Background: Despite evidence that synthetic phonics teaching has increased reading attainments, a sizable minority of children struggle to acquire phonics skills and teachers lack clear principles for deciding what types of "additional" support are most beneficial. Synthetic phonics teaches children to read using a decoding strategy to…

Purpose: This study explored ESL learners' utilization of Online Discussion Forums (ODFs) in Interactive Reading for Academic Disciplines (iREAD) to assist reading of online scientific texts within an English for Specific Purposes course at a public university. Method: This qualitative research employed two data collection methods during lessons…

This 5-week case study research used qualitative methods to understand and study the relationship between feedback from course instructors and supervisors, and how it is used in comprehension instructional choices by eight pre-service teachers. The following research questions directed this research: (1) What is the role of feedback in pre-service…

The purpose of this study was to explore the operations of a sample of university-based reading clinics in order to better understand their functions and practices and to inform the planning for the authors' own clinic. This study was carried out in two phases. In Phase I, the authors conducted Internet searches and contacted knowledgeable…

Literacy instruction for students with mild to moderate special needs should include authentic literature. Literature-based reading instruction provides time for students to develop new knowledge and strategies in a supportive context. When reading instruction occurs in an inclusion classroom, it also allows time for general education and special…

Over the last 20 years or so, the popularity of animal-assisted literacy learning programs has gained momentum in schools and libraries around the world (Intermountain Therapy Animals, 2011). To date, such programs are currently running in four Canadian provinces and 43 U.S. states, as well as in Australia, the United Kingdom, Italy, and India…

The purpose of this project is to develop and to individually examine the efficacy of three different components of an integrated literacy program. No attempt is made to compare the components of the program to each other. Rather, the goal is to determine the effectiveness of each component of the program on the acquisition of the reading of…

Although several school districts in a southern US state use a three-tiered Response to Intervention (RtI) model to supplemental core reading instruction and positively impact student achievement, the model appears to have had nominal impact. The theoretical foundation for this study is anchored in a constructivist approach to education. Three…

This was a qualitative case study that compared data across six district-level literacy coaches' epistemological and ontological beliefs about how to teach reading. All six coaches were working as a cohort of literacy coaches on the development and implementation of a secondary reading intervention program for seventh-grade struggling readers.…

In 2010, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed the Kindergarten Readiness Act into law, which changed the kindergarten entry age so that children must turn 5 by September instead of December to enroll. The new grade level was put into place to promote school readiness for California's youngest learners. It also established a new grade…

Describes the elements of a directed reading plan (DRP) and outlines the procedures for developing such a plan. (RB)

The Reading Recovery Program, a staff development process providing teachers with a framework for observing teaching and learning, requires close observation and analysis of children in the process of reading and staff development team members to observe each other as they work with children. (CB)

The article reviews definitions of giftedness and gifted readers and reviews research on reading for the gifted. Also discussed are strategies and innovative practices that are effective with gifted readers, including interest assessment, learning styles evaluation, curriculum compacting, and the three types of enrichment in the Enrichment Triad…

Develops an inservice program relating to reading guidance, listing steps to follow in organization, and presents outlines of two workshop programs in which knowledge of reading ability, interest, and bibliotherapy are suggested as valuable components of reading guidance programs. Bibliography. (MD)

Describes the development of a program that used fantasy characters and images to improve the spelling of children. (FL)