Tímarit um menntarannsóknir - 01.01.2014, Side 24

Einar Trausti Einarsson, Einar Guömundsson, Gylfi Jón Gylfason og Þorlákur Karlsson
Abstract
The efficiency of Logos in screening for reading difficulties
Reading difficulties are one of the most
common learning disabilities among
children. Research has shown that reading
difficulties can be persistent unless child-
ren receive appropriate intervention in the
first years of primary school. Therefore,
it's important to identify students at risk of
having reading difficulties early in prim-
ary school. Logos, a diagnostic reading
test, has been used in Iceland to diagnose
reading difficulties. Due to the lengthy
administration of the test, only a few stud-
ents are referred and complete the test each
year. Four subscales of Logos were admin-
istered to 187 eight-year old children liv-
ing in Reykjanes, Iceland. Scores on these
subscales were used to predict perform-
ance on a nationwide standardized test in
Icelandic administered in 2012. The results
indicated that the prevalence of reading
difficulties in the study was 10-20%. The
four subscales of Logos were all good pre-
dictors of performance on the nationwide
Icelandic test (r = .20; .68, p < 001; r2 = .15;
.51). Results from correlational analysis,
multiple regression and signal detection
analysis indicated that it is sufficient to
use only one subtest of Logos (ora/ reading)
to identify at-risk students. About 80%
of at-risk students for reading difficulties
(one standard deviation or more below the
mean) could be identified in grade three
when the criterion of 33 or lower was used
on the subscale ora/ reading. This criterion
falsely identified 27% of the children as at-
risk for reading difficulties. Using a more
stringent criterion to define at-risk stud-
ents (one and a half standard deviation or
more below the mean), all could be identi-
fied using a criterion of 17 or below on the
subscale ora/ reading. However, 19% of the
children were falsely identified as at-risk.
A general conclusion from the study is that
students at-risk for reading difficulties
can be identified by using one subscale of
Logos. However, the false-positive rate is
fairly high (19%-27%), indicating that a
relatively large portion of students would
be referred for an unnecessary diagnostic
reading assessment.
Keywords: screening, reading difficulties, Logos,
signai detection analysis, national examinations.
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