The impact of direct instruction on reading comprehension strategies and the degree to which cooperative learning processes enhanced students' learning of strategies were studied using 486 third and fourth graders in Pennsylvania. Subjects identified main ideas of passages. Pretest-posttest data highlight the significant impact of direct…

Principles of W. Kintsch's reading comprehension model (1978, 1980) were used to revise an expository text. Two experiments with 170 undergraduates and 125 Air Force recruits indicated that the principled revision conveyed the author's intentions better than the original text, suggesting the model's use for text improvement. (SLD)

Investigates the effects of explicit story structure instruction on below-average fourth and fifth grade readers' narrative writing performance. Finds that explicit story structure instruction positively influenced the narrative writing performance in terms of both quality and quantity of their writing. (MG)

Selective illustrative examples of students' learning difficulties and misconceptions in first-year general and organic chemistry are presented in the students' terms, followed by strategies the author uses to overcome the difficulties. Suggests that student misconceptions in first-year chemistry are not interrelated logically and are not prone to…

Provides examples of how concept mapping can be used to help overcome misconceptions in college chemistry. (PR)

Presents suggestions on creative reading/writing assignments using the newspaper, "outpatient" help for high school readers, verbalizing character roles in novels, monitoring comprehension strategies, cooperative learning to motivate reluctant readers, reading aloud to college students, integrating study and business curricula for a city…

Describes a study in the United Kingdom that explored children's comprehension of television police dramas and the impact of the television shows on their perceptions of the police. Relationships between television viewing and beliefs about crime are discussed, and treatments for the experimental and control groups of children aged 10 to 16 years…

Four ideas for French language instruction are described, including an exercise on modals, an activity focusing on the use of noises for expression, a listening comprehension exercise, and a lesson on humorous possibilities in language using material from the theater of the absurd. (MSE)

Investigates the impact of macroprocessing and microprocessing strategy instruction on text learning among high school remedial students over a 6-week period. Results indicate that, of 66 students assigned to 1 of 3 treatment groups, the macro-level group exceeded the other 2 groups on comprehension and on immediate and delayed passage recall…

This study examined comprehension in four groups of undergraduates under text only, multimedia, and two diagram conditions of text supplementation. Results indicated that effects of text supplementation are mediated by prior knowledge and learning style: multimedia appears more beneficial to surface learners with little prior knowledge and makes…

Examines the emerging form of text on the World Wide Web and how it is influencing reading, in particular reading by non-native readers of English. Focus is on the visual representation of text structure. (Author/VWL)

Terrell's natural approach suggests that such interactive activities as music and art induce and improve student communication in language learning. Explanation of the method's steps uses the poem "Abenamar" as an example. The teacher first presents the work in historical context, then reads the work accompanied by visual aids, then…

Reports the results of two studies which further examine the relations of motivational-variables contribution to reading achievement and text comprehension. Results revealed that reading amount significantly predicted text comprehension (with other variables controlled) in both studies (Study 1 included third and fifth graders; Study 2 included…

Provides an effective way for enhancing high schools students' listening skills in the English-as-a-Second-Language classroom in Korea. Students were taught English pronunciation focused on the combinative changes, a sound change as the change restricted to certain environments. (Author/VWL)

Cantonese tertiary-level students taking a general education course taught in English at the Chinese University of Hong Kong were asked to rate their own English language skills development in relation to six specific areas. They were asked to identify what they had learned in relation to other aspects of the course. Responses indicated that…