Date of Award
Fall 1976
Document Type
Dissertation - Restricted
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Education
First Advisor
Gillespie, Margaret
Second Advisor
Ivanoff, John
Third Advisor
Dupuis, A.
Abstract
This study attempted to demonstrate a feasible method of incorporating many accepted values of friendship and simple living into the public school's curriculum, Its aim was to approach education from a humanistic, organic view, perceiving the young student with a reading problem as a whole person. A seven-week school and camp program was devised which encompassed one week at a rural reading. camp, incorporating outdoor activities with diagnostic study and reading instruction followed by one similar weekend get-together. ·within the school setting, continued effort was made to maintain a close student-teacher relationship in working with these students in the developmental reading program Freshmen from New Berlin High School who had scored at the 36th percentile or below on the Iowa Silent Reading Tests, Level 1, Form E, Reading Power, which was administered to them in the eighth grade, were invited to participate in the program. Forty-six responded favorably. From these 46, an experimental and a control group of 20 each were randomly selected. The following three null hypotheses were tested: (1) There will be no significant differences in the reading achievement as measured by the Iowa Silent Reading Tests of a selected group of high school freshmen who participate in a short-term, reading-study program including one week arid a follow-up weekend of camp living as compared to the reading achievement of a selected group of high school freshmen who receive only regular classroom reading instruction. (2) There will be no significant differences in self-concept as measured by the Piers-Harris Self-Concept Scale of a selected group of high school freshmen who participate in a short-term, reading-study program including one week and a follow-up weekend of camp living as compared to the self-concept of a selected group of high school freshmen who receive only regular classroom reading instruction. (3) There will be no significant differences in attitudes toward reading as measured by the Iowa Silent Reading Tests Reading Survey of a selected group of high school freshmen who participate in a short term, reading-study program including one week and a follow-up weekend of camp living as compared to the attitudes toward reading of a selected group of high school freshmen who receive only regular classroom reading instruction. The effect of the program on reading achievement was evaluated by post test only control group design, subjecting the Iowa Silent Reading Tests, Level 21 Form E, Reading Power, standard scores to an analysis of covariance with the selection instrument as covariate. The F-ratio derived, .072, was not significant (p:>.05), indicating that there was no significant difference found between the two groups in reading attainment.