Does Accuracy Make a Difference? Examining the Miscues of Proficient and Less Than Proficient Adult Readers

Abstract

One theory of reading posits that “mistakes” made by readers are something that need to be corrected. An alternate theory of reading views “mistakes” as miscues and part of the natural reading process. This research study examined the miscues of proficient and less than proficient adult readers. Less than proficient adult readers produced more miscues, but when a miscue was made the proficient adult readers were no better at correcting their miscues than the less than proficient readers. When examining the types of miscues produced (i.e., insertion, omission, substitution, or misarticulation) each group of readers produced very similar percentage rates for each category.

Keywords:

• adult readers
• college reading