Roderick W. Barron
Professor Emeritus
College of Social and Applied Human Sciences
Research Areas
- Reading
- Motivation
- Language
- Educational psychology
- Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology
I am interested in cognitive, linguistic, and motivational influences on children's acquisition of literacy skill and in developmental reading disorders.
My research deals with the early acquisition of reading and spelling skill, especially children's knowledge of letters and other sub-word units and their relationship to spoken language. I also conduct research on developmental reading disorders and on children's motivation for learning to read.
I retired from the University on January 1, 2016.
Education
- Ph.D. Ohio State University 1971
- MA Ohio State University 1969
- BA Occidental College 1966
Research
I conduct research on the early acquisiton of reading and spelling skill, especially children's knowledge of letters and other sub-word units and their relationship to spoken language. I also do research on developmental reading disorders and on children's motivation for learning to read.
Publications
Lovett, M. W., Barron, R. W. & Frijters, J. C. (2012). Word identification difficulties in children and adolescents with reading disabilities: Intervention research findings. In H. L. Swanson, K. Harris & S. Graham (Eds.). Handbook of learning disabilities (2nd Ed. pp. 329-360). New York: Guilford Publications.
Pike, M., Barnes, M. & Barron, R. W. (2010). The role of illustrations in children’s inferential comprehension. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 105, 243-255.
Frijters, J. C., Barron, R. W. & Brunello, M. (2000). Direct and mediated influences of home literacy and literacy interest on prereaders’ oral vocabulary and early written language skill. Journal of Educational Psychology, 92, 466-477.
Barron, R. W. (1998). Proto-literate knowledge: Antecedents and influences on phonological awareness and literacy. In C. Hulme & R. M. Joshi (Eds.). Reading and spelling: Development and disorder, (pp. 153-173). Mahwah, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Barron, R. W. & Addison, M. The letter-name to letter-sound connection: Two types of letter-name knowledge and the role of phonological awareness (in preparation)
Teaching
I taught undergradute and graduate courses in cognition and developmental psychology until my retirement from the University on January 1, 2016.