Investigation of Normal Readers' Progress Through the Developmental Stages of Reading Words that Do Not Follow Strict Letter/Sound Correspondences

Master's Degree Thesis, 2001

The purpose of this study was to assess whether the performance of normally progressing readers would support the hierarchical scaling of decoding features as presented in five levels of lists used to assess reading progress at the Tennessee Center for Dyslexia. Mean scores and percent of student mastery at each level were consistent with a developmental hierarchy. Internal consistency for all lists was strong (Cronbach's alpha coefficients). Scores on each list and on each item were also used to assess internal consistency and to analyze the appropriateness of individual items. Item analyses included the item difficulty index (p-value), the item discrimination index (d-value), and item-test correlations. Results of the item analyses indicated that the ordering of the lists does represent a developmental hierarchy. However, further evaluation of specific items on the first four lists is suggested to enhance discrimination power across grade levels.