Professor Nancy Knowles
English 104 Distance Ed.
Hey Man, Use a Freakin Comma
Reading comprehension through the understanding of punctuation does help in the enjoyment of some reading. The poetic pause of a comma, the finality of the period, the emphasis of the exclamation point, or the conversational direction provided by quote marks is essential to the complete enjoyment of reading. What if you do not understand the value of punctuation? Everything you read would be like reading a technical manual. Reading comprehension may be the reasons millions of Americans do not read.
Inquiry: Does the level of reading comprehension contribute to an individual’s decision to read for pleasure.
Through the use of the internet I accessed many articles on the importance of punctuation with regards to comprehension. There are literally hundreds of sites you can visit where anybody from teachers to businessmen are espousing the importance of reading comprehension for success in today’s modern world. Indeed it is hard to argue with that given the reading comprehension statistics associated with prisons populations. Department of Justice (2009) Statistics on adult reading in general are dismal by any standard and paint a rather bleak picture of our society that may take some people by surprise. Still the inquiry was not answered through the statistics. Here are some reading statistics below. You may draw a conclusion on your own from these statistic with regards to the inquiry, but it is not proof.
“More than 20 percent of adults read at or below a fifth-grade level “.National Institute for Literacy, Fast Facts on Literacy, 2001@ http://www.readfaster.com/education_stats.asp#educationstatistics
“44 million adults in the U.S. can't read well enough to read a simple story to a child”. National Adult Literacy Survey (1992) NCED, U.S. Department of Education @ http://www.readfaster.com/education_stats.asp#educationstatistics
“21 million Americans can't read at all, 45 million are marginally illiterate and one-fifth of high school graduates can't read their diplomas”. Department of Justice, 1993 http://www.readfaster.com/education_stats.asp#educationstatistics
Statistics show the reading comprehension has increased in American Schools
Nations report card @ http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2007496
Statistic show that e-book sales have had a steady increase in sales over the last few years
http://www.openebook.org/doc_library/industrystats.htm
Statistics show the overall leisure book sales in America are up.
http://www.resourceshelf.com/2009/09/30/statistics-u-s-book-sales-july-2009/
The last statistics may be interpreted as meaning when the comprehension level raises so do the book sales. Increased book sales may indicate an increased enjoyment of reading among new readers.
The survey conducted fell far short of the intended goal of 40. The participants were asked the following questions:
1. Name?
2. Age?
3. Level of Education?
4. Do you like to read for pleasure?
a. If no, why? And how long since you have read a book?
b. If yes, why? And how long since you have read for pleasure?
5. Do you understand how to use punctuation while reading?
a. What is a comma used for?
b. What is an exclamation point used for?
c. What are quotation marks used for?
6. When you read do you notice the punctuation?
7. Why do you think some people do not like to read?
The results of the survey are as follows in order of participation:
1. Wendy
2. 45
3. 2 year college
4. Yes
a. Escape/Entertainment/yesterday
5. Yes
a. Pause
b. Emphasis on words or emotions
c. To indicate conversation
6. Yes
7. Lazy
1. Bill *#
2. 47
3. 11th grade
4. Yes
a. Fun/ high school
5. Yes
a. No
b. To show excitement
c. No
6. I guess not. No
7. Lazy
1. Peggy
2. 47
3. High school Graduate
4. Yes
a. Fun/yesterday
5. Yes
a. Pause
b. To indicate excitement
c. Conversation
6. no
7. Lazy
1. Scott
2. 56
3. Two year college
4. No
a. Boring/ early 80’s can’t remember
5. Yes
a. Pause or sentence break.
b. Bring emphasis to a word
c. To frame conversation
6. Yes
7. They just don’t like to
1. Troy **
2. 47
3. High School Graduate
4. No
a. Boring/ High school
5. Yes
a. Pause
b. To show excitement
c. I don’t know
6. Yes
7. Because it is boring
l
1. Tim ***
2. 46
3. Two years Trade School
4. Yes
a. Entertainment/today
5. Yes
a. Indicates a pause in the sentence
b. To high light a word or expressions.
c. To indicate spoken words or thought.
6. No
7. They don’t know how to read
1. Trevor ****#
2. 11
3. 5th grade
4. Yes
a. Fun/ during the summer
5. No
a. No
b. No
c. No
6. No
7. Maybe they don’t like to
1. Sandy
2. 61
3. 2 years college
4. Yes
a. To learn/ today
5. Yes
a. Separate a sentence
b. Drama
c. What people say
6. No, not really
7. Because they can’t get past the meaning of the words.
1. Rob
2. 45
3. High School graduate
4. No
a. Reads for a living/Junior High
5. Yes
a. Separate multiple ideas
b. Indicates excitement
c. Word for word comment
6. Yes
7. Need glasses.
1. Linn
2. 56
3. GED
4. Yes
a. Uses it to relax in restroom/ last year
5. Yes
a. I don’t know
b. Exclamation
c. I don’t know
6. No
7. They would rather watch TV
1. Steven *****
2. 22
3. 11th grade
4. Yes
a. Fun/1 month
5. Yes
a. Pause
b. Emotion
c. Conversation
6. No
7. Time
1. Doug ******
2. 39
3. Bachelor degree attending graduate school for masters in psychology
4. No
a. Too busy/ two years ago
5. Yes
a. pause, and sentence break
b. emphasis
c. to direct conversation or citation
6. no
7. Time
1. French Canadian Female
2. 58
3. Post Graduate
4. Yes
a. Knowledge/ Today
5. Yes
a. Separate concepts
b. Emotional expression
c. Citation
6. No
7. Time
1. Susan
2. 31
3. Bachelor Degree
4. No
a. No time/ 3 or 4 years
5. Yes
a. Pause
b. Exclaim a word
c. Conversation/Citation
6. No
7. Lazy
1. Peter/ French Canadian *******
2. 61
3. Post
4. Yes
a. Entertainment/today
5. Yes
a. Pause
b. Emphasis
c. Citation, conversation
6. No
7. Lack of time
ASTERIKS
The overall results of the survey showed some interesting results that were marked with an asterisk or a pound sign.
* Bill said he loved to read. Although he had not read a book in over twenty-five years. He said he knew what punctuation was for but could not answer any of the punctuation questions. His answer to question number 7 why he thought people didn’t read he said they were lazy. When he agreed to the interview he said he was not doing anything but watching TV.
**Troy when asked question number 5 became angry answering YES! I know how to read. He got two out of three punctuation questions right indicating he is mostly fluent. His answer to number 4 was expanded on after the conclusion to the survey when Troy volunteered he was not able to focus long enough to enjoy a book. He had not read a book in over twenty-five years.
***Tim had been drinking but agreed to the survey anyway. Tim is a laborer who attended trade school. He was the most eloquent of all those interviewed. He loved to read and tried to read several passages from a book he apparently had close at hand. He was the only male interviewed that liked to read for pleasure who actually reads for pleasure.
**** Trevor is the only child I interviewed. He had a worn copy from a horror series written by R.L.Stein when I interviewed him. I conducted this interview in person.
# Trevor and Bill are the only two people to actually see the survey. Interestingly enough when reading the questions from the survey they both recognized punctuation marks they had gotten wrong on the survey. (Never conduct a reading survey the participants can’t read).
*****Steven was homeless. Notice his answer to question #7 about why he thinks some people do not read for pleasure, Time. I found this curious so I asked. Steven literally spends every waking moment seeking food, clothing and shelter leaving very little time for enjoyment.
******Doug was an educated man who was reasonably well off as was indicated by his clothing. I found it interesting that he gave the same reason as the homeless Steven for not reading more/ time. Surprisingly enough Doug is also to busy pursuing food clothing and shelter just at a higher level than Steven the result is the same; however Steven does occasionally make time for enjoyment reading.
*******Peter and his wife, who refused to give me her name on the grounds of preserving educational integrity, took me almost two hours to survey. They were so passionate that I was embarrassed to realize they knew far more about the subject than I did. Neither one would tell me what they did for a living, again for educational integrity. They also criticized my survey as lacking substance.
It is also important to mention that all the women and girls surveyed read, and were completely literate. Most enjoyed reading and were currently reading books. Many of the men were not so educated.
Trevor and Bill both were embarrassed over their lack of knowledge one reason I decided not to interview anymore children. Troy was incensed and felt as if he were being degraded by the questions. It took many platitudes to calm him down in order to finish the survey.
These phone surveys took much longer than anticipated as many participants even those who did not read were passionate about the subject. I defend my choice of execution on the grounds of honesty on the part of the participants. Putting them on the spot so to speak gave me great insight into reading habits. The articles I read and the statistics I viewed in search of the answer to my inquiry; Does the level of punctuation comprehension contribute to an individual’s decision to read for pleasure? Could only be used to draw a circumstantial conclusion that might say yes. Expert agree there is a problem and have come up with solutions that include the engagement of students and offers creative suggestion to teachers about providing relevant reading material for a student to enjoy. Through this enjoyment the hope is the reader will expand their self esteem driving them to more reading. NCREL (2005) Then there is the issue of complete literacy. In an article titled “The Importance of Automaticity and Fluency For Efficient Reading Comprehension.” Hook & Jones (2002) The authors stress the importance of complete fluency and draw a distinction between knowing how to read and being completely fluent. Many of the educated readers indicated this fluency in their answers to question #6 in that many said they did not notice the punctuation when they read. They automatically understood the implications of the punctuation marks. Wendy went so far as to say she notices when punctuation marks are missing or have been miss-applied as it causes confusing text. The survey indicates reading for pleasure is a very complicated issue. Some who did understand punctuation loved to read, some who were completely literate did not like to read at all. I have no choice but to conclude that punctuation may increase reading enjoyment for some; however enjoyment is not depended on punctuation literacy but on individual taste.
Question: What if anything can be done to increase the enjoyment of reading for those who may have difficulty with literacy?
Statistical References
Literacy, Fast Facts on Literacy. (2001) Retrieved 11/10/2009,
http://www.readfaster.com/education_stats.asp#educationstatistics
Adult Literacy Survey (1992) NCED, U.S. Department of Education Retrieved 11/10/2009,
http://www.readfaster.com/education_stats.asp#educationstatistics.
Department of Justice, (1993) Retrieved 11/10/2009,
http://www.readfaster.com/education_stats.asp#educationstatistics.
Nations report card (2009) Retrieved 11/ 11/ 2009,
http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2007496.
Open Book. Org (2009) Retrieved 11/11/2009,
http://www.openebook.org/doc_library/industrystats.htm
Resource Shelf (2009). Retrieved 11/12/2009,
http://www.resourceshelf.com/2009/09/30/statistics-u-%20%20%20%20%20%20s-book-sales-july-2009/
References
NCREL Quick Key 10 action Guide (2005). Implementing the No Child Left Behind Act: Using Student
Engagement to Improve Adolescent Behavior. Learning Point Associates Retrieved 11/16/2009
http://www.ncrel.org/litweb/adolescent/qkey10/qkey10.pdf.
Hook, Pamela E., & Sandra D. Jones, (2002) The Importance of Automaticity and Fluency For Efficient
Reading Comprehension. Reprinted with permission from the International Dyslexia Association
quarterly newsletter, Perspectives, Winter, 2002, vol. 28, no. 1, pages 9-14. IDA website:
http://www.interdys.org/. Retrieved 11/1/2009
http://www.blogger.com/%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20http:/www.resourceroom.net/readspell/2002_automaticity.asp
Reading comprehension through the understanding of punctuation does help in the enjoyment of some reading. The poetic pause of a comma, the finality of the period, the emphasis of the exclamation point, or the conversational direction provided by quote marks is essential to the complete enjoyment of reading. What if you do not understand the value of punctuation? Everything you read would be like reading a technical manual. Reading comprehension may be the reasons millions of Americans do not read.
Inquiry: Does the level of reading comprehension contribute to an individual’s decision to read for pleasure.
Through the use of the internet I accessed many articles on the importance of punctuation with regards to comprehension. There are literally hundreds of sites you can visit where anybody from teachers to businessmen are espousing the importance of reading comprehension for success in today’s modern world. Indeed it is hard to argue with that given the reading comprehension statistics associated with prisons populations. Department of Justice (2009) Statistics on adult reading in general are dismal by any standard and paint a rather bleak picture of our society that may take some people by surprise. Still the inquiry was not answered through the statistics. Here are some reading statistics below. You may draw a conclusion on your own from these statistic with regards to the inquiry, but it is not proof.
“More than 20 percent of adults read at or below a fifth-grade level “.National Institute for Literacy, Fast Facts on Literacy, 2001@ http://www.readfaster.com/education_stats.asp#educationstatistics
“44 million adults in the U.S. can't read well enough to read a simple story to a child”. National Adult Literacy Survey (1992) NCED, U.S. Department of Education @ http://www.readfaster.com/education_stats.asp#educationstatistics
“21 million Americans can't read at all, 45 million are marginally illiterate and one-fifth of high school graduates can't read their diplomas”. Department of Justice, 1993 http://www.readfaster.com/education_stats.asp#educationstatistics
Statistics show the reading comprehension has increased in American Schools
Nations report card @ http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2007496
Statistic show that e-book sales have had a steady increase in sales over the last few years
http://www.openebook.org/doc_library/industrystats.htm
Statistics show the overall leisure book sales in America are up.
http://www.resourceshelf.com/2009/09/30/statistics-u-s-book-sales-july-2009/
The last statistics may be interpreted as meaning when the comprehension level raises so do the book sales. Increased book sales may indicate an increased enjoyment of reading among new readers.
The survey conducted fell far short of the intended goal of 40. The participants were asked the following questions:
1. Name?
2. Age?
3. Level of Education?
4. Do you like to read for pleasure?
a. If no, why? And how long since you have read a book?
b. If yes, why? And how long since you have read for pleasure?
5. Do you understand how to use punctuation while reading?
a. What is a comma used for?
b. What is an exclamation point used for?
c. What are quotation marks used for?
6. When you read do you notice the punctuation?
7. Why do you think some people do not like to read?
The results of the survey are as follows in order of participation:
1. Wendy
2. 45
3. 2 year college
4. Yes
a. Escape/Entertainment/yesterday
5. Yes
a. Pause
b. Emphasis on words or emotions
c. To indicate conversation
6. Yes
7. Lazy
1. Bill *#
2. 47
3. 11th grade
4. Yes
a. Fun/ high school
5. Yes
a. No
b. To show excitement
c. No
6. I guess not. No
7. Lazy
1. Peggy
2. 47
3. High school Graduate
4. Yes
a. Fun/yesterday
5. Yes
a. Pause
b. To indicate excitement
c. Conversation
6. no
7. Lazy
1. Scott
2. 56
3. Two year college
4. No
a. Boring/ early 80’s can’t remember
5. Yes
a. Pause or sentence break.
b. Bring emphasis to a word
c. To frame conversation
6. Yes
7. They just don’t like to
1. Troy **
2. 47
3. High School Graduate
4. No
a. Boring/ High school
5. Yes
a. Pause
b. To show excitement
c. I don’t know
6. Yes
7. Because it is boring
l
1. Tim ***
2. 46
3. Two years Trade School
4. Yes
a. Entertainment/today
5. Yes
a. Indicates a pause in the sentence
b. To high light a word or expressions.
c. To indicate spoken words or thought.
6. No
7. They don’t know how to read
1. Trevor ****#
2. 11
3. 5th grade
4. Yes
a. Fun/ during the summer
5. No
a. No
b. No
c. No
6. No
7. Maybe they don’t like to
1. Sandy
2. 61
3. 2 years college
4. Yes
a. To learn/ today
5. Yes
a. Separate a sentence
b. Drama
c. What people say
6. No, not really
7. Because they can’t get past the meaning of the words.
1. Rob
2. 45
3. High School graduate
4. No
a. Reads for a living/Junior High
5. Yes
a. Separate multiple ideas
b. Indicates excitement
c. Word for word comment
6. Yes
7. Need glasses.
1. Linn
2. 56
3. GED
4. Yes
a. Uses it to relax in restroom/ last year
5. Yes
a. I don’t know
b. Exclamation
c. I don’t know
6. No
7. They would rather watch TV
1. Steven *****
2. 22
3. 11th grade
4. Yes
a. Fun/1 month
5. Yes
a. Pause
b. Emotion
c. Conversation
6. No
7. Time
1. Doug ******
2. 39
3. Bachelor degree attending graduate school for masters in psychology
4. No
a. Too busy/ two years ago
5. Yes
a. pause, and sentence break
b. emphasis
c. to direct conversation or citation
6. no
7. Time
1. French Canadian Female
2. 58
3. Post Graduate
4. Yes
a. Knowledge/ Today
5. Yes
a. Separate concepts
b. Emotional expression
c. Citation
6. No
7. Time
1. Susan
2. 31
3. Bachelor Degree
4. No
a. No time/ 3 or 4 years
5. Yes
a. Pause
b. Exclaim a word
c. Conversation/Citation
6. No
7. Lazy
1. Peter/ French Canadian *******
2. 61
3. Post
4. Yes
a. Entertainment/today
5. Yes
a. Pause
b. Emphasis
c. Citation, conversation
6. No
7. Lack of time
ASTERIKS
The overall results of the survey showed some interesting results that were marked with an asterisk or a pound sign.
* Bill said he loved to read. Although he had not read a book in over twenty-five years. He said he knew what punctuation was for but could not answer any of the punctuation questions. His answer to question number 7 why he thought people didn’t read he said they were lazy. When he agreed to the interview he said he was not doing anything but watching TV.
**Troy when asked question number 5 became angry answering YES! I know how to read. He got two out of three punctuation questions right indicating he is mostly fluent. His answer to number 4 was expanded on after the conclusion to the survey when Troy volunteered he was not able to focus long enough to enjoy a book. He had not read a book in over twenty-five years.
***Tim had been drinking but agreed to the survey anyway. Tim is a laborer who attended trade school. He was the most eloquent of all those interviewed. He loved to read and tried to read several passages from a book he apparently had close at hand. He was the only male interviewed that liked to read for pleasure who actually reads for pleasure.
**** Trevor is the only child I interviewed. He had a worn copy from a horror series written by R.L.Stein when I interviewed him. I conducted this interview in person.
# Trevor and Bill are the only two people to actually see the survey. Interestingly enough when reading the questions from the survey they both recognized punctuation marks they had gotten wrong on the survey. (Never conduct a reading survey the participants can’t read).
*****Steven was homeless. Notice his answer to question #7 about why he thinks some people do not read for pleasure, Time. I found this curious so I asked. Steven literally spends every waking moment seeking food, clothing and shelter leaving very little time for enjoyment.
******Doug was an educated man who was reasonably well off as was indicated by his clothing. I found it interesting that he gave the same reason as the homeless Steven for not reading more/ time. Surprisingly enough Doug is also to busy pursuing food clothing and shelter just at a higher level than Steven the result is the same; however Steven does occasionally make time for enjoyment reading.
*******Peter and his wife, who refused to give me her name on the grounds of preserving educational integrity, took me almost two hours to survey. They were so passionate that I was embarrassed to realize they knew far more about the subject than I did. Neither one would tell me what they did for a living, again for educational integrity. They also criticized my survey as lacking substance.
It is also important to mention that all the women and girls surveyed read, and were completely literate. Most enjoyed reading and were currently reading books. Many of the men were not so educated.
Trevor and Bill both were embarrassed over their lack of knowledge one reason I decided not to interview anymore children. Troy was incensed and felt as if he were being degraded by the questions. It took many platitudes to calm him down in order to finish the survey.
These phone surveys took much longer than anticipated as many participants even those who did not read were passionate about the subject. I defend my choice of execution on the grounds of honesty on the part of the participants. Putting them on the spot so to speak gave me great insight into reading habits. The articles I read and the statistics I viewed in search of the answer to my inquiry; Does the level of punctuation comprehension contribute to an individual’s decision to read for pleasure? Could only be used to draw a circumstantial conclusion that might say yes. Expert agree there is a problem and have come up with solutions that include the engagement of students and offers creative suggestion to teachers about providing relevant reading material for a student to enjoy. Through this enjoyment the hope is the reader will expand their self esteem driving them to more reading. NCREL (2005) Then there is the issue of complete literacy. In an article titled “The Importance of Automaticity and Fluency For Efficient Reading Comprehension.” Hook & Jones (2002) The authors stress the importance of complete fluency and draw a distinction between knowing how to read and being completely fluent. Many of the educated readers indicated this fluency in their answers to question #6 in that many said they did not notice the punctuation when they read. They automatically understood the implications of the punctuation marks. Wendy went so far as to say she notices when punctuation marks are missing or have been miss-applied as it causes confusing text. The survey indicates reading for pleasure is a very complicated issue. Some who did understand punctuation loved to read, some who were completely literate did not like to read at all. I have no choice but to conclude that punctuation may increase reading enjoyment for some; however enjoyment is not depended on punctuation literacy but on individual taste.
Question: What if anything can be done to increase the enjoyment of reading for those who may have difficulty with literacy?
Statistical References
Literacy, Fast Facts on Literacy. (2001) Retrieved 11/10/2009,
http://www.readfaster.com/education_stats.asp#educationstatistics
Adult Literacy Survey (1992) NCED, U.S. Department of Education Retrieved 11/10/2009,
http://www.readfaster.com/education_stats.asp#educationstatistics.
Department of Justice, (1993) Retrieved 11/10/2009,
http://www.readfaster.com/education_stats.asp#educationstatistics.
Nations report card (2009) Retrieved 11/ 11/ 2009,
http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2007496.
Open Book. Org (2009) Retrieved 11/11/2009,
http://www.openebook.org/doc_library/industrystats.htm
Resource Shelf (2009). Retrieved 11/12/2009,
http://www.resourceshelf.com/2009/09/30/statistics-u-%20%20%20%20%20%20s-book-sales-july-2009/
References
NCREL Quick Key 10 action Guide (2005). Implementing the No Child Left Behind Act: Using Student
Engagement to Improve Adolescent Behavior. Learning Point Associates Retrieved 11/16/2009
http://www.ncrel.org/litweb/adolescent/qkey10/qkey10.pdf.
Hook, Pamela E., & Sandra D. Jones, (2002) The Importance of Automaticity and Fluency For Efficient
Reading Comprehension. Reprinted with permission from the International Dyslexia Association
quarterly newsletter, Perspectives, Winter, 2002, vol. 28, no. 1, pages 9-14. IDA website:
http://www.interdys.org/. Retrieved 11/1/2009
http://www.blogger.com/%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20http:/www.resourceroom.net/readspell/2002_automaticity.asp
What an interesting inquiry! At first I thought your question would be rather difficult to discuss. But as I read your survey results combined with the extensive amount of research that you performed, I was quite intrigued by your findings. I don't think that understanding punctuation regarding reading comprehension among adults even crossed my mind.
ReplyDeleteI work with children, so I automatically find myself engaged in a daily effort to teach proper punctuation. The fact that you surveyed such a wide range of primarily adults is commendable. You really did your homework and provided some interesting insight into comprehension issues. I will be thinking about this from a new perspective now. Thanks for the food for thought!
Interesting survey, and you must have spent a good deal of time gathering your information. Thanks for all your hard work! You have some fairly mixed results and amazingly, age isn't the only factor.
ReplyDeleteAt first I was surprised that a few didn't know the meaning of the punctuation marks; I guess literacy can be something taken for granted unless you don't possess it. I was also surprised that most of your interviewees answered "no" to #6. I would have expected most who read a lot to notice every little detail (typos, for example, distract me for pages as I'm on guard for more.) Your survey may have given each a new awareness and changed that for them! :)
Wow Rob, I don't think I could have gone out and surveyed people I never met before. Good job. The results were very interesting. Myself, I have always considered to be a good reader. I really enjoy readin with my wife and having her read aloud to me, she has a great comprehension of punctuation and seems to put in all the right pauses, inflections and proper intonations. It makes a big difference. I don't think I would enjoy reading as much if I didn't know how to comprehend the punctuation. I may never had developed a love for it. Good Job!
ReplyDeleteNice job! I have to give it to you for going out and interviewing strangers. I am sure the last couple would have sent me home crying with the way that they made you feel. I found your survey very well done. I never would have thought about punctuation in the aspect of reading for pleasure either. However, in some ways I think this also is a valid point when it comes to texting. The reason I say this is because there are no emotions in texting unless you read into the punctuation that the other person puts on it. if I send "whatever" to a friend they could assume I am irratated when I am not. If I was to type "whatever :)" the smiliy face shows I am not irratated and the text is meant in a nice manner.
ReplyDeleteVery well done, I like your way of thinking. I can tell you are someone who marches to his own beat and that is a fantastic quality! I myself am horrible with using the right punctuation so I actually learned a lot from your research and know I will pay more attention to my own from now on. Thank you for your hard work!
Thank you for the response Ms. Ball. I am an anomoly among my friends. None of them read for pleasure, and as I found with the survey many would be considered illiterate. I have always wonderd about the reasons for this, and i am still wondering. interesting insight only provided mre with more questions. maybe this is what nancy intended.
ReplyDeletethank you Ms.Mitchell. i have enjoyed many of your posts this term and value your opinion.
ReplyDeleteI am one of those people who do not notice puctuation. My reading abilities are such that they automatically are included in the text. like you said though i do notice when puntuation is missing or out of place. Automaticity is the term coined for this ability and is credited with a high degree of comprehension.
to be honest with you Danny and Sarah the people I surveyed couldn't believe it either. some were conducted over thephone, but others i conducted in the lobby of a swank hotel on the water front in Portland Oregon, with the exception of the homeless people i surveyed of which I only included one in the survey on a promise. the homeless man was white, and the man i interviewed right after was a college educated balck man. The only difference in their life besides the race issue was family support. i found this to be an interseting contrast to expected social norms. That helped me to define a rather large research project for another class regarding intitutionalized descrimination and illiteracy.
ReplyDeleteFor my response, I'm going to go ahead and take your survey :) You won't get any problems from me, I promise to be nice.
ReplyDelete1. Name? Brianne
2. Age? 21
3. Level of Education? Some college
4. Do you like to read for pleasure? YES!
a. If no, why? And how long since you have read a book? N/A
b. If yes, why? And how long since you have read for pleasure? I love escaping to a world of fiction where I can lose myself in somebody else's life. The last time I read for pleasure was an hour ago.
5. Do you understand how to use punctuation while reading? Yes
a. What is a comma used for? To indicate a pause, or to separate ideas.
b. What is an exclamation point used for? To show excitement or a strong emotion!
c. What are quotation marks used for? To indicate a question of some kind?
6. When you read do you notice the punctuation? Yes, it helps me understand the flow of the story.
7. Why do you think some people do not like to read? They have no time to, or have other priorities.
Now, with that being said and done, I really enjoyed your topic. Comprehension definely plays a role in reading. If you can't fully comprehend what you're reading, it can make the experience frustrating and unenjoyable. Your statistics were very interesting and somewhat sad. I can't believe that more than 20% of adults read below a fifth grade level. That's a pretty serious problem, and your stats just got more and more depressing. I can't imagine living without being able to read, but then again my personal preference plays a role in that feeling. I personally love to read. It helps that I know how to read too....
texting is what helped to develope my inquiry. I mis read a text sent by a friend. he did not use punctuation and i interperted the text incorrectly. I asked him "dude are you frekin illiterate or what, use a comma for gods sake" some what sheepishly he replied, " man I relly don't know what a comma is for." I knew we had this paper coming up so naturally i wondered if that was the reason i read, while none of my friends do. Nope turns out most are just lazy.
ReplyDeleteMy own beat has also been described as excentric, weird and just plain ass crazy. Thank you for the warm and personable comments :)
I am not on the ball and missed Ms.Ball's example of punctuatiol literacy in her opening comment until I re-read it. just another example of understanding without noticing. Perhaps not noticing is a sign that I should teach myself better puctuation literacy a perspective i had not considered.
ReplyDeleteGreat topic! And I commend you on your bravery to survey total strangers!
ReplyDeleteIt is hard for me to believe that commas or exclamation marks are mysteries for some people. I remember vividly in all of my years of school that teachers and professors enforced proper puncuation and made sure that we all understood their purposes and meanings. It just became second nature for me to use the puncuation both in my reading and writing!
Your topic is very enlightening with regard to the status of the average American and his/her reading abilities. It is a little scary actually, hopefully schools are better preparing students to be proficient readers and writers.
I really enjoyed your topic. The fact that you took so much time to seek out people to interview is impressive. I would like to assume the use of punctuation is butcherd thanks to all the informal communication that currently takes place with e-mails and texts. Great topic!
ReplyDeleteThank you Brianne for taking the survey. I did not even consider asking you guys. Oh well I imagine you are just a busy as I am. I did not find my answer to the inquiry other than people read for pleasure despite their level of comprehension. It is impossible to judge the level of enjoyment for somebody who loves to read but is not fully literate so it is enough to say they do enjoy reading for what ever reason. The most surprising result of the research I conducted is that there is no direct link to reading enjoyment through comrehension. Many I interviewed had full comprehension and did not read for pleasure at all.
ReplyDeleteMary Beth the statistic I looked at do indicate comprehension levels are rising in schools today. statistic I have learned can be manipulated in order to show positive results. The fact the illiteracy rate is so in america, coupled with the fact this has been known for sometime by experts in education and government lead me to belive ther may be something else behind the literacy rates. I was taught to read phonetically, with puctuation added along the way to add meaning to the words. My son was taught whole word in school, and we noticed a lack of comprehension. He was guessing at words a technique incouraged by whole word learning. We decided to butress his reading skills by using phonics at home. His comprehension levels showed imidiate imporovment. He does not read for pleasure, and he is fully literate.
ReplyDeletethanks for the response. Though it was short it was right to the point and a good point it is. Aside from the educational aspect of learning at school, it does seem as if traditional rules of writing are at risk of becoming passe'. I worry that someday i will recieve a letter that I can not comprehend because I am illiterate in that form of communication. 20 years ago I was considered fully literate, but if you consider the wide spread use of computers, and text messaging today and how important they are to success, I am now almost functionally illiterate. I am probably the only person in my town that actually sends fully worded and puctuated texts over the phone. I wonder if anybody can understand what I am writing to them. The irony is that I hide my text and computer illiteracy through the use of traditional literacy.
ReplyDeleteI added a title to my blog entry for citation purposes. sorry i missed it.
ReplyDeleteYou certainly put a lot of work into this assignment! I would think the level of reading comprehension does have an impact on an individual's decision to read for pleasure; it seems as though you would be more inclined to read if you had a higher level of comprehension. However, your survey results make me think that that is only a small contribution to reasons for reading or not reading for pleasure. Good topic!
ReplyDeleteThanks Amanda, you know at first i was not sure about this assignment. as my research grew in scope so followed my interest. This drove me to use every moment of my free time little as that is, and even drove me to rob myself of sleep. This is a new feeling for me, a motivated drive to learn something on my own, reaching conclusions on my own through research. In short I loved it. Reading for pleasure turned out to be researching for pleasure.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting topic and very well researched! Love the title...very catchy! The number of surveys you conducted is amazing, great work. The results were very surprising to me, I didn't realize how many people: 1. Didn't read and 2. Didn't know about punctuation. Of course, the first leads to the second. In a conference with my middle boy's Lit teacher, she was talking about how Josh's writing skills were declining very quickly because: 1.He doesn't write enough, and 2. He doesn't read enough. So many people don't understand that in order to write well you have to read AND write a lot! Also, I have found writing more helps me be a better reader...interesting!
ReplyDeleteThanks again for a great topic and all your hard work!
Oh, and to answer your question on your blog dashboard-about the mayonaise? Because some people dont like crumbs and such in the mayo jar! ;)
ReplyDeleteHi, Rob. I thoroughly enjoyed reading your survey results and analysis of them! The humor and use of irony were really enjoyable: that Bill loves to read but was watching TV when surveyed, that it took awhile to calm Troy down (which was both funny and poignant), the combination of reading and drinking with Tim, and the need to read the reading survey.
ReplyDeleteI also thought the comparison between Steven and Doug was powerful: regardless of our situations, we find ourselves forced to deal with basic needs such as food and shelter, which mean we can't spend time on entertainment at all.
Regarding the conclusion, I am thinking that while capacity to read does not always lead to reading, insecurity about reading comprehension may lead to not reading. Troy's sensitivity about being asked about punctuation suggests that feelings associated with reading run deep. When we have had bad experiences or haven't lived up to expectations, it will be difficult to practice the activity associated with those negatives.
I think grammar is particularly problematic in this respect. Because it is one of the easiest things to correct, teachers spend a lot of time correcting students instead of listening to and respecting what they are saying. Because grammar is difficult to learn (how do fish understand water?), students spend a lot of time afraid of grammar errors when they really should be paying attention to what they want to write about. For these reasons, I think grammar has its place, but it should be addressed long after other issues, the most important of which is communicating an idea. When reading and writing are reduced to grammar, they are difficult to enjoy.
Mark Twain has a great quote about correcting the errors of others. In looking for it, I found this one, which is perhaps also relevant: "The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them." Maybe illiteracy is not only a condition but a choice? It's too bad if our culture pushes people in that direction. Nancy
Your preaching to the choir about grammer. I am as functionally illiterate as most of my friends. The only difference is I am learning now. even though i read a great deal in my life I still have only the most basic writing skills. Knowing how to read does not translate into practical application. I realize that I am going to have to teach myself about correct spelling and punctuation. In comparing my writing to that of my classmates I recognise this deficiancy. add to this my limited computer skills and well you can see why fixing the illiteracy rate after the fact is so difficult. I have wanted to quit many times this year because of enormous amount of learning I have had to do. The research was a great distraction that steadily built my interest and self confidence and could not have come at a better time for me. Proving that an alternative approach works.
ReplyDeleteFor me this also taught me as I said that I need to learn to wrtie. I am not going to read a novel over break. I am going to read a book about writing and write a couple of practice papers.
I am a "Snake Killer".
Tanya "Crumbs" that is freakin brilliant. :)
ReplyDeleteSo simple yet from the perspective of a man, what crumbs?
Hey, sorry I'm late on commenting. Your Inquiry was pretty intense. It unfolded very nicely and really help me to step back and take a look at these types of things. Its really crazy when you think of it. I come across personal readings that i sometimes don't like but have to finish them anyway because i have to know what happens, crazy to think that some people can't even pick up a book and read the first paragraph without quitting! Great job.
ReplyDeleteThanks, I put a lot of work into the research. I had know idea what I was doing, and when i was finished I had know idea what I had done. Somewhere in the middle i learned something about myself, my friends, family, school mates, teacher and the world in general. Very satisfying considering the disturbing nature of what I learned, especially about myself.
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