The relationship between reading comprehension and intelligence factors for students with reading comprehension disabilities as measured by wechsler instruments

Date

2005-12

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Abstract

To understand what we do when we read is to understand the workings of the human mind. As Huey stated in 1908, there is a correlation between reading comprehension and intelligence. Reading is the fluent recognition of words and grasping of implied meaning by relating words and sentences to each other, the text, and the reader’s background intelligence. Intelligence, used when reading, is abstract reasoning, the capacity to acquire knowledge, and problem solving. For many students with disabilities in reading comprehension, reading is a difficult and frustrating process. Because students with reading comprehension disabilities have an extremely frustrating experience in school and life, educators, parents, and the public are concerned.

The area of reading learning disability has been widely researched in both the educational and medical arena. However, finding the significant method to create a more complete evaluation and a better intervention plan for the individual with a reading disability is not complete. If one is to improve current reading assessment and therefore instructional practice, increasing knowledge in reading disabilities by finding factors in the assessment of reading and intelligence that lead to successful reading is of utmost importance. Creation of advanced assessment techniques to improve evaluation for students with reading comprehension disabilities is not complete. Most reading research has grouped students with disabilities in basic reading skills and reading comprehension together. A need exists to analyze the relationship of reading comprehension and intelligence just for students with reading comprehension disabilities in order to determine the underlying intelligence areas related to reading comprehension.

The researcher asked the following questions. Is there a correlation between reading comprehension, as assessed by the WIAT-II Reading Comprehension (RC) subtest, and full-scale intelligence, as assessed by the WISC-IV Full Scale Intelligence Quotient (FSIQ), for students with reading comprehension disabilities? Is there a correlation between reading comprehension, as assessed by the WIAT-II Reading Comprehension (RC) subtest, and verbal comprehension, as assessed by the WISC-IV Verbal Comprehension Index (VCI), for students with reading comprehension disabilities? Is there a correlation between reading comprehension, as assessed by the WIAT-II Reading Comprehension (RC) Subtest, and working memory, as assessed by the WISC-IV Working Memory Index (WMI), for students with reading comprehension disabilities? Is there a correlation between reading comprehension, as assessed by the WIAT-II Reading Comprehension (RC) Subtest, and perceptual reasoning, as assessed by the WISC-IV Perceptual Reasoning Index (PRI), for students with reading comprehension disabilities? Is there a correlation between reading comprehension, as assessed by the WIAT-II Reading Comprehension (RC) Subtest, and processing speed, as assessed by the WISC-IV Processing Speed Index (PSI), for students with reading comprehension disabilities? Which area of intelligence, as measured by the WISC-IV intelligence indices, verbal comprehension working memory, perceptual reasoning, or processing speed is most highly correlated with reading comprehension, as measured by the WIAT-II Reading Comprehension (RC) subtest?

The methodology was a blind review of 83 test cards of a large school district in the southwestern United States by the researcher to determine the relationship between reading comprehension achievement, as measured by the Reading Comprehension subtest of the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test Second Edition (WIAT-II), and intelligence, as measured by the intelligence indices of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children Fourth Edition (WISC-IV), using correlation and hierarchical linear regression for students in third to sixth grade with reading comprehension disabilities. The implications of this study will hopefully encourage and enrich the work of educational professionals when diagnosing students with reading comprehension disabilities.

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Keywords

Comprehension, Wechsler, Elementary, Disability, Reading

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