Information on six research programs which studied eye movements during reading and evaluated aspects of PLATO-displayed reading instructional material is provided in this report. An analysis of eye movements of "competent" and "less competent" readers reading for general and detailed information showed many differences between…

Summarizes a teaching experiment in which two data management software packages--PFS:File and PFS:Reports, were adapted for classroom instruction to introduce social studies vocabulary concepts using the semantic feature method. (HTH)

Describes how computer technology has been integrated into the mission of the National Reading Research Center (NRRC). NRRC's rationale for including computer technology in its research agenda is outlined, current research projects involving computers and literacy are reviewed, and several projects that reflect NRRC's major emphases and goals are…

Presents a discussion of the findings from reading-motivation research applied to computerized reading-management programs for elementary school students. Highlights include criticism of computerized reading management programs; intrinsic and extrinsic motivation; tangible and intangible rewards; methodological concerns for researchers; and…

Describes a summer school computer-assisted reading program and reports on differences in student attitudes, time on task, and skill mastery resulting from either teacher-based instruction or a combination of computer-assisted and teacher-based instruction. (AEA)

A study examined the effectiveness of the second year of implementation of the CONSULT-I program, which uses artificial intelligence with statistical pattern recognition in constructing a diagnosis and recommending treatment of reading difficulties. Five elementary classroom teachers, two ESEA (Elementary and Secondary Education Act) teachers, and…

Discusses text displayed on computer screens and examines the effects of three layout variables--justification, line length, and leading--on reading speed and comprehension. Current literature on each variable is reviewed, and implications for the design of computer-based instruction are presented. (Author/LRW)

This paper provides an overview of SuccessMaker, a computer-based reading program that uses literature-based activities to focus on comprehension, vocabulary, phonics, and writing. Intended for use with students in prekindergarten through grade 8, the curriculum challenges students to apply knowledge from literature, content-area reading and…

This paper provides an overview of Accelerated Reader, a system of computerized testing and record-keeping that supplements the regular classroom reading program. Accelerated Reader's primary goal is to increase literature-based reading practice. The program offers a computer-aided reading comprehension and management program intended to motivate…

The efforts to develop and study the effects of a microcomputer program to enhance children's decoding and word recognition skills are described in this paper. The first section of the paper discusses theory and research in the area of cognitive psychology upon which the program, "Construct a Word," is based. The second section describes…

A research project was undertaken to explore the effects of using a microcomputer equipped with a speech synthesizer to enhance and aid in the individualization of the language experience approach in beginning reading instruction. A prototypic program was developed and pilot-tested with 12 kindergarten children over a three-week period, with each…

This paper provides an overview of the Waterford Early Reading Program (WERP), which is designed to shift teaching and learning away from remediation and failure to prevention, early achievement, and sustained growth for every student. WERP includes three levels of instruction: emergent, beginning, and fluent readers. It targets pre-K through…

The use of microcomputers to teach underprepared readers at the City University of New York (CUNY) is the focus of this report. A review of the literature highlights both the instructional and the noninstructional uses to which computers are being put in the college reading classroom today. The report points out (1) that software is a problem,…

While ability to read and think critically is the very basis of post-secondary education, increasing numbers of college students lack these skills. A sequence of two courses in critical reading and thinking are currently offered in the Concentrated Studies program at Duquesne University in Pennsylvania. In these courses, students who are…

Reflecting the views of teachers, reading specialists, and professors on both the basics and the new technologies in reading instruction, these conference proceedings begin with Carl Personke's address, "The Word's the Thing," on classroom activities that stress the word as concept. The second paper, William Linville's and David…