Students in England sit an important gateway examination in English at age 16. Major changes were made to this exam in 2017 resulting in more emphasis on the comprehension of unseen literary texts. This paper uses corpus linguistic methods to identify the kind of vocabulary encountered in these exam texts and compares it to the kind of vocabulary…

There are few measures of teacher professional knowledge of reading comprehension, therefore little is known about the levels of teacher professional knowledge, their motivation and attitudes to teaching reading comprehension. The Knowledge, Behaviour and Attitudes Test for Reading Comprehension (KBAT-RC) was developed from a systematic literature…

This pilot study explored effects of hearing loss on deaf children's reading comprehension in an online context. Eighteen deaf secondary students, ages 12-14 years (11 with British Sign Language as their dominant language, seven with English as their dominant language) engaged in an online research comprehension task. Six age-matched hearing…

Reading is fundamental to academic success, but international reading surveys indicate current pedagogy fails a fifth of adolescents, disproportionately from lower-socioeconomic groups. This UK, mixed-method study evaluated the impact of two whole-text reading approaches on comprehension, using standardised tests. Twenty teachers of English and…

This essay provides a holistic review of what girls and young women learned, and the settings in which they learned, in the Middle Ages in England between the Norman Conquest (1066) and the Dissolution of the Monasteries (late 1530s). Education of girls was carried out in households, elementary schools, and nunneries, as well as through employment…

The Key Stage 2 Reading Standard Assessment Test (SAT) is a national test of reading comprehension taken by all 11-year olds in state schools in England. The results of this high-stakes test are used for accountability and comparative purposes. While it is acknowledged that these uses have a negative impact on both schools and pupils [Education…

Reading is a key gateway to learning, enabling independent access to a range of educational materials. Thus, reading difficulties leave a child particularly vulnerable to academic problems in later schooling and beyond. However, while there is good awareness of children with word reading difficulties within the education system, much less is known…

Research Findings: Anthropomorphized animal characters have been associated with negative influences on educational outcomes for young children, for example story comprehension and prosocial learning from moral tales. In this study we investigate how character realism and moral theme influence young children's recall of the story content. Retells…

Beginning in the 1960s, the Isle of Wight studies were among the first to investigate developmental reading problems in representative, population-based samples, using the tools of epidemiology. In this paper, we provide an overview of the contribution of the Isle of Wight studies to research on reading disabilities. We begin with an account of…

International assessments show that 20% of adolescents cannot read simple texts with understanding. Despite this, research has focused on early reading in childhood and skilled reading in adulthood, neglecting reading development during adolescence. We report a longitudinal study assessing reading and vocabulary development at 12, 13 and 14 years…

There is strong evidence that peer tutoring, as a form of cooperative learning, has a positive impact on tutor and tutee outcomes. However, little previous research has been reported as to the differential effects of engaging in cooperative learning in dyads for peer tutors and peer tutees, respectively. A randomised controlled experimental study…

There is consensus on the need for new interventions which enhance reading attainment in English schools. In this study, we examine the effects of a Dance-Based Physical Education (DBPE) intervention on reading comprehension (RC). The study employed a mixed-methodology: combining a pre-post test quasi-experimental research design (intervention, n…

This action research study, drawing on participatory frameworks, investigated whether a Year 10 English class (15-16-year-olds), including struggling readers, could develop their reading self-concept and 'voice'. The research aimed to extend findings from a larger, mixed-method study, developing reading comprehension and motivation with younger…

Justifications for the change of model supporting national reading instruction in England reveal the influence of international 'Reading Wars' divisions. Replacement of the 'Searchlights' diagram by an illustration of the 'Simple View of Reading' (SVR) generated an opportunity for the implementation of stable policy and balanced reading…

Background: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between selective visual attention (SVA), reading decoding, listening comprehension and reading comprehension in children with and without a reading disorder. Methods: We used longitudinal data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children. We split children into four…