Oral reading, silent reading, and listening comprehension: A comparative study

Abstract

Comprehension is achieved through three different modes of reception — oral reading, silent reading, and listening. The relative effectiveness of each of the three modes has been examined, but has yielded conflicting results due to intersubject variation and difference in degree of reading materials. The purpose of this study was to use a research design which eliminated those two sources of error as they affect a comparison of the three modes of reception — oral reading, silent reading, listening on comprehension. Forty-five third-grade students were selected. The pupils read orally, read silently, and listened to selections taken from the Gates-MacGinitie Reading Comprehension Test-Primary C, Form 2. An Analysis of Variance using a Latin Square Design with repeated measures was used. Results indicated that there was a significant difference between the three modes of reception with oral reading significantly more effective than silent reading in comprehending material. © 1978, SAGE Publications. All rights reserved.