Dudley-Marling discusses the nature of research in the teaching of reading and the possible connections between such research to teaching and to policy. He questions what he calls the "leitmotif" of federal education policy, specifically, the call for "scientifically based research" to determine reading teaching practices, arguing how such…

Documents a model that resulted from an analysis of context clues to determine which were amenable to instruction and what pedagogical approach should be used. (DD)

Describes two studies of word meaning acquisition among children. Concludes that (1) even very young children can learn new words and their meanings on basis of linguistic expressions and in absence of direct experience with referents, and (2) that particular forms of discourse (e.g., narrative and dialogue) can render new meanings more accessible…

No evidence was found to indicate that grammatical reading interference is an important factor in the poor reading achievement of Black youngsters. (JH)

This study offers an alternative to traditional notions of scaffolding for reading comprehension by tracing the evolution of a fifth-grade small group literature conversation in which the teacher sought to displace himself as "primary knower" (Berry, 1981) in the conversation. The study examines how the teacher shared evaluation with his…

Describes a study of seventh graders learning to make and share meaning about literature through "sketch-to-stretch," an interpretive strategy involving the creation of symbols and pictures and other nonlinguistic signs to signify ideas generated through reading. Supports teaching that provides such shared opportunities for students. (TB)

Results of a study in which four instructional methods (involving different amounts of preparation and guidance in reading short stories) were used with 48 seventh-grade students demohstrate that it is possible to simultaneously prepare able and less able readers for discussion of the same story. Reading attitudes were also assessed in the study.…

Examines the ability of 10 sixth grade Hispanic bilingual students to construct meaning in dialogue journals and literature logs in their first and second languages. Finds that students are more effective in constructing meaning in dialogue journals than in literature logs. (MG)