Ten papers from the 1988 Finnish Association of Applied Linguistics (AFinLA) Symposium are presented in this collection. All but two of the papers are in Finnish. Papers and authors are as follows: "Learning to Read: Process and Problems in Acquisition" (E. Bialystok--in English); "When Experts Write for Students: Familiar Concepts in Weird Texts"…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 21 titles deal with a variety of topics, including the following: (1) the effects of a six-months school entrance age difference on reading, mathematics, and language achievement in primary school children; (2) relationships…

Papers in this report were presented at a conference on text characteristics, convened as part of the Learning from Text Project. The foreword describes the University of California and California State University Joint Projects Steering Committee project to determine the relationship between ability to learn from text and academic achievement,…

Part of a continuing series intended for use by reading professionals interested in understanding and improving the reading of adolescents, this report contains five articles dealing with a variety of subjects. Specific topics discussed in the articles are (1) readability, (2) reading deficiencies and previous English instruction of land grant…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 16 titles deal with the following topics: the effects of teacher-directed lessons on fourth and fifth grade students; self-concept and the comprehension of scientific reading; the readability of junior college textbooks; the…

Studies in Canada have shown that between 16 percent and 38 percent of Canadians are illiterate or have low literacy skills and, therefore, have difficulties in accessing and using medical care and medical information. They have also found a contributory connection between low literacy and poor health and over-use or inappropriate use of health…

Devises and validates an index of texture to be used to accurately analyze texts of developing writers as an aid in improving readability. An index reflecting conjunction, conjunctive reach, specificity, connectivity, topic, and topic shift was created. Results were a perfect correlation in rankings produced by the index and judges. (32…

Reading selections from six Scholastic Aptitude Tests (SAT) administered from 1947 to 1975 were analyzed to determine whether a decrease in the difficulty level of elementary and secondary textbooks, workbooks, and teachers' guides corresponded with the SAT score decline. Various indices of reading difficulty and challenge were used. Readability…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The ten titles deal with the following topics: (1) the composing process of adult basic writing students; (2) an integrated approach to reading and writing for college students; (3) the teaching and learning of reading in the…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 12 titles deal with a variety of topics, including the following: the relationship of text organization to readability and reading ability; how advance organizers, outlining, and other preparatory procedures affect learning and…

The reading research studies presented in this volume address questions that incorporate more than one culture, language, or writing system, illustrate a broad conceptualization of the study of reading, and represent the expanding international consciousness and program of the International Reading Association. Part one offers the following…

The study was designed to evaluate the acceptance, appropriateness, and use of an experimental Spanish edition of the April 1980 "Ranger Rick's Nature Magazine"; to identify similarities and differences in the reactions to the translated edition of various groups within the Hispanic population; and to collect the recommendations for the…

This volume describes a study of 10 frequently used eighth grade U. S. history textbooks which were examined to determine the extent to which they reflected pluralism in the United States, promoted the concept of global interdependence, and were educationally sound. The ten texts examined were: "American History for Today" (Ginn), "America: Its…

Ten frequently used eighth grade U.S. history textbooks were examined to determine the extent to which they reflected the pluralistic nature of the United States, promoted the concept of global interdependence, and were educationally sound. This volume includes checklists completed by 16 individual reviewers. For each completed checklist, specific…

Designed for curriculum directors, teachers, and others as they conduct inservice education activities which focus on helping those who have primary responsibility for selecting and evaluating instructional materials, this volume presents selected sections from Volume I of the "1982-83 Michigan Social Studies Textbook Study." In this study, ten…