The relationship between reading difficulties and academic perfomance among a group of foundation phase laerners who have been: identified as experiencing difficulty with reading and referred for reading remediation
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Date
2005
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Abstract
Reading is generally considered to be a critical skill, both within and beyond the walls of the classroom. Its importance for academic success within a school is unlikely to be contested by many people. Reading is well-integrated into our education system generally, such that educational or academic success is almost synonymous with reading success. With this in mind, the purpose of this research was to examine the relationship between reading difficulties and academic performance. To this end a group of Foundation Phase learners were selected on the basis of having an already identified reading difficulty. Using data from their school academic progress reports and from a scholastic assessment carried out by an educational psychologist, correlations were calculated between the learners' reading ability and academic performance. The research findings showed no significant correlation. These results were not in line with the general opinion supported by the literature, in that the children's reading difficulties did not appear to be impacting negatively on their academic potential. Various factors are discussed as possible explanations for this phenomenon.
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Submitted in part fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of M Ed (Ed. Psych) in the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Zululand, 2005.
Keywords
Reading difficulties, Academic performance