The Relationship Between Visuals Skills and Reading Achievement of College Athletes
Frank Spaniol, Liette Ocker, Randy Bonnette, Martin Ward, and Jeff Paluseo
Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, Corpus Christi, TX. Human Performance Lab.
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: To investigate the relationship between visual skills and reading achievement of college athletes. METHODS: Fourteen (14) male college athletes (ages 18-23) from the Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi baseball team were studied at the conclusion of the 2007 fall baseball season. Each subject was assessed for visual skills utilizing the VizualEdge Performance Trainer® (VEPT), a software program designed to evaluate and train visual skills. Individual test scores were determined for eye alignment, depth perception, convergence, divergence, visual recognition, visual memory, and visual tracking. A composite VEPT score was also calculated for each subject. Reading achievement was determined by the third edition of the Gates-MacGinitie Reading Test (Level 10/12, Form L). The test consists of two parts: vocabulary and comprehension. The vocabulary section includes forty-five objective questions while the comprehension section includes forty-eight objective questions. Per test administration instructions, all subjects were permitted twenty minutes to complete the vocabulary section and thirty-five minutes to complete the comprehension section. Raw scores were recorded for each section, while an extended scale score (ESS) was recorded for each subject. RESULTS: Data analysis was performed on the test scores by utilizing a correlation matrix to calculate correlation coefficients for the following variables: visual convergence, visual divergence, visual recognition, visual tracking, reading vocabulary raw score, reading comprehension raw score, composite raw score, and extended scale score. Statistical analyses (p < .05) indicated high positive relationships between visual convergence and reading vocabulary (r = .72) and visual divergence and reading vocabulary (r = .74). Additional moderate positive relationships existed for visual convergence and ESS (r = .62), visual divergence and ESS (r = .56), visual convergence and composite score (r = .57), visual divergence and composite score (r = .61), and the comprehensive VEPT score and ESS (r = .48).
CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study indicate that significant positive relationships existed between visual convergence and reading vocabulary and visual divergence and reading vocabulary. In addition, significant relationships existed between convergence, divergence, VEPT, and composite scores and ESS.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: This study was funded by a grant from the Center for Educational Development, Evaluation, and Research (CEDER) at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.
