The authors used a randomized design to investigate the effects of an enriched reading program, Schoolwide Enrichment Reading Model (SEM-R), with blocks of independent reading on oral reading fluency (ORF), reading comprehension, and attitudes toward reading for students in Grades 3-5. The authors used SEM-R in comparison with basal reading…

A comparison of the difficulty in underlying structure of basal reading texts with the difficulty in surface structure raises questions on the validity of the Fry Readability Formula and other traditional readability formulas. (CJ)

Elementary school teachers in Texas were surveyed to determine (1) their attitudes toward basal readers; (2) the extent of their use of basal reader programs; and (3) their perceptions of state reading textbook adoption policies. Findings are presented. Issues regarding teachers as decision makers versus technicians are discussed. (Author/MT)

Some teachers consider the purpose of oral reading to be accurate word identification rather than identification of meaning. These teachers do not view the oral reading portion of the lesson as an opportunity to guide children in application of meaning identification strategies. (Authors/CJ)

Describes in detail the nature and degree of picture dependence in first grade basal texts and examines its effects on children's reading. The existence of picture dependence appears to be an unintended consequence of vocabulary-control constraints. It is argued that picture-dependent text does not assist reading acquisition and may hinder it. (JD)

The purpose of this study was to determine if the DISTAR Reading I Program was more effective than a basal reading program in increasing school-based language ability for 80 first-grade Black students. (Author/IAH)

This study examined the test-retest reliability and criterion validity of basal mastery tests of three commercial reading series. Results indicated that reliability and validity of the test varied among and within instruments. Implications for developing and using basal mastery tests are discussed. (Author/MT)

Differences in interactions between two sets of fourth-grade teachers and their average reading groups immediately following the reading of a basal story were explored in this study. Results and hypotheses for further research are offered. (Author/DF)

Second grade students'"think-alouds" were analyzed to investigate whether children used different reading stategies to comprehend targeted story grammar categories in two basal reader narratives. Results indicate that the proportion of elaborative and nonelaborative strategies used by children differed as a function of category type.…

Nineteen first grade children were randomly assigned to two experimental reading instruction conditions lasting 12 weeks. Both conditions used the language experience approach to teaching beginning language. In the experimental stage, the language experience approach was augmented by a total of six hours of individualized word-bank activities.…

Results of this study supported the belief that whole language strategies and routines used in first grade classrooms will yield scores on traditional reading standardized achievement tests that are comparable or superior to those resulting from the use of basal reader programs. (Author/IAH)

Survey examined 1,244 elementary principals' understanding of current issues in elementary reading instruction and information sources they used to learn about issues. Principals reported awareness of current reading issues. They did not have enough confidence in their understanding of issues to give a reasoned rationale for taking one particular…

This study examined reading instruction and its effects in schools with two different philosophical stances (process and traditional approaches to reading). Observations of six classes, three using traditional and three using process approaches, indicated that there were far more similarities than differences. Differences in school philosophy made…