Cooperative Study of Reading 



33 



Table V presents the average rates in silent reading in 

 each grade above the first for Groups I, II, and III. The 

 facts of the table are presented in graphical form in Diagram 

 7. The diagram shows that Group I ranks lowest in rate of 

 silent reading, Group II ranks second, and Group III ranks 

 highest. It is generally recognized that the schools of larger 

 cities are more amply provided with appropriate reading ma- 

 terial than are the smaller cities and towns. Hence it is in 

 harmony with natural expectation for the larger cities to rank 

 highest. Furthermore, the fact that the larger cities rank 

 only second in oral reading achievement indicates that rela- 

 tively less time is given to oral reading and relatively more 

 time to silent reading than is given in smaller cities and towns. 

 The results of the study of rate of silent reading should sug- 

 gest to each city the need of studying carefully the emphasis 

 which it gives to this phase of reading and the opportunity 

 which it provides for quantitative reading of appropriate se- 

 lections. 



In order to determine the quality of a pupil's reading the 

 reproductions and the answers to questions were scored as 

 follows : All wrong statements, all irrelevant statements, and 

 all repetitions were checked from the pupil's reproduction and 

 the remaining words counted. The percentage of the entire 

 selection that these words formed was adopted as the repro- 

 duction score. For each question answered correctly a grade 

 of ten points was given. The average of the reproduction 

 grade and the grade received for correct answers was then 

 found. This average grade was adopted as the quality score 

 for silent reading. The average quality scores for fifteen 

 cities of Indiana are presented in Table VI. 



Diagram 8 presents in graphical form the average quality 

 scores for Indiana, Grand Rapids, St. Louis, Northern Illinois, 

 and Thirteen Cities. The diagram shows that the cities of 

 Indiana rank low in the comprehension of what is read. In 

 this connection it should be stated that the scores for the inter- 

 mediate grades are no lower than those for Grand Rapids. 

 In order to compare favorably with the average for Thirteen 

 Cities and with St. Louis it will be necessary for the cities 

 of Indiana to give more effective emphasis to the content of 

 what is read. 



Diagrams 9 and 10 present the records for a number of 



