Communicative competence in a second language is conditioned by the transfer of linguistic, heuristic and interactive aptitudes. A solution to the problems raised by this threefold transfer might be found in the conjunction of psycholinguistic and sociolinguistic insights. A number of pedagogical techniques are suggested in order to show how the…

This study was a follow-up of a three year longitudinal study of factors affecting learning to read. It examined the efficacy of four different approaches to beginning reading instruction on subsequent reading achievement in grade four. Major purposes were to determine what effect maturation and exposure to a non-experimental typical grade four…

Four Intensive Reading Instructional Teams (IRITs) consisting of a reading consultant, two master teachers, and a clerk typist provided intensive compensatory reading instruction for more than 500 Hartford third, fourth, and fifth grade students during the 1971-72 school year. The approach of the IRITs was geared to the concept of individualized…

This report describes the main field test of Minicourse 18: Teaching Reading as Decoding. The purposes of the main field test were: (1) to evaluate the effects of the course on the participating teachers, (2) to evaluate four reteach treatments on teacher skill acquisition, (3) to compare scores for central city and suburban teachers, and (4) to…

Appraises the Kaufman Test of Educational Achievement, an individually administered test of reading, spelling, and mathematics for children in grades 1 through 12. Considers the test well-conceived and carefully constructed, though not sufficiently tested for validity in the field. (SRT)

Presents results of tested theoretical models of the development of print concepts and word reading. Indicates that children expand their knowledge in each of the following print components with age: print, graphic awareness, phonemic awareness, grapheme-phoneme correspondence knowledge, and word reading components. (NKA)

A study examined which phonological skills, as primary skills, can more effectively be developed and lead to decoding skills in low-skilled kindergartners: (1) segmentation/blending, or (2) rhyming/first sound identification? Low-skilled kindergartners (n=61), who scored less than 4 items correctly in 3 out of 5 measures, were randomly assigned to…

This paper provides an overview of the Wilson Reading System, which teaches students word structure and language through a carefully sequenced, 12-step system that helps them master decoding and spelling. The program targets the needs of students at all levels (K-12), specifically students with language learning disabilities such as dyslexia;…

Compares strategies used to infer the meanings of unknown words by three NNS readers--a good reader, an average reader, and a poor reader--from a series of six readings. The good reader uses a wider range of strategies than the weaker ones; all readers "read in" meanings from their own specialized subject (in this case chemistry). (15…

Examined the acquisition of decoding and spelling skills and the writing fluency of first graders who received either whole-language or traditional basal instruction. Children with high phonemic awareness outperformed those with low phonemic awareness on all literacy measures, regardless of the instructional method used. (MM)

Examined the joint and unique predictive significance of emergent literacy skills for later emergent literacy skills and reading in two samples of preschoolers. Structural equation modeling revealed significant developmental continuity of these skills, particularly for letter knowledge and phonological sensitivity from late preschool to early…

This study examined the validity and feasibility of a group-administered test of alphabetic reading skills for first-grade students. Two versions of a phonemic spelling test (production and multiple-choice) were administered in classroom groups to 153 students. Measures of vocabulary, phoneme awareness, letter sound knowledge, phonemic decoding,…

"Read Well" is a research-based reading curriculum designed to improve student literacy. This program includes explicit, systematic instruction in English decoding, sustained practice of decoding skills and fluency, and instruction in vocabulary and concepts presented in text. It also provides support for English language learner (ELL)…

Answering the call for a comprehensive textbook on what reading teachers really need to know, this is the book that arms educators with not just the what and the how, but also the why that other texts don't cover. Two prominent literacy experts team with an elementary school specialist to give preservice teachers an easy-to-understand textbook…

The National Early Literacy Panel (NELP) was appointed in 2002 and carried out its work under the auspices of the National Center for Family Literacy (NCFL). NELP's primary goal was to identify interventions, parenting activities, and instructional practices that promote the development of children's early literacy skills. The National Institute…