Traces the revision of narrative and expository text made by sixth grade students during a school year in which the focus was on improving reading comprehension and writing through instruction in text structure. Finds that only expository texts were judged to improve in writing quality by year end. (MG)

Describes the effect of including literary works of interest to adults on a developmental reading course offered to incarcerated adults. Notes that proper phrasing and intonation were identified and emphasized as aids to comprehension. Discusses skills emphasized in the course. Reports that classroom discussions were lively and interesting. (RS)

Reviews the related literature in the ares of questioning strategies and content area reading. Reports one teacher's attempt to determine whether specific questioning strategies increase scores on teacher-made tests. Finds that specific questioning strategies do improve performance on teacher-made tests. (MG)

Outlines a descriptive (not prescriptive) approach for the creation of a literature-based reading curriculum. Describes the 4 steps (behaving with basals, redefining reading, revving up for reading, and letting literature loose) that took the author 14 years of teaching to complete. Argues that literature-based reading programs are fun, enjoyable,…

Integrates readings from primary sources into introductory psychology courses by means of short writing assignments. Uses content-oriented feedback to focus and facilitate conceptual mastery of primary sources. Includes tables of student responses and notes positive evaluations endorsing writing as a means to introduce original sources. (Author/NL)

The abilities of 37 children in grades 2, 4, and 6 to recall and answer questions concerning motives of characters in fables were examined when motives were implicit or explicit with regard to text, or implicit with regard to script. Overall, children had difficulty in comprehending characters' motives. (SLD)

Analyzes elementary teachers' interactions with students during guided reading of basal reader selections to determine the extent to which the interactions promote students' metacomprehension abilities. Finds that teachers assumed most of the responsibility for students' comprehension themselves rather than conducting the lessons in a manner that…

A study of 26 college seniors used introspective and retrospective interviewing to assess cognitive processes used during multiple-choice reading comprehension tests. Categories of processing identified included an overall approach to the test task, reading strategies, and test-taking strategies. (TJH)

Examines the content of the pamphlet "What Works: Research about Teaching and Learning." Asks (1) what it means to say it is "drawn from""Becoming a Nation of Readers"; and (2) whether the editors are guilty of political chicanery with reading research, as some have argued. (RS)

Investigates effects of prior knowledge, explicitness, and clause order on fifth and sixth grade readers' ability to infer causal cohesive ties in expository text. Finds significant effects for prior knowledge for fifth and sixth grade students on all variables except the cohesion cloze task. (SG)

The paper discusses (1) sources of difficulty in comprehending technical writing, (2) distinctions between content structure and text structure, (3) building blocks for expository writing and techniques of text design, (4) contrasts between American and Japanese science and social studies texts, and (5) suggestions for promoting comprehension.…

Raises issues concerning pupils' interactions with mathematics textbooks. Discusses problems related to effective reading and the ability to interpret graphs, diagrams, and symbols. (NH)

Reviews the literature on the effectiveness of computer-controlled videodisc and videobased technology in the presentation of story information. An adult mediator can enhance young children's understanding of a story. (BB)

A study compared the changes in students with moderate mental retardation in two school settings (segregated and semi-integrated) in intellectual development, adaptive behavior, receptive language, and academic achievement. While both groups gained in some areas, greater gains were found in the semi-integrated population. (MSE)

A study involving 80 fourth graders investigated the effects of providing children with training in the use of specific standards for evaluating their reading comprehension. Results indicate that instruction in the use of these standards were generalized to the use of other standards and that the training advantage was maintained over time. (TJH)