Reviews five commercially available tests of functional literacy and discusses two concerns related to the testing of functional literacy. (MKM)

Compares the effectiveness of classroom instruction using constant time delay and community-based instruction to teach a functional sight word vocabulary to students with moderate mental retardation. Finds no statistically significant differences between the two approaches. Discusses implications for practitioners and offers suggestions for…

Examines the effect of cooperative learning strategy manipulations on the enactment and recall of a medical procedure. Reports that, in all groups, recall of the procedure was enhanced by prior performance, while performance was enhanced by prior recall in only two of the four groups. (MM)

Prompted by concern that the State of New Jersey driver's manual was too difficult for many low-skilled readers to read and comprehend, a study was conducted in which chapter 6 of the driver's manual was rewritten, lowering its readability level from grade 8 to grade 6. It was hypothesized that significant differences in comprehension would result…

Student performance objectives for the North Carolina Senior High Assessment of Reading Performance (SHARP) and the Test of Proficiency in Computation Skills (TOPICS) are given. These minimum competency tests are structured in such a way as to facilitate the transference of school-based learning into everyday life. For example, students taking the…

ENGLISH COMPOSITION CLASSES IN THREE HIGH SCHOOLS WERE USED FOR AN EXPERIMENTAL PROGRAM TO SHOW THE EFFECTIVENESS OF LAY READERS IN GRADING STUDENT PAPERS. THE PROGRAM WAS SPECIFIED AS "CONTRACT CORRECTING," OR STATED IN ANOTHER WAY, IT WAS AN ATTEMPT TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM OF AN ADEQUATE WRITING PROGRAM FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WITHOUT…

Teachers are faced with the problem of needing to do a better job of teaching the basics and the astrobasics (those skills needed to understand and respond to the complex bureaucratic demands of the space age, especially reading and filling in such forms as those required for class registration, student loans, and income tax preparation). At least…

In a response to the Mikulecky and Diehl examination of work-related literacy, this paper points out the need for data based on ethnographic approaches to research and more realistic assessments of text difficulty. Also suggested are questions to which future research might respond: How much of functional literacy is really functional competency?…

Creative understanding as a facet of comprehension is the prime objective of reading instruction. Understanding what is read is basic to any aspect of learning, but the learner should be prepared to go beyond mere understanding and to use information gained to further enrich his experiences and knowledge through critical analysis, creative…

A functional approach to reading was investigated in seventh grade social studies classes to determine the effectiveness of guiding students in the adaptation of two essential comprehension abilities needed to read the text materials. Specifically, the investigation evaluated the use of reading guides prepared to aid students in the recognition of…

A strategy for teaching reading was developed and tested to determine in what way such a strategy would influence ability to recognize patterns of organization, content acquisition, social studies reading, and general reading comprehension. (PCB)

Shows how to incorporate direct and functional reading instruction into career education programs. (GW)

Describes the development of a criterion referenced minimum-competency test in reading which was normed by community job holders and based on the ability to answer questions about items taken from a newspaper. (MKM)

Courseware for teaching survival sight vocabulary and reading skills by computer to nonreading adults was developed using principles of adult learning. Non-English speaking immigrants in Western Australia used the modules cooperatively and were interviewed to determine their reactions to the approach. (SK)

Outlines the contents of reading materials kits designed to be used to improve the functional reading ability of adolescents in Great Britain. (VJ)