A study shows that word shape information, when combined with knowledge of the syntactic and semantic structure of the passage being read, more often than not specifies unique words among all of the alternative high frequency words of English. (MKM)

Considers some research evidence, and extracts from it strategies and techniques that could profitably be used in the classroom. (HOD)

Three experiments investigated the hypothesis that, when interpreted in context, general terms are typically encoded on the basis of an instantiation. Results indicated that a particular term naming the expected instantiation of a general term was a better cue for recall of a sentence than the general term itself. (CHK)

Four experiments dealt with integration of semantic information while reading. Reading and comprehension time of two related sentences in a text was analyzed according to their proximity and relation within the text. A model of textual comprehension is proposed. (CHK)

Suggests measures of the reading-related variables are so closely connected that highly reliable measures of spelling level and word attack level for a student could be used to estimate or predict the student's levels of reading, listening, and word identification, and highly reliable measures of reading level and word identification level for a…

Examines the use of orthographic and phonological deletion strategies by children in the 6-16 year age range. Reveals that younger readers were more accurate when using phonological strategies than when using orthographic strategies, whereas older readers showed superior orthographic and phonological processing abilities. Supports the suggestion…

Considers how the concept of "literacy," especially intensified by the current conservative political climate, has been falsely reified as a clearly distinct "thing" that can be taught and tested in simple and standardized ways. Identifies literacy competencies as "subrosa literacy" and describes detailed performances of these abilities (including…

Finds in year 1, children showed effects of neighborhood size in high frequency words read in stories and in low frequency words read in lists and stories; in year 2, rimes from large neighborhoods were read more accurately than rimes from other neighborhoods; and by year 3, effects on low-frequency words continued, but not for high-frequency…

Focuses on the impact of phonological awareness on reading comprehension. Finds that phonological factors play an independent role in the processing of text. Yields further evidence to previous research showing that phonological awareness is a necessary, but not sufficient condition for reading comprehension. Indicates that there is no clear…

Looks closely at students to discover if the conception of reading as decoding is sufficient for beginning readers. Discusses how one student did not seem to know how to enter into the imaginative world of texts or how to listen and respond to literature. Outlines how the notion of culture helps educators enable students to approach texts in…

Discusses how schema theory and discourse analysis together form an especially strong theoretical framework for the use of video in the second-language classroom. (Author/OD)

Uses picture-word interference tasks to examine the relationship between reading achievement and the automatic recognition of familiar and less familiar words and pseudowords. Finds that achieving and nonachieving fourth-grade readers show similar automatic recognition of both familiar and less familiar words. (MM)

Notes that the Matthew effect (positing that the gap between good and poor readers widens over time) is widely accepted as a description of the developmental course of reading ability. Analyzes data from the Connecticut Longitudinal Study. Finds evidence for a small Matthew effect for IQ but no evidence to support the Matthew effect for reading…

This analysis of 17,602 frequently used words found that 616 orthographic rimes occurred in rime families as building blocks of almost all the 43,041 word syllables. Of these, 436 were both regular and consistent in pronunciation, and only 86 had less than a 90 percent level of consistency. Results suggest the usefulness of rime units for teaching…

This study with 32 primary school children (ages 6 and 8) confirms that children read words better in context but concludes that the use of context as a routine way of compensating for poor decoding skills may lead to future reading difficulties. (DB)