Perceptual Training and Reading Achievement in Disadvantaged Children

2 groups of second-grade inner-city Negro children were matched for reading achievement and perceptual ability. The experimental group was trained with a series of nonverbal perceptual exercises for one-half hour 3 times a week for a period of 15 weeks. The control group met for a comparable amount of time but was trained with a commercial reading program (The Bank Street Readers). Results showed that the experimental group made significantly greater improvement on word form and word recognition than did the control groups. The results are interpreted as supporting a perceptual activity analysis of the perceptual process in reading.