Reports on part of a larger study that seeks to determine visual screening needs as they apply to reading, learning, and classroom environment. Concludes that, when carefully interpreted, an analysis of eye motion in the reading act can supply important information for teachers and parents. (MG)

Argues that the use of visuals specifically designed to complement printed instruction can significantly improve student achievement of certain types of educational objectives, but that visualization itself represents only a mild rehearsal strategy which will not always optimize student achievement of the more complex levels of learning. (RS)

Describes three studies relating to visual functioning. Finds that reading retardation is the result of a clustering of factors, of multiple causation. Discusses the need to determine whether or not a student has the necessary lateral and other functional vision skills to maintain sufficient body energy for the demands of the reading task. (MG)

Relates an experiment in which relaxation techniques and visual image training enhanced poor readers' comprehension and literal recall of narrative prose. (HOD)

Evaluates the use of self-instructional learning packages using a visual image approach for teaching the technical language of five trade areas to learning handicapped high school students enrolled in regular vocational education classes. (FL)

Critiques an experiment by M. Arlin, M. Scott, and J. Webster (see EJ 206 153) in which their pictures as an aid to learning hypothesis contrasts with the focal attention hypothesis supported by research by H. Singer, S. J. Samuels, and J. Spiroff (see EJ 105 648). (MKM)

Tests a theoretical model of hemispheric brain activity which attempts to explain the relation between visual ability and verbal written compositions. Concludes that the model which indicates that synthesis is a right brain activity and that visualizing activity can assist synthesis is supported for right-handed students. (RS)

Investigates whether the prelexical phonological route develops prior to the visual route while learning to read Greek. Finds reading accuracy unaffected by the main psycholinguistic properties of words; chronological age did not influence long-term reading acquisition; and beginning readers used phonological information in reading but started to…

Describes the results of a survey of highly successful junior high and middle school students, which asked open-ended questions about their perceptions of spelling. Indicates that visualizing is the most common strategy for learning new words, followed by dictionary use and repeating words over and over. (SKC)

A parallel distributed processing model of visual word recognition and pronunciation is described. A key feature is the assumption that there is a simple, uniform procedure for computing a phonological representation from an orthographic representation for irregular words as well as regular words. (SLD)

Describes a college teaching experience in which active visual analysis (hands-on deconstruction of visual statements to their constituent elements and principles) had an unblocking effect on concomitant writing assignments. Suggests that students can improve both verbal and visual articulateness when modes of perceiving and thinking are used…

Presents an overview of research on using mental imagery to assist reading and listening comprehension, and provides practical suggestions for teaching students to use visual imagery to enhance comprehension. (SKC)

Concludes that there is a relationship between imagery level and comprehension and that imagery level of text can be determined "a priori" of pupils reading text. (FL)

Concludes that neither the focal attention nor contextual theory offers a powerful explanation for words learned through visual exposure. (FL)

Kindergarten students were taught words with or without pictures to test the focal attention hypothesis that pictures interfere with sight-word learning. In this study, pictures presented with words facilitated rather than hindered learning. (MKM)