Remedial Measures in Reading at the College Level

Reading ability is highly related to school success. College freshmen with inferior ability have a high scholastic mortality and those that do remain in school are hampered in gaining knowledge. Therefore, a remedial unit has been inaugurated at the University of Iowa to aid the lowest quarter in reading ability. A clinical method is used, each case being handled individually which allows each difficulty to be treated and makes for better rapport. A complete analysis is made of the student's abilities and weaknesses and work is directed to remove these defects. Various methods of reading and their uses are also given. The comparison of preliminary and end tests shows gains in comprehension up to 60 percentiles while rate of reading has been doubled. Further, an analysis of the fortnightly delinquency reports shows only half as many receive delinquencies on the last report as on the first and only 40% as many delinquencies. It is to be concluded, then, that remedial training in reading is feasible at the college level.