Results are reported from a study which showed that activating competent readers' naive conceptions about a complex science concept is not as effective in dispelling inaccurate information as activating their naive conceptions and then explicitly directing them to read and attend to ideas that might differ from their own. (IAH)

A study investigated the effects of training in the use of graphic organizers on the summarization strategies of disabled readers. Subjects, 21 disabled readers (with a mean age of 13 years, 7 months) from a reading clinic, received 5 hours of training in the use of graphic organizers to map expository passages. Instruction included training in…

Discussion of learner preferences for text densities on computer screen displays highlights two studies of college students that compared preferences for multiple or single screen presentations with high-, medium-, or low-density screens from an actual course using computer-assisted instruction. Results are analyzed, and further research needs are…

A study examined the effect of amount of intervening text on the detection of semantic inconsistencies and use of strategic backtracking, by competent and less competent college readers. Data were elicited from 40 undergraduate students (selected on the basis of their high or low scores on a variety of instruments) enrolled in an introductory…

Results of a study which partially replicated Roller's study of the effects of text-based (text structure) and reader-based (previous knowledge) factors on judgments of importance in exposition, suggest that ratings may be a more sensitive and dependable index of importance judgments than written summaries. (IAH)

This study examined the influence of textual display in printed instruction on the attention, performance, and preference of 90 preservice teachers, and investigated differential effects of textual display for high and low ability learners. Textual display was operationally defined as the arrangement of specified elements on the printed page, and…

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of three electronic text variables (run-around, wrap-around, and transparent text) on reading speed and comprehension. One hundred thirty-two undergraduate students in an introductory computer literacy course at a major university were asked to read one of three randomly-distributed passages…

Describes a study of undergraduates that examined differences in computer screen formats and their effects on search time and strategy. Row, diagonal, and column information formats are compared, as well as tightly packed and loosely packed displays, and results of regression and residual analyses are discussed. (38 references) (LRW)

Examines whether the comprehension of English-as-a-Foreign-Language (EFL) students who were trained to summarize improved more than that of students who responded to short-answer questions. Finds that since the reading comprehension of all classes improved significantly, the study could not prove that either approach was the major cause of this…

Describes study that was conducted to determine the effects of two electronic text variables used in desktop publishing on undergraduate students' reading speed and comprehension. Research on text variables, graphic design, instructional text design, and computer screen design is discussed, and further studies are suggested. (22 references) (LRW)

A study examined the relationship between text schemata and comprehension monitoring to determine elementary school children's detection and remediation of internal inconsistencies in narrative and expository passages. Data were elicited (through computerized experimental reading passages containing internal inconsistencies) from 87 students in…

This paper presents a new computer program called Zigzag, suited for investigating readers' mental activity during text processing. The program permits data collection of two different kinds, namely reading time and reading errors for each of the words read. The second dependent measure, reading errors, provides a better control of the readers'…

Describes study that examined text density levels as a design variable in print and computer-based instructional presentations. The six treatment groups are explained, including low density, high density, and learner controlled density; attitude surveys and achievement posttests are described; and implications of the findings for instructional…

Describes a study of junior college students that examined the interrelationship of structural cueing and graphic organizers, two prose processing adjuncts intended to convey the presence and nature of structure in text to learners with high, middle, and low level reading skills. Treatment of the experimental and control groups is explained, and…

This study investigated the differences in the reading rate of eighth grade students on a cloze reading exercise involving the reading of text from a computer monitor. Several different modes of presentation were used in order to determine the effect of prior experience with computers on the students' reading rate. Subjects were 240 eighth grade…