A study determined which approach for vocabulary development, context or definition, would yield the best results on a teacher-made content area vocabulary test. Two random samples (for a total of 45 students) of fourth graders from a central New Jersey elementary school were formed. One sample was taught 50 social studies vocabulary words using…

A study examined whether oral, silent, or choral reading would affect reading comprehension. Subjects were 22 heterogeneously grouped third grade students. Two groups of 11 subjects were assigned to each of the following three samples during a three week period: (1) oral reading; (2) silent reading; and (3) choral reading. To analyze results,…

A study examined a collaborative project between a college and a New Jersey school district. The study was designed to facilitate change in reading instruction in a safe, non-intrusive manner. It used a collaborative model consisting of three sections: the beginning process, which included the choosing of director and co-director and formation of…

In 1990, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) included a Trial State Assessment (TSA); for the first time in NAEP's history, voluntary state-by-state assessments were made. In 1994, TSA was expanded to include non-public school students. The 1994 reading assessment considered students' proficiency in situations that involved…

A study investigated whether students in whole language based and basal reader approaches would have different concepts of reading when asked to define reading. Subjects, 69 suburban New Jersey first and third graders and 16 New Zealand first graders, were asked 3 questions: "What is reading?"; "What do you do when you read?";…

A study determined if regular listening to oral reading by the teacher affected fourth-grade students' level of comprehension. Subjects were 47 students from an elementary school in central New Jersey. Twenty-five students were read to for 30 minutes daily for 8 weeks in addition to their regular classroom reading instruction. The remaining 22…

A study examined the effect of geographic mobility on elementary school students' achievement. Although such mobility, which requires students to make multiple moves among schools, can have a negative impact on academic achievement, the hypothesis for the study was that it was not a determining factor in reading achievement test scores. Subjects…

In 1990, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) included a Trial State Assessment (TSA); for the first time in NAEP's history, voluntary state-by-state assessments were made. In 1992, the NAEP Program included an expanded TSA in fourth-grade reading. The 1992 reading assessment considered students' performance in situations that…

A study was conducted to show that there would be no difference between two samples' abilities to complete a hands-on science project when one is provided with advance organizers and the other is not. The sample of students were second, third, and fourth graders from the science program in Piscataway Township Schools in New Jersey. The…

A study examined retelling as a reading comprehension-enhancing technique. Subjects were 26 urban, lower socio-economic fourth graders from New Jersey (Essex County), including 10 girls and 16 boys. A control sample answered questions as a follow-up to reading basal stories; an experimental sample retold the stories as a follow-up. Comparable…

A study determined differences, if any, in attitude toward reading between remedial reading adult learners and reading proficient adult learners. Subjects, 129 adult learners from both the high school and college populations in New Jersey, completed an attitude survey using a Likert scale. Subjects were identified as remedial or proficient readers…

A study was undertaken to analyze and compare the content of two reading courses required for all prospective secondary school teachers in each of the seven teacher training schools in New Jersey. A five-page questionnaire was sent to the director of the reading program or to a member of the reading program staff at each of the colleges. The…

Research supports that drama should be an integral part of the elementary and secondary curriculum. Utilizing drama strategies enriches learning in the reading program, the literature program, and the areas of oral language development, nonverbal communication, vocabulary development, listening skills, thinking skills, and creative writing. Yet,…