Using Atkinson's Keyword Method--an imagery mnemonic for vocabulary learning--as a vehicle, this paper argues that even the most well-reasoned and explainable psychological outcomes need to be validated empirically. The paper provides 12 examples of applications of the keyword method in which an eminently reasonable cognitive outcome was…

Assesses the impact of prior knowledge on locating information in textbooks. Finds that search efficiency varied with the state of prior knowledge. Finds no group differences in search in a textbook for which there were no systematic group differences in prior knowledge. (RS)

Results of a study using the keyword method of vocabulary learning showed increased comprehension of English vocabulary in context, as well as usage of that vocabulary in a novel context. (MKM)

Argues that the National Reading Panel is too narrow in its presentation of scientifically valid reading research. Presents a sample of practices that enjoy support but were ignored by the panel and qualitative research that was out of bounds because of the methodological guidelines of the panel. Concludes that most of the cutting edge of the…

Investigates whether college readers are aware of their performance following multiple-choice comprehension tests. Certainty ratings were more consistent with students' actual performance for opposites and analogies than for comprehension test items. (SR)

Focusing on the teaching of comprehension strategies, this paper describes studies designed to identify settings in which effective strategies instruction was being carried out and details the conclusions that can be drawn from the studies. The paper begins with a description of comprehension strategies instruction in the 1970s and 1980s. The…

Examines the relation between question characteristics and awareness of comprehension. Finds that readers have great confidence that their answers to thematic questions in both short-answer and multiple-choice formats are correct, even when they were wrong. Suggests that readers of challenging, inconsiderate texts are unaware of gross…

In this article, Michael Pressley, Nell Duke, and Erica Boling call for a second generation of scientifically based reading instruction that goes beyond the evidence currently informing public policy. The authors argue that the federal government's position on what constitutes "scientific research" embraces only a narrow range of potentially…

Describes some recent studies which establish that meaningful learning can be promoted by a certain type of questioning activity, called elaborative interrogation, that leads students to activate prior knowledge and tie it to the new information. (SR)

Observes literacy instruction in five first-grade classrooms. Finds classrooms headed by most-effective-for-locale teachers were characterized by excellent classroom management based on positive reinforcement and cooperation; balanced teaching of skills, literature, and writing; scaffolding and matching of task demands to student competence;…

Making the case that the human achievement of reading has few if any equals, this book uses protocol analysis data related to reading to develop a rich description and understanding of cognitive and affective processes during reading. The book concludes that reading is "constructively responsive"--that is, good readers are always…

Examines the accuracy of students' perceptions of whether enough has been learned from a text to pass a test in the experiments. Reveals consistent, although nonsignificant, increases in accuracy of perceived readiness for examination performance (PREP) from before reading to after reading. Indicates that only the before-reading to after-testing…

An important goal in every first-grade classroom is to get children reading--but how? This book examines current research on first-grade literacy instruction and shows how it translates into what good teachers really do in the classroom. The book's authors, premier early literacy scholars and educators, describe several studies of effective…

In experiments with seven- to ten-year-old children, mismatched pictures increased learning of prose that was heard and prose that was read. Presence of pictures mismatched to prose they accompanied had little negative impact on cued recall. Twenty-seven references are provided. (Author)

Four experiments were conducted to determine how the keyword method of vocabulary instruction affects both subjects' comprehension of words encountered in sentences (experiments 1 and 2), and their ability to use words in appropriate sentences (experiments 3 and 4). In the first two experiments, college students were presented sentences containing…