Since Emmett Betts first devised a framework of independent, instructional, and frustration reading levels in the 1940s, these levels have played a large role in classroom assessment and instruction. It is important for teachers to have a deep understanding of the research that supports the reading level framework. This article identifies four key…

From November 1972 through June 1973 an experiment was conducted with 576 students (in grades two, four, and six) to determine if there were significant differences in reading performance and attitude toward reading between students in programs which included a daily period of sustained, silent reading (SSR) and those in programs which did not.…

A study investigated whether there was a significant difference in the comprehension and appreciation of literature studied through oral interpretation when compared to silent reading. Two hundred and sixty-three third, fourth, and fifth graders from Terre Haute, Indiana were separated into experimental and control groups, and were given pre- and…

Reading test questions were classified as literal or inferential. The kind of question was controlled to determine the influence of test format on comprehension. Analysis of variance indicated no direct effects attributable to test format or kinds of comprehension. Contentions of deficits in automaticity and attentional focus in poor readers were…

Describes an experiment investigating the reading comprehension performance of fifth grade readers under three reading conditions: listening, silent reading, and round robin oral reading. Finds that comprehension declined from listening, to silent, to round robin oral reading. (RAE)

Study investigated the effects of retelling practice sessions on the prose comprehension of fourth grade proficient and less proficient readers. For four sessions, they read silently, rendered free recall, then retold if desired. Researcher assessments indicated such practice in retelling caused significant improvements in quantity and quality of…

Describes a study of the relationship between silent and oral reading comprehension as measured by an individualized diagnostic instrument. (RB)

Describes the process of mental modeling, a technique for helping poor readers become strategic readers by increasing their metacognitive control. (ARH)

Describes an effective procedure for getting "print-bound" poor comprehenders to attend actively to meaning while reading and to improve their comprehension and attitudes toward reading. (AEA)

Finds that grade two students' comprehension scores did not differ significantly between oral reading and silent reading, while grade three and four students' comprehension scores were significantly higher after oral reading. Argues that these findings are consistent with a Vygotskian model of the transition from oral to silent reading. (SR)

This study evaluated the practice of sustained silent reading (SSR) on the reading comprehension and word recognition skills of 12 third and fourth grade students with learning disabilities. The intervention involved 10 minutes daily of SSR over a 6-month period in the context of 30 minutes daily of reading instruction from a learning support…

In the past two decades, sustained silent reading (SSR) has gained attention as a component in many schools' reading programs. Some advocates of SSR differ slightly in their recommendations of specific rules, but most agree on the following guidelines: (1) no interruptions; (2) everyone reads, including the teacher; (3) students choose their own…

Suggests that oral and silent sentence reading represent a similar cognitive process. Reports that poor readers, in particular, decrease processing time on difficult words in silent as compared to oral reading. (AEA)

This study investigated the efficacy of four different reading treatments for reading disabled children. EMG biofeedback training for suppression of subvocalization and individualized reading instruction were combined in an orthogonal design to assess their independent and combined effects on subvocalization, comprehension, and vocabulary mastery.…

Children aged 7 to 9 were tested for their recall after hearing, orally reading, and silently reading comparable stories. Boys exhibited very poor recall performance after silent reading compared with their recall after listening and after oral reading. Girls showed comparable recall performance across all three language reception modes.…