Doctoral Graduates

I have a B.A. in Applied Linguistics and Educational Administration, an English Teaching Certificate, an M.A. in Educational Administration, a Certificate in Remedial English Teaching, a teacher training qualification and an official permit to train Israeli teachers with the Oxford SRS remedial teaching program (in collaboration with the Our Right to Read Foundation in Oxford, England). I have been teaching English in high school for 24 years, practicing remedial English teaching in my private clinic for 12 years and training teachers in teaching children with difficulties for the past decade. In November 2015, I submitted my Ph.D. dissertation in the Department of Learning Disabilities in Haifa University. 

Thesis Title 

English Reading Comprehension of Adolescent Hebrew Speakers Learning English as a Foreign Language

Grant

A PhD research grant by "Language Learning" - Journal of Research in Language Studies, Published at the University on Michigan by Wiley-Blackwell Publishers

Publications

"DIMENSIONS" English teaching comprehensive course book & practice book for high school students at Proficiency Level - stage one (approve by the Ministry of Education), accompanied by a practice book and teachers' guide, University Publishing Projects.

ESEwithRita@gmail.com

www.ESEwithRita.co.il

I have a B.Ed. and a teaching certificatefromLevinsky College, and M.A in Learning Disability evaluation and remediation from Haifa University. During the past three years I am working as an implementation coordinator at the Edmond J. SafraBrain Research Center for the Study of Learning Disabilities at the University of Haifa. As part of my work I am responsible for coordinate and management of teachers' training programof the Edmond J. Safra-Haifa model of assessment and intervention processes to promote literacy among poor readers, and also work as a lecturer in these programs. In addition, I am responsible for theimplementation of reading acceleration program developed at the Edmond J. Safra center and facilitating mobile unit of Edmond J. Safra Center for the Advancement of Learning. Furthermore I am a research assistant of Prof. Michal Shany at developing reading comprehension assessment tests.

Thesis Title

"The prediction of reading comprehension by trait anxiety and knowledge and rumination about reading difficulties among eight- to ten-year-old poor readers and their mothers"

Thesis Presentations

Blicher, S. &Shany, M. (2014). "The prediction of reading comprehension by trait anxiety and knowledge and rumination about reading difficulties among eight- to ten-year-old poor readers and their mothers". A poster presentation at the 8th annual conference of the Israeli Association for Literacy and Language in Haifa university.

Publications

Blicher, S., Feingold, L., &Shany, M. (2016). The Role of Trait Anxiety and Preoccupation With Reading Disabilities of Children and Their Mothers in Predicting Children's Reading Comprehension. Journal of learning disabilities.‏

shirablicher@gmail.com

I am a Phd. Student in the department of learning disabilities and working as a head of two academic-seminar courses- "Learning Disabilities" and "Reading Disabilities" in the Open University.

My research, under the supervision of Prof. Tami Katzir and Dr. Anat Prior, focuses on meta-comprehension processes (calibration of comprehension) in first (L1) and second (L2) languages reading comprehension of higher education students. 

The main purpose of my research is to investigate whether calibration of comprehension is shared across languages or is it a language specific ability. A second purpose is to explore whether student'scalibration ability can be improved by direct feedback and practice. Additionally, we would like to examine the effect of working memory capacity on the ability to calibrate comprehension. 

Thesis title: 

Meta-comprehension processes in first (L1) and second language (L2) reading comprehension:A computer based training study. 

Grant: 

A research grant by the Israel Science Foundation. A PhD research grant by Haifa University graduate studies authority. 

lilachtem@gmail.com

I have a B.A. in Behavioral Sciencesfrom the College of Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and M.A in Learning Disability diagnosis and treatment from Haifa University. I have worked in avariousframework as a guide and an expert in diagnosis and remediation of learning disabilities in children, adolescents and adults. Currently, I am a third year PHD student working on my dissertation, which exploreswheterdifferent types of on-line feedback can be used to assess learning in middle school student. Our study examined whether computerized reading comprehension intervention that includes on-line feedback improves reading comprehensionand meta-cognitive abilities such as calibration of comprehension. In addition, I am working as a coordinator for learning disability evaluation and treatment at a high school for underprivileged students, and I am lecturer in severalacademics programs.  

Thesis title: 

The effect of different types of feedback on comprehension and calibration among middle school students with and without reading comprehension difficulties. 

Thesis Presentations:

Kleider-Tesler, E., Katzir, T., & Shany, M(2013). Response to feedback on Comprehension Calibration: The Effects of Reading Ability and Text Difficulty. Poster presented at theBrain, Mind and Fluency International Conference, Department of Learning Disabilitiesin Haifa University, Israel. 

Kleider-Tesler, E., Katzir, T., & Shany, M (2012).Effect of reading ability and text difficulty feedback on calibration and reading comprehension among students with and without reading disabilities.Lecture at The Israel Association for Literacy and Language in Ono Academic College, Kiryat Ono. 

Publications: 

Katzir, T., Markovich, V., Tesler, E., &Shany. M. (2016). Self-regulation and reading comprehension: self-perceptions, self-evaluations and effective strategies for intervention. Submitted for publication in Meltzer, L. (Ed.). (2016). Executive function in education: From theory to practice 2nd Edition. Guilford Press. 

Grants: 

A PhD research grant by Haifa University graduate studies authority. 

Einat_kleider@hotmail.com

I have a B.A. in Psychology and Comparative Literature from Tel Aviv University, and M.A in Learning Disability evaluation and remediation from Haifa University. I have worked in several learning disability evaluation and tutoring centers in Tel Aviv and Haifa. In addition, I worked as a coordinator for learning disability evaluation and remediation in a high school for underprivileged students. I am currently working in Hemdat Academic College in Netivot and in Levinsky College in Tel Aviv. I am a post-doc student under the supervision of Dr. Sarit Barzilai at Haifa university.

Thesis title: 

The effect of questions type on multiple texts integration. 

Thesis Presentations:

Primor, L. &Katzir, T. (2008). Predicting reading comprehension of narrative and expository texts among different profiles of readers. Paper presented at the "Script" conference, Haifa, Israel.

Primor, L. &Katzir, T. (2010). Predicting reading comprehension of narrative and expository texts among different profiles of readers. Paper presented at the annual conference of the Israeli speech therapists, Tel Aviv, Israel.

Primor. L, Pierce. M., &Katzir T. (2010). Predicting reading comprehension of narrative and expository texts among different profiles of Hebrew speaking readers. Poster presented at the Society of Scientific Studies of Reading, Berlin. 

Publications: 

בן צבי, ג' ופרימור, ל'. (2011). הכישורים המעצבים את התפקודים האוריינים בגיל ההתבגרות. סקירהמוזמנת כחומר רקע לעבודת ועדת שפה ואוריינות, היזמה למחקר יישומי בחינוך. 

Primor, L., Pierce, M., &Katzir, T. (2011). Predicting reading comprehension of narrative and expository texts among different profiles of Hebrew readers. Annals of Dyslexia. 61(2), 242-68. 

Primor, L., Yeari, M., & Katzir, T. (2021). Choosing the right question: the effect of different question types on multiple text integration. Reading and Writing, 1-29.  

lironprimor@gmail.com

My research involves exploring the links between cognition and emotion. My PhD thesis focused on the potential of reading related components, namely RAN-L, reading rate, reading accuracy and reading comprehension to independently predict reading self-concept. The second step was to examine the effects of an intervention protocol that specifically targets the precursors of reading self-concept. The third step was to capture developmental changes in the predictors of reading self-concept.

Thesis:

Kasperski, R. (2015). Longitudinal Changes in the Predictors of Reading Self-Concept among At Risk and Typically Developing Readers ages 8 to 9 Participating in a Reading Intervention Program (PhD thesis). University of Haifa.

Kasperski, R. (2009). Beyond the cognitive factors in reading comprehension: The role of reading self-concept and reading self-confidence (Master's thesis). University of Haifa.

Research interests

My interest in reading research is centered on issues concerning the relations between reader's characteristics and reading achievements.

Journal Publications

Kasperski, R., Shany, M., & Katzir, T. (2016). The role of RAN and reading rate in predicting reading self-concept. Reading and Writing: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 29 (1), 117-136.

Kasperski, R., & Katzir, T. (2013). Are confidence ratings test- or trait-driven?: Individual differences among high, average, and low comprehenders in fourth grade. Reading Psychology, 34(1), 59-84.

Conferences:

Kasperski, R., Shany, M., & Katzir, T. (2016). The Effects of Fluency-Based Intervention on Reading Self-Concept of Second and Third Grade Readers. Poster presented at the Society for the Scientific Study of Reading (SSSR, 2016) Porto, Porugal.

Kasperski, R., Shany, M., & Katzir, T. (2015). Longitudinal Changes in the Predictors of Reading Self-Concept among At Risk and Typically Developing Readers ages 8 to 9 Participating in a Reading Intervention Program. Poster presented at the Cognitive and Neurocognitive Aspects of Learning Abilities and Disabilities (2015) Haifa, Israel.

Kasperski, R., Barzillai, M., & Breznitz, Z.(2014). "The Effects of the Reading Acceleration Program on the Reading Fluency and Processing Speed Skills of Elementary and Middle School Readers. Presentation at the Society for the Scientific Study  of Reading (SSSR, 2014) Santa-fe, NM..

Kasperski, R., Shany, M., & Katzir, T. (2013). Is There a Transfer Effect from Training Lower Level Reading Skills to Perceptions and Metacognition? Poster presented at the Brain, Mind and Fluency Conference (2013). Haifa, Israel..

Kasperski, R., Shany, M., Katzir, T., Breznitz, Z., & Galili, K. (2012). Changes in Reading self concept and calibration of comprehension among struggling 4th children, as a results of fluency based intervention. Presentation at the International Academy for Research in Learning Disabilities, Padua, Italy, June 7-9, 2012.

Katzir, T. & Kasperski, R. (2010). Beyond the Cognitive Factors in Reading Comprehension: The Role of Reading Self-Concept and Reading Self-Confidence. Presented at the International Academy for Research in Learning Disabilities, Miami, Jan, 2010.

Kasperski, R. & Katzir, T. (2008). Beyond the Cognitive Factors in Reading Comprehension: The Role of Reading Self-Concept and Reading Self-Confidence. Paper presented at the "Script" conference, Haifa, Israel.

I have a B.A. in Communication Sciences and Disorders from University of Haifa, M.A(Summa Cum Laude) in Learning Disabilities from University of Haifa, and a Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary "Brain and Behavior" program,The Safra Center for the Brain and Learning Disabilities, from University of Haifa.

I have worked as a speech-language pathologist in The Interdisciplinary Clinical Center of Haifa University,andin a private clinic as well, with children 2-18 years old with avariety of language and communication disorders. In addition, I have worked as an audiologist in SteinerHearing Instrument Ltd and provided hearing rehabilitation to people with hearing difficulties in all ages.

Nowadays I'm a post-doctoral researcher at Dr. James Booth’s Brain Development Lab, at the Communication Sciences and Disorders Department, theUniversity of Texas at Austin. I am interested in typical and atypical brain development of language and literacy skills, including children with specific language impairments, dyslexia, learning disabilities, and deaf and hard of hearing.

Thesis title: 

The Effects of Orthographic Transparencyand Familiarity on Reading Hebrew Words in Typical and Impaired Readers:Behavioral and Neural Evidence

Publications:

Weiss, Katzir, &Bitan (2015). The effects of orthographic transparency and familiarity on reading Hebrew words in adults with and without dyslexia. Annals of dyslexia, 65(2), 84-102.

Weiss, Katzir, &Bitan (2015). Many ways to read your vowels—Neural processing of diacritics and vowel letters in Hebrew.NeuroImage, 121, 10-19.

Weiss, Katzir, &Bitan (under revision).When transparency is opaque: Effects of diacritic marks and vowelletters on dyslexic Hebrew readers. Cortex.

Grants:

ESF (European Science Foundation) networking program NetWordS. Exchange visit grant 09-RNP-089. Hosted by Prof. Cristina Burani in the ISTC, CNR, Rome.

University of Haifa president's excellence scholarship for students in the direct Ph.D. track.