Use of Context Cues in Reading by Socially Advantaged and Disadvantaged Children
Author(s)
Sahu, Shantilata; Mishra, Anusuya
Abstract
Research has shown that the use of contextual (ie, semantic and syntactic) cues facilitates the reading process. A study was conducted to evaluate the use of contextual cues by socially advantaged and disadvantaged children, all of whom were fluent readers. Participants were socially advantaged & disadvantaged Indian fifth graders from urban backgrounds. Factors used in determining advantage/disadvantage were family income, parental education, caste group affiliation, and place of residence. A sentence reading task and a close reading task were administered in the children’s native Oriya language. Miscues in the sentence reading task were used to analyze use of semantic cues, and close responses were used to evaluate use of syntactic cues. Results showed that advantaged children were better readers. Both groups appeared to use similar strategies in reading, but advantaged children made more effective use of contextual cues. Findings are discussed in terms of the reader’s command over language in general, proficiency in oral reading, and command of the grammar of the language.
