Abstract of

A Comparison of the Factors Affecting Reading Performance of Functionally Illiterate Adults and Children Matched by Reading Level

Amanda C. Thompkins

Katherine S. Binder

We examined the relations among phonological awareness, short-term memory, orthographic ability, contextual information, and reading skill in a study of 60 functionally illiterate adults enrolled in Adult Basic Education programs. Using a multiple regression analysis, the results indicated that phonological awareness, orthographic ability, and context each accounted for a unique portion of the variance in reading skill. To compare the relative strengths and weaknesses of these adult readers to children, we tested 99 children and matched them to the adults on reading level. We then divided the adults and children into more and less skilled readers. Although the more skilled readers out-performed the less skilled readers on most of the tasks, tasks that relied on general world knowledge or experience tended to favor the adult readers. Adults seem to be relying less on phonological decoding, which is an area of weakness for them, and more on remembering specific words and patterns, which is an area of relative strength.

Abstract from Thompkins, A.C., & Binder, K.S. (2003). A Comparison of the Factors Affecting Reading Performance of Functionally Illiterate Adults and Children Matched by Reading Level. Reading Research Quarterly, 38(2), 236–258. doi: 10.1598/RRQ.38.2.4