The problem of this conference panel was to determine the interaction between the structural properties of text and the cognitive processes involved in comprehension. This panel report contains sections on the organization of the message in the communication system, the information readers derive from a message and how well they derive it, the…

A common pitfall is the assumption that the teaching of reading in the content areas is an esoteric mystery to be solved only by the reading specialist. The teacher of a content area should guide his students in the application of basic skills and study methods to the materials used. A second pitfall is the assumption, often made by the unskilled…

This volume is an organized collection of papers which were presented at the International Reading Association convention at Atlantic City. The authors are scholars concerned with early childhood education. They explore topics that range from conclusions drawn from research on implicit speech to the advisability of teaching reading to…

This study examined the oral reading miscues of eighteen subjects, three average readers each from grades two, four, six, and eight, plus three high and three low readers from grade four. The miscues produced by each student were analyzed using the Goodman Taxonomy of Reading Miscues. Length of text was most important for low readers, who produced…

In order to determine whether bilingual (Spanish/English) readers of English are less efficient in using language cues than are monolinguals (English), the Reading Miscue Inventory (RMI) was used to analyze the reading performances of 60 subjects--ten bilinguals and ten monolinguals each in fourth, fifth, and sixth grades. Subjects read orally at…

Reading comprehension was compared in 20 adult illiterates, 20 low-achieving students in grade two, and 21 low achievers in grade four. Results indicated similar processing difficulties in all three groups. Readers were weak in constructing meaning beyond a clause unit, and did not differentiate processing for narrative versus expository material.…

Reports on a study of children's literature selected for primary grades in British schools. Finds that the books fall into two categories: word books and picture books. Recommends that authors, illustrators, and selectors of books should consider how to develop books that help students progress smoothly from one group to another. (CFR)

Examines the representation of the reading process in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) texts. The article argues that many of these representations are dated and based on a theory that was never a mainstream theory of first-language reading. Suggestions for exercises to strengthen automatic word recognition in EFL readers are provided. (33…

When teaching beginning reading, the use of certain children's stories, called predictable books, can yield higher reading comprehension skills, provide excellent practice for sight words, and teach good oral reading skills. A nurturing classroom environment is an important component of an effective beginning reading curriculum. An effective…

A project explored the reading comprehension skills and strategies of adult basic education (ABE) students. The target population was 55 students from 2 ABE programs in central Pennsylvania. They responded in interviews to a questionnaire that measured their knowledge about reading and reading comprehension strategies, and they participated in…

Two experiments examined developmental trends in children's lexical decisions for abstract and concrete words. The first experiment examined children's on-line comprehension of abstract and concrete words. Subjects were 15 second or third graders and 15 college adults at the University of Georgia. The second experiment provided a stronger test of…

A study evaluated the phonics performance of skilled adult readers using the D. Durkin phonics test, which was also used in 1984 to measure the phonics ability of children. The test, which was given to 25 college juniors and seniors, consisted of 29 regularly spelled pseudo or nonsense words to be pronounced aloud by the subjects. Results…

Investigating how good and poor readers process words, a study examined the spelling and reading processes of 80 middle-class first grade students from three schools in Houston, Texas, 40 who were receiving whole word instruction, and 40 receiving phonics instruction. Based on scores from the Gates-McGinitie Reading Test, Basic R (administered in…

To test three specific hypotheses about recall as a function of four categories of logical relations, a study was done to determine whether logical relations systems of prose analysis can be used to predict recall. Two descriptive passages of naturally occurring expository prose were used. Each text was parsed into 45 statements, consisting of…

A study was conducted to determine whether word length and sentence position influence the likelihood that a child will acknowledge that a word has disrupted comprehension of a reading passage. In the first task, third and fifth grade skilled and less-skilled readers read 16 short paragraphs containing nonsense words and reported whether the…