Describes an investigation that showed that abbreviations in classified ads are difficult to comprehend and suggests that instruction be given in understanding abbreviations as a real life reading skill. (MKM)

Intended for teachers, this book reports an assessment of reading achievement in the Irish schools of first year postprimary pupils. Chapters discuss background information, the research procedure, the survey findings, "backwardness" in reading, and the researcher's conclusions. The book concludes with an abstract that lists some of the…

Reviews the research on the relationship of metacognition to fluent reading and offers techniques for developing knowledge of and fluency in reading. (AEA)

Two studies carried out by James Squire and Jesse Stuart explored processes used in reading the short story, ways of exploring student's processes, possibilities within the short story as a literary genre, and methods teachers can use. Squire's study showed that introspection and retrospection are useful in studying students' reading processes. In…

Describes a procedure for helping students to reorganize text structured by listing. Details a study proving the effectiveness of the technique. (AEA)

Prompted by the fact that short and interesting materials suitable for reading aloud to secondary school students are difficult to find, a survey was conducted to compile a list of such materials for dissemination. The 260 respondents included secondary school teachers in all curriculum areas. Results indicated that half the respondents read…

This book provides an explanation of sustained silent reading, why it is important, and how to implement it in school and classroom programs. The book presents an overview of underlying research and reviews eight essential factors ensuring a program's success, explicitly identifying them and explaining how they may be incorporated. The factors…

Discusses the notion of schemata in theories of reading comprehension: what they are, how they might enter into comprehension, and the two kinds possibly used by readers. Explores teaching implications, using examples for literature classes. (FL)

The author maintains that subject teachers will not fear or resent the task of improving reading performance in their content areas if they realize that reading is not additional content requiring extra class time but rather a way to improve students' comprehension of their own course content. (SJL)

Prompted by concern that the State of New Jersey driver's manual was too difficult for many low-skilled readers to read and comprehend, a study was conducted in which chapter 6 of the driver's manual was rewritten, lowering its readability level from grade 8 to grade 6. It was hypothesized that significant differences in comprehension would result…

Suggests that teachers who use strict cloze tests to diagnose and teach the use of context clues should warn students to expect only 40 to 50 percent correct answers. (AEA)

Levels of comprehension skills in the reading of literary works are identified and represented in a set of questions comprising an informal reading inventory. Literal and inferential levels of comprehension are explained, and ground rules for developing a set of inventory questions are presented for use. (DF)

Intended to help parents and teachers select books for young people that reflect the actual interests of adolescents, this booklet discusses titles that both appeal to teenagers and help adults gain insight into their needs, their concerns, and their values. Titles of chapters in the booklet are as follows: (1) "Are Young Adult Books…

Concludes that providing the reader with prior structure on which to map incoming material leads to increased comprehension of a related reading. (FL)

Proposes adapting holistic scoring to oral retellings of stories as a means of developing students' concepts of interrelationships and their higher levels of comprehension. (FL)