- Reading ability is built upon a foundation of
language abilities both developed and expressed largely by
means of the oracy skills of auding and speaking. For this
reason, a much greater emphasis than has previously been
shown should be given to the development of:
- Methods for characterizing and assessing
oral language as a developing ability, and in relation to
reading skills development. For instance, an auding-reading
test battery would be useful in indexing discrepancies
between these skills, and in revealing the extent to which
reading problems reflect difficulties in decoding, languaging,
or conceptualizing.
- Methods for improving oral language skills
as foundation skills for reading. An oracy-to-literacy
sequence of training would seem desirable in teaching new
vocabulary and concepts to unskilled readers; it would
reduce the learning burden by not requiring the simultaneous
learning of both vocabulary and decoding.
- Both oracy and literacy language skills rely
upon conceptualizations formed from knowledge and stored
in memory. It is necessary, therefore, that an auder or
reader have an adequate, relevant knowledge base for comprehension
of printed or spoken messages to occur. This suggests that:
- There is a need for research to determine
how "old" knowledge is used to acquire "new" knowledge
by oracy and literacy skills, and to develop methods by
which a person can examine what he already knows and
manipulate this knowledge to either create new knowledge
or obtain new knowledge.
- There is a need for research and
development to ensure that students acquire the requisite
knowledge base needed to perform significant adult literacy
tasks. For instance, knowledge specific to a particular
occupational cluster might be taught, in addition to school
related academic literacy.
- Because high skill levels in reading presuppose
high skill levels in decoding and oral language, and a
broadly developed conceptual base, government agencies
sponsoring remedial literacy programs ought to be prepared
to offer support for programs of longer duration than they
currently do. The development of oral language skills and
broad bases of knowledge requires considerable practice,
drill, study, and time for assimilation and accommodation
processes to build adequate cognitive structures.
- Because many government and industry educational
programs are concerned with literacy training
which will improve a person's capacity to accomplish his
job and advance in his career, job-related literacy training
should be emphasized in such remedial literacy programs.
This will build the most immediately relevant knowledge
base. However, because learning the meanings of job-related
terminology and concepts, and the development of automaticity
in decoding job printed materials will require
considerable time, programs of literacy training of sufficient
duration, and with suitable job-related content, should be
conducted to promote fully developed job literacy skills.