Results in Silent Versus Oral Reading.

Abstract

PSYCHOLOGY gave the results in silent and oral reading with one hundred and twelve sixthgrade pupils of the Cincinnati schools tested in May, 1914.The purpose was to find by which method pupils were able to reproduce the more points included in the "Alice in Wonderland" material read.If they read more lines silently than orally, would they not only reproduce more points, but would they be able to reproduce a greater per cent, of possible points covered?Six two-minute tests were given in each of the methods of reading.Without exception, each class (five) reproduced a greater percentage of possible points by the silent method.Seventy-one per cent, of the children taken separately did better by this method.In May, 1915 and 1916, the same tests were conducted with three hundred and forty pupils from the third to the tenth grade, the ninth not included.These tests were identical in every way with the above except that each of the six in 1915 and 1916 was for one minute instead of two as in the case of the one hundred and twelve sixth-grade pupils.Fifteen out of seventeen classes did better by the silent method of reading.Seventy per cent, of the children taken separately did better by this method.The results by grades are given in Table I.The last column shows the per cent, of points each pupil did better by the silent method of reading.