FACTORS RELATED TO POOR PERFORMANCE ON MEMORY TASKS IN READING DISABLED-CHILDREN

This research tested the hypothesis that many reading disabled children's failure to apply effective strategies to rote-memory tasks is related to their general lack of reflective knowledge about memory and memory processes, as well as their generally disorganized approach to cognitive tasks. Children identified as good readers, and poor readers with memory difficulties, were asked a variety of questions about memory and memory strategies. Significant differences were found between groups in knowledge of such strategies as rehearsal, ability to generate a variety of different solutions to memory problems, and in the planfulness with which children in the two groups approached real-world memory tasks. The results support the view that many children may fail to learn to read well because they do not manage their intact capabilities efficiently. © 1979, Council for Learning Disabilities. All rights reserved.