cover image: A VOLUNTARY PREKINDERGARTEN LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT AND READING PROGRAM FOR THE ENTIRE FOUR-YEAR-OLD POPULATION OF A CITY (AN INVESTIGATION OF MACHINE-TAUGHT READING). FINAL REPORT.

A VOLUNTARY PREKINDERGARTEN LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT AND READING PROGRAM FOR THE ENTIRE FOUR-YEAR-OLD POPULATION OF A CITY (AN INVESTIGATION OF MACHINE-TAUGHT READING). FINAL REPORT.

FOUR STUDIES CONDUCTED BY THE MOUNT VERNON PUBLIC SCHOOLS OVER A PERIOD OF FIVE SEMESTERS INVOLVED MACHINE-TEACHING READING TO 240 DISADVANTAGED PREKINDERGARTEN CHILDREN FROM THE CHILDREN'S CENTER AND THE CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTER TO PREPARE THEM FOR MORE SUCCESSFUL KINDERGARTEN LEARNING THROUGH ACADEMICALLY-ORIENTED READINESS ACTIVITIES IN AN AMERICAN MONTESSORI CLASSROOM SETTING. THE CHILDREN'S CENTER SUBJECTS ATTENDED 1-HOUR SESSIONS WHILE THE CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTER SUBJECTS ATTENDED 3-HOUR SESSIONS. EXPERIMENTAL GROUPS FROM BOTH CENTERS USED THE EDISON-RESPONSIVE- ENVIRONMENT TALKING TYPEWRITER AND THE STORY-TELLING-AUTOMATIC READING TUTOR MACHINES WITH PROGRAMS WHICH UTILIZED LINGUISTIC VOWEL-SOUNDS METHODS. THE CONTROL GROUPS USED THE SAME MACHINES BUT DID NOT RECEIVE PROGRAM TRAINING. RESULTS SHOWED SUPERIOR PERFORMANCE BY THE PROGRAM SUBJECTS, BUT THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN THE PERFORMANCE OF PROGRAM SUBJECTS USING DIFFERENT TEACHING MACHINES. THE 1-HOUR SESSION PROVED TO BE AS EFFECTIVE AS THE 3-HOUR SESSION. THESE RESULTS IMPLY THAT GREATER CONSIDERATION SHOULD BE GIVEN TO MORE ECONOMICAL PROGRAM SYSTEMS AND THAT CLASS TIME COULD BE REDUCED BY HALF WITHOUT LOSS IN LEARNING. (AUTHOR/NS)

Authors

BENDER, MARTIN L.

Authorizing Institution
Mount Vernon Public Schools, NY.
Peer Reviewed
F
Published in
United States of America

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