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Parent Concern About Children's Reading
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Abstract:
This dissertation used mixed methods to explore the phenomenon of parent concern about children’s reading. In Study 1, an existing database was used to consider the value of parent concern as a predictor of, and screening measure for, word-level reading difficulties. Parents of grade 2 children (N = 294) responded to the question “Have you ever been concerned about this child’s ability to learn to read?” and their children completed a timed test of word-level reading skills and a test of sentence memory. A subgroup of children (n = 91) received additional reading-related tests, including tests of phonological awareness, rapid naming, language, memory, and verbal IQ. In the overall sample, 23% of parents responded affirmatively to the parent concern question. Parent concern was a significant predictor of reading skill, and, for some outcomes, added value beyond the other reading-related predictors. It identified children with word-level reading difficulties with acceptable specificity but not always with adequate sensitivity. When parents appeared inaccurate, this corresponded with variation in children’s reading-related skills, as well as their time of birth relative to the school year. Study 2 elaborated on these results by asking a new group of 70 parents the same question. Eleven of 17 concerned parents who met study criteria were interviewed and their children received a battery of reading and reading-related tests. Similar to the results of Study 1, parent concern was reliably accompanied by reading and/or reading-related difficulties. Factors that appeared to influence parent concern included feedback from others, comparisons parents made (between the child and others, their own development, and standards), and children’s emotions and behaviours. Parents doubted their concern and were uncertain about what constituted normal reading development. However, they reported many signs of reading difficulty, including poor word reading, reading fluency, comprehension, spelling, and writing, as well as difficulties with work completion, lack of interest in reading independently or reading challenging material, and negative emotions related to reading. The results from both studies are discussed and practical implications are provided. Overall, this dissertation provides support for the value of parent concern in identifying children with reading difficulties. ; Ph.D. ; 2020-11-16 00:00:00
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Keyword:
0525; early identification; literacy; parent concern; reading difficulties; school psychology; screening
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URL: http://hdl.handle.net/1807/102869
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