEIR CHILDREN TO READ Reba L. Keefe Brighwi Young University Grant V. Harrison Brigham Young University Presented at the America:' Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, New York Ctty, New York, February 3-7, 1971. STATEMENT OF PROBLEM At the primary grade 1:si one of the most difficult tasks children are required to master is reading. The process of reading is complex and consists of numerous sub-skills, any one of which can become a oajor stumbling block for a child. Many 'miters assume that identification skills are an important aspect of reading mastery. For example, in a summary of reading succ:Iss studies, Durrell (1958) indicates that: "Most reading eifficulties can be prevented by an instructional program which provides early instruction in letter names and sounds, followed by applied phonics and accompanied by suitable practice in meaningful sight vocabulary and aids to attentive silent reading" (p. 5). Each of these specified competencies (naming, sounding, blending, and sight words) requires drill and practice for acquisition, especially for the child who does no find reading easy. Because of the time restraints of classroom teachers it is not possible for the teacher to provide the kind of extensive individual drill and practice that a particular child may need. Consequently many children are lacking in the skill of decoding and blending sounds, as well as the other prerequisite skills. In one school in the area tested resently, thirty-five percent of a third grade classroom did not even know the sounds of the consonants, vowels, and digraphs. The rate of acquisition of basic reading competencies varies greatly with children, and it can be assumed that there will be in every classroom children who have not mastered basic skills. Cost restraints make it prohibitive to even consider having enough teachers to insure that children with problems will receive enough in-