Reading approaches in Japan and other EFL settings have typically focused on accuracy at the expense of fluency. However, reading rate and fluency are important components of reading that are currently being neglected. A review of the literature reveals growing interest in investigating the effectiveness of reading rate and fluency enhancement…

Fluent reading is essential for successful comprehension. One dimension of reading fluency is reading rate, or reading speed. Because of the importance of reading fluency, fluency development activities should be incorporated into classroom practice. One activity that meets the fluency development conditions proposed by Nation (2007) is speed…

Eye fixation is a frequent problem that faces foreign language learners and hinders the flow of their reading comprehension. Although students are usually advised to read fast/skim to overcome this problem, eye fixation persists. The present study investigates the effect of using a paper-based program as compared to a computer-based software in…

Describes the present emphasis on improvement of reading rates and discusses seven controversial issues in speed reading. Includes a pro-reaction and a con-reaction paper. Bibliography. (WB)

As students move through the grades, the demands of comprehending increasingly complex text increase, and some students begin to struggle. What are the differences between skilled and struggling readers? How can educators teach students to become more proficient readers? This Teaching Tip describes research into middle-level students' reading…

Speed reading is an issue of how fast a person can comprehend rather than how fast he can read. Research and experience have shown that speed reading can be taught and that the need for the skill is tremendous. The first challenge of the 70's is to enlighten school administrators and parents to the important need of teaching speed reading skills.…

How successful are speed reading courses for adults? Author, who teaches speed reading and improvement of reading comprehension, backs up his assertion of their effectiveness with test result tables showing businessmen in particular benefit from such training. (PD)

To cope with a wide range of reading skill levels in their classes, high school social studies teachers must assess their students' competence and then help them develop skills to understand course materials. This article describes two assessment methods and five skill teaching methods. For journal availability, see SO 509 175. (AM)

Reports that reading rate gains that may have been derived from a film-aided speed reading course were not retained when the subjects encountered difficult reading material. (FL)

Discusses social studies as an area of study in which to apply a variety of strategies for improving the reading comprehension of students. Important factors that can aid students in improving reading comprehension are considered, including understanding textbook organization, vocabulary improvement, speed reading, following directions, and…

Success in the study of literature depends on the student's ability to establish connections between word and object, between words and phrases, and between memorable experiences in all fields of learning and the reading of literature, which is interdisciplinary by nature. In understanding a literary work, a reader must make affective memory…

Compressed speech (speed listening), in which audiotapes are speeded up, is examined in this paper along with its relationship to the reading process. Among the topics discussed first are the close relationship between reading and listening, the rationale behind compressed speech, and the use of compressed speech in business communication, special…

Compares gains in reading rate and comprehension of students using traditional texts and those using a computer-based, commercially prepared, speed reading package. Offers recommendations for the use of computers in college reading courses, focusing on hardware/software needs and student/teacher responsibilities. (DMM)

This book describes the teaching of reading in Denmark. Topics discussed are the holistic educational approach to reading (essentially an eclectic reading method), reading instruction techniques used from kindergarten through high school, remedial instruction, individualization, and speed reading. An individualized speed reading method for adults…

The effects of computer-presented automatization exercises in a group of 14 poor readers were assessed in comparison to a matched control group of 14 poor readers that received computer-presented exercises aimed at the use of context for word identification and comprehension. Training took place three sessions a week for 15 minutes per session and…