READING COMPREHENSION COMPONENT PROCESSES IN EARLY ADOLESCENCE

A significant proportion of American high school students struggle with reading comprehension. Several different models might help identify the components that have the largest effect on comprehension. The current dissertation study replicates a comparison of the Construction-Integration (CI), Verbal Efficiency (VE), and Inferential Mediation (IM) models of reading comprehension, the latter model based on an extensive literature review. It then tests the fit of four variations on the IM model. Ninth-grade students ranging from 1st to 99th percentile on comprehension completed measures of background knowledge, inferencing, strategies, vocabulary, word reading and comprehension. Researcher-developed measures of background knowledge, inferencing and strategies (based on Cromley & Azevedo, 2004a) showed good reliability with this sample. A subset of the students also completed a think-aloud protocol while reading a passage from an American history textbook. These protocols were transcribed and coded using a coding scheme adapted from Azevedo, Guthrie, and Seibert (2004). As in a preliminary study, the IM model had a much better fit to the data than did the CI or VE models. The original IM Model had the best fit, explaining 66% of the variance in comprehension. All predictors made a significant contribution to comprehension, with vocabulary, background knowledge, and strategies having significant indirect effects. Vocabulary and background knowledge made the greatest total contribution to comprehension. There were large, significant differences between low- and high-comprehending participants on all of the predictor variables, except for word reading accuracy, where there were small but significant differences. The coded think-aloud protocols were largely consistent with the correlations underlying the model. Spearman rank correlations among the codes provide convergent evidence for eleven of the correlations underlying the model. The think-aloud protocols also provided convergent evidence for the validity of the paper-and-pencil measures. The current study validates and refines a new model of reading comprehension. Results suggest that both the direct and indirect effects of the components are important for comprehension. Results also suggest that vocabulary and background knowledge might first be targeted for interventions with 9th grade students who struggle with reading comprehension. Implications for future research are also discussed

Cross-cultural adaptation of the Brazilian version of the Dentine Hypersensitivity Experience Questionnaire

Abstract The dentine hypersensitivity (DH) is able to impair the oral health related quality of life (OHRQoL). However, there isn't any specific validated questionnaire to be used in Brazil. The objective was to adapt and to validate the English version of the Dentine Hypersensitivity Experience Questionnaire (DHEQ-15) for use in Brazil. DHEQ-15 was cross-culturally adapted into the Brazilian-Portuguese language and then validated in a cross-sectional study with 100 participants recruited at a University clinic. Study sample comprised 2 groups: 100 individuals with DH, and 100 individuals without. The instrument was self-administered twice 7 to 10 days apart. The participants answered a global rating of oral health. The psychometric properties of the Brazilian version of DHEQ-15 were verified through internal consistency (Cronbach's α) and test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient - ICC), convergent (Spearman correlation) and discriminant (Mann-Whitney test) validity. The significance threshold was set at p<0.05. Sample comprised 69 men and 131 women, of mean age 30.4y. The Brazilian DHEQ-15 demonstrated very good internal consistency (α = 0.945). Test-retest reliability revealed excellent reproducibility (ICC = 0.959, p < 0.001). There was statistically significant correlation between the scores obtained on all DHEQ-15 domains and the global rating of oral health (p<0.001). Participants with DH scored significantly higher than those without DH (p<0.001). This study provides evidence supporting the cross-cultural validity of the Brazilian version of DHEQ-15 for use in Brazil