This research investigates the effectiveness of the Instrumental Enrichment Approach on the enhancement of the reading comprehension skills of learners with English Language Learning Difficulties. It aims at identifying the reading comprehension skills required for preparatory stage English language learners, re-develop and teach sample materials…

A study established whether self-esteem had a positive significant effect on reading achievement. Data were collected from 117 fourth-grade students in a middle class suburban setting. Results of a self-esteem test (the Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale) were correlated to standardized reading test scores (California Achievement…

This study examined whether post-reading comprehension would be affected by the inclusion of pictorial material with a story and a prereading prediction questionnaire. Subjects, 75 heterogeneously grouped fourth grade students randomly assigned to one of three groups, either (1) read a basal reader passage with pictorial material; or (2) read the…

A study compared college students' reading attitude to their achievement in reading comprehension. Subjects, 81 students enrolled in one of three college level reading improvement courses, completed the Mikulecky Behavioral Reading Attitude Measure (MBRAM) and had their scores compared to the results of the reading comprehension test of the New…

A study examined the effectiveness of semantic mapping instruction as a technique for increasing vocabulary. Subjects, 38 fourth grade students in two classrooms, were divided into experimental and control groups. Both groups were pretested for their knowledge of selected words taken from the Scott, Foresman Reading Program, Grade Four. The…

A study investigated the readability levels of different editions of six college textbooks published in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s ("A History of Civilization,""Government by the People,""Economics,""Introduction to Modern Business,""Introduction to Psychology," and "Pscyhology"). The study also compared the number of pages and chapters appearing…

In the first manuscript, preference and interest studies are examined for the purpose of determining the issues involved in guiding educational professionals in the selection of books for free reading in the classroom and the library. Studies which examined books that children actually read rather than studies investigating topics children might…

A study explored the nature of whole language as compared to the basal program for the years 1990-1991 and 1991-1992. The samples of pupils involved were from the eight elementary schools, housing grades kindergarten through grade five, in East Brunswick, New Jersey. The students have been instructed for many years in the basal approach. Since…

A study investigated the attitudes toward reading of third-grade students involved in a whole language program. The sample consisted of 71 students--48 students participated in the study group, and a control group consisted of 23 students. The independent variables were participation status, gender, socioeconomic status, race, qualification for…

A study determined if there was a correlation between reading achievement of children in grade two and the amount of time they spent watching television. Thirteen second-grade students responded to a survey given to determine the number of hours they spent reading and the number of hours they watched television over a three-week period. The number…

A study investigated the effectiveness of semantic mapping as a technique to improve recall of word meaning versus the traditional method of teaching vocabulary. Eight intermediate-level students from grades 4, 5, and 6, five of whom were identified as learning disabled students, were subjects. They were tested using vocabulary subtests of the…

The Fry Readability Graph was used to determine the validity of the publisher's recommended grade usage for four reading series at the fourth, fifth, and sixth grade levels. Three samples were analyzed from each text, and these results were compared with the publisher's stated grade levels. The majority of the basals investigated had an average…

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of strategically teaching metacognitive skills to high-, medium-, and low-achieving fourth grade students, and how it influenced their ability to comprehend grade level texts. Nine children participated in the experimental group, and nine were selected for the control group. A pre/post miscue…

A study investigated the attitudes toward reading of Western Kansas students in grades 1-6. Of the 156 students in the sample, 45 participated in the study group while 111 constituted the control group. The independent variables were participation status, achievement in reading, gender, socioeconomic class status, intelligence test scores, and…

A study examined how many of 11 key words in 4 famous Mother Goose nursery rhymes were understood by parents of first graders. The first questionnaire (designed to determine if context clues were helpful in deciphering what words meant) was returned by 37 parents in an urban school district and by 49 parents in a suburban school district. The…