RESEARCH SUMMARY

During 2004 I did research for my master’s degree in psychology regarding children with reading problems. The purpose of my research was to ascertain whether certain Ron Davis techniques that have been applied by the Davis Dyslexia Correction Center (www.dyslexia.com) in America the past two decades could in the short term have a significantly positive influence on the reading ability and psychological functioning of children with a reading disorder, especially regarded against the background of escalating concern about the reading ability of South African learners in general and learners with a reading disorder in particular.

A review was done on the different approaches regarding intervention programmes, the psychological models underlying the Davis techniques, possible causes of a reading disorder and its influence on the self-image of children with a reading disorder.

Twenty Afrikaans-speaking learners in grade 5 to 7 from a school for children with special educational needs in the Western Cape (South Africa) were randomly assigned to an experimental and a control group. These children had all previously been diagnosed with a reading disorder. The participants from both groups were then pre-evaluated by means of four measuring-instruments to determine their reading and spelling levels, and parents as well as educators were asked to complete psychological questionnaires beforehand so that the participants’ psychological functioning could be ascertained.

The participants of the experimental group were then subjected to an intervention programme based on certain Davis techniques. It comprised of seven weekly sessions of two hours each. The control group received no intervention. After the intervention the participants of both groups were again evaluated by means of the same four measuring-instruments and the parents and educators were asked to complete the psychological questionnaire once again.

The parents and educators were also asked to complete demographic questionnaires set by the researcher and a structured interview based on a similar questionnaire was held with participants of the experimental group. This information was used to draw up a psychological profile of children with a reading disorder.

Data analysis was done by means of two non-parametric tests, namely the Mann-Whitney U Test and the Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test. The results of the Wilcoxon test indicated that the experimental group’s reading and spelling ability as well as psychological functioning had improved significantly. Follow-up tests were performed 12 weeks later and the results showed that the improvement had been maintained although 70% of the participants had not tried to carry on with the programme on their own.

The assumption can thus be made that over a short term the Davis techniques had a positive effect on the reading and spelling ability of the participants and on their psychological functioning. The effect was furthermore sustained after the intervention.

This opens up this field of study to further research. It also indicates that Davis techniques should be acknowledged as an alternative intervention in the field of learning problems, especially against the background of the escalating incidence of reading problems amongst and impact thereof on children and adults in South Africa, as well as universally.

COMPLETE THESIS
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