This dissertation is guided by my driving research question: what works for whom in education and why? I examine issues of instruction, assessment, and research approaches that begin to answer this question. Study 1 examines a classroom intervention's child x instruction interactions. Study 2 examines underlying cognitive factors, including…

Reading is a vital skill for functioning in society. People need to read road signs, prescription labels, restaurant menus, and job applications just to make it through everyday life. Unfortunately, approximately 20% of the population (Washburn, & Joshi, & Binks-Cantrell, 2011) are said to be dyslexic which means they will struggle…

Recent initiatives in the United States and United Kingdom have added greatly to the amount and quality of research on the effectiveness of secondary reading programs, especially programs for struggling readers. In this review of the experimental research on secondary reading programs, the authors focused on 69 studies that used random assignment…

In 1997, The National Institute for Child Health and Human Development, appointed a National Reading Panel (NRP). The NRP findings, released in 2000, summarized the effectiveness of a variety of instructional approaches in reading. In turn, the NRP report, despite disputed inconsistencies, became the basis of the 2001 legislation, "No Child…

An analysis of large and influential published reviews of research pertaining to the reading acquisition of young struggling readers in the early years of schooling was undertaken. The reviews were selected on the basis that they either had been commissioned by federal governments or had been conducted by reputable research institutions and had…

"Reading Mastery," one of several curriculum components that constitute the "Direct Instruction" curriculum from SRA/McGraw-Hill, is designed to provide systematic instruction in reading to students in grades K-6. "Reading Mastery," which can be used as an intervention program for struggling readers, as a supplement…

This report chronicles the record of the Reading First program as a research-based approach to teaching children to read, from early successes as a strict program whose funding would be distributed to states and districts using reading curricula whose effectiveness had been validated by scientific study, to one of eased eligibility that permitted…

Dyer's (1970) model was utilized to examine instructional practices and easy-to-change surrounding conditions variables related to effective primary grade reading programs. Hard-to-change surrounding conditions variables were used in regression analyses as predictors of fourth grade reading achievement in 844 (75%) of the Iowa elementary schools;…

This report aims to disseminate research findings about reading programs for early elementary grades in a summary format useful for educators. The report features programs with clear descriptions and useful research, programs for non-English speaking children and research on basal reader series were not included. The four sections of the report…

In this practitioners' guide, a recognized reading expert explains how educators, parents, and concerned citizens can spot ineffective reading programs that may hide under the "scientifically-based" banner. Although the term "whole language" is not commonly used today, programs based on its premises remain popular. These…

The purpose of this investigation was to determine the effect on first-grade reading achievement of completing a program designed to teach the names of the letters of the alphabet before beginning formal reading instruction. Information was sought on the differential effect of this program on either boys or girls of different levels of…

Because fluency instruction was identified, only recently, as a cornerstone literacy subject--it is still unfamiliar terrain for many teachers. This volume fills a crucial gap by offering a thorough, authoritative examination of what reading fluency is--and how it should be taught. Contributing authors, who include the field's leading authorities,…

Reports extensive observations of a whole language program in two first grade classrooms that support whole language instruction. Outlines the advantages and disadvantages of the approach for both students and teachers. (FL)

Concludes that remediation often consists of students completing skill lessons in workbooks with the teacher serving as manager, that most remedial activities are not congruent with classroom tasks, and that remedial students generally receive no additional instructional time to acquire reading behaviors. (FL)

This paper reports a small-scale study of the perceptions of primary school teachers in Greece regarding the impact of research evidence on their profession and their own practice. A qualitative approach is adopted. It analyses teachers' accounts of their reading habits, their experience of research and their professional practice, and attempts to…