Effects of Contextualized and Decontextualized Practice Conditions on Word Recognition

Six learning disabled boys served as subjects in a study designed to examine the effects of two instructional conditions on Word recognition. In one instructional condition, students practiced reading exclusively in connected text (contextualized practice). In a second condition, reading in connected text was supplemented with drill on isolated word units (decontextualized practice). Students served as their own controls and received both treatments, with each treatment being repeated twice. Before and after each treatment condition, students were tested on recognition of isolated words and oral reading in context. Results indicated that decontextualized practice produced significantly greater isolated word recognition, and that performance following contextualized practice exceeded that of a no instruction control. However, the instructional treatments did not differentially affect oral reading in context as measured by rate or accuracy. The implications of these findings are discussed in relation to the selection of reading objectives and reading measures by remedial reading teachers.