David L. Share

Bio: David L. Share is an academic researcher from University of Haifa. The author has contributed to research in topics: Reading (process) & Orthography. The author has an hindex of 40, co-authored 76 publications receiving 9180 citations. Previous affiliations of David L. Share include Deakin University & University of Otago.

On the Anglocentricities of current reading research and practice: the perils of overreliance on an "outlier" orthography.

Abstract: In this critique of current reading research and practice, the author contends that the extreme ambiguity of English spelling-sound correspondence has confined reading science to an insular, Anglocentric research agenda addressing theoretical and applied issues with limited relevance for a universal science of reading. The unique problems posed by this "outlier" orthography, the author argues, have focused disproportionate attention on oral reading accuracy at the expense of silent reading, meaning access, and fluency, and have significantly distorted theorizing with regard to many issues-including phonological awareness, early reading instruction, the architecture of stage models of reading development, the definition and remediation of reading disability, and the role of lexical-semantic and supralexical information in word recognition. The dominant theoretical paradigm in contemporary (word) reading research--the Coltheart/Baron dual-route model (see, e.g., J. Baron, 1977; M. Coltheart, 1978) and, in large measure, its connectionist rivals--arose largely in response to English spelling-sound obtuseness. The model accounts for a range of English-language findings, but it is ill-equipped to serve the interests of a universal science of reading chiefly because it overlooks a fundamental unfamiliar-to-familiar/novice-to-expert dualism applicable to all words and readers in all orthographies.

Sources of Individual Differences in Reading Acquisition.

Abstract: Sources of individual differences in reading achievement were investigated in a longitudinal study of 543 children, A variety of individual attributes covering prereading abilities, oral language abilities, motor skills, personality, and home background were measured at school entry. Reading achievement was subsequently assessed at the end of Kindergarten and Grade 1. The strongest predictors of reading achievement were tasks tapping phonological processing skills, interdigital dexterity, and familiarity with the alphabetic code of English script. Collectively, individual attributes accounted for 63% of the variance in reading achievement at the end of Kindergarten and 59% at the end of Grade 1. A short set of five predictors offers a potentially useful screening test for the early identification of reading-disabled children. The effect of the ability composition of a child's class and school was also assessed. Significant ability-composition effects were obtained, accounting for 9% of Kindergarten and 6% of Grade 1 reading achievement variance over and above variance owing to individual factors. Peer ability was as strong a predictor of individual reading achievement as individual ability. Children emerging from primary school exhibit enormous variation in their reading achievement. Within a single school it is possible to find children who are reading at several grades above their own grade level, while other children at the same school are reading at several grades below. Furthermore, there are often substantial differences in reading achievement between schools. The source of this enormous variation in achievement has been the focus of considerable research in the last two decades. Both in-school factors, such as school and teacher characteristics, and out-of-school factors, such as individual pupil abilities and family background, have been investigated. The general conclusion from this research is that out-of-school factors have a far greater We wish to thank the district inspectors, principals, teachers, parents, and pupils associated with the schools in the Geelong region where the research was carried out. Particular thanks are due Barbara Matthews and Bobbie Waterman for their help with the testing of subjects and analysis of data. Financial support for the research was provided by the Percy Baxter Charitable Trust, Deakin University, and the Australian Research Grants Scheme.

An invited article: Phonological recoding and reading acquisition

Abstract: Phonological recoding is commonly viewed as a back-up mechanism when word identification using the visual pathway fails. A second more important role for phonological recoding is as a self-teaching mechanism by which the child learns to identify words visually. Although phonological recoding may play a minor role in skilled adult reading, it plays a critical role in helping the child become a skilled reader. This article reviews the evidence relevant to these issues. The first section examines evidence on the role of phonological recoding in the development of word identification skills and reading comprehension. The next section reviews evidence showing that children with reading disabilities often have deficits in basic phonological processing skills. The third section deals with the nature of the reading problem in such children which, it is argued, is consistent with the proposed developmental analysis of the importance of phonological recoding in learning to read. The article concludes with a discussion of the teaching implications of these conclusions.

Preventing reading difficulties in young children

Abstract: 1 Front Matter 2 Executive Summary 3 Part I: Introduction to Reading 4 1. Introduction 5 2. The Process of Learning to Read 6 Part II: Who Are We Talking About? 7 3. Who Has Reading Difficulties? 8 4. Predictors of Success and Failure in Reading 9 Part III: Prevention and Intervention 10 5. Preventing Reading Difficulties Before Kindergarten 11 6. Instructional Strategies for Kindergarten and the Primary Grades 12 7. Organizational Strategies for Kindergarten and the Primary Grades 13 8. Helping Children with Reading Difficulties in Grades 1 to 3 14 Part IV: Knowledge into Action 15 9. The Agents of Change 16 10. Recommendations for Practice and Research 17 References 18 Biographical Sketches 19 Index

Matthew effects in reading: Some consequences of individual differences in the acquisition of literacy.

Abstract: A framework for conceptualizing the development of individual differences in reading ability is presented that synthesizes a great deal of the research literature. The framework places special emph...

A Distributed, Developmental Model of Word Recognition and Naming.

Abstract: A parallel distributed processing model of visual word recognition and pronunciation is described. The model consists of sets of orthographic and phonological units and an interlevel of hidden units. Weights on connections between units were modified during a training phase using the back-propagation learning algorithm. The model simulates many aspects of human performance, including (a) differences between words in terms of processing difficulty, (b) pronunciation of novel items, (c) differences between readers in terms of word recognition skill, (d) transitions from beginning to skilled reading, and (e) differences in performance on lexical decision and naming tasks. The model's behavior early in the learning phase corresponds to that of children acquiring word recognition skills. Training with a smaller number of hidden units produces output characteristic of many dyslexic readers. Naming is simulated without pronunciation rules, and lexical decisions are simulated without accessing word-level representations. The performance of the model is largely determined by three factors: the nature of the input, a significant fragment of written English; the learning rule, which encodes the implicit structure of the orthography in the weights on connections; and the architecture of the system, which influences the scope of what can be learned.

Heuristics and Biases: The Psychology of Intuitive Judgment

Abstract: A review is presented of the book “Heuristics and Biases: The Psychology of Intuitive Judgment,” edited by Thomas Gilovich, Dale Griffin, and Daniel Kahneman.

Executive Functions and Developmental Psychopathology

Abstract: In this paper, we consider the domain of executive functions (EFs) and their possible role in developmental psychopathologies. We first consider general theoretical and measurement issues involved in studying EFs and then review studies of EFs in four developmental psychopathologies: attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), conduct disorder (CD), autism, and Tourette syndrome (TS). Our review reveals that EF deficits are consistently found in both ADHD and autism but not in CD (without ADHD) or in TS. Moreover, both the severity and profile of EF deficits appears to differ across ADHD and autism. Molar EF deficits are more severe in the latter than the former. In the few studies of more specific EF tasks, there are impairments in motor inhibition in ADHD but not in autism, whereas there are impairments in verbal working memory in autism but not ADHD. We close with a discussion of implications for future research.