The purpose of this longitudinal study was to describe kindergarten children's abilities, evaluate the effect of teacher expectations on kindergarten performance, and explore the predictive validity of kindergarten performance for later reading ability. An original sample of approximately 450 kindergarten children was tested with a school…

In order to determine if Rasch Model procedures have any utility for equating pre-existing tests, this study reanalyzed the data from the equating phase of the Anchor Test Study which used a variety of equipercentile and linear model methods. The tests involved included seven reading test batteries, each having from one to three levels and two…

The purpose of this study was to analyze the scores of groups who were instructed by two individualized instructional methods on characteristics hypothesized as being related to the instructional treatments. The instructional treatments consisted of a prescriptive method based upon behavioristic theory and a personalized method based upon…

Specific criteria for the rating of each questionnaire item are stated in detail. The teacher is asked, after reading the questions carefully, to assign each second grade student a rating for every question. This rating should be based on a personal knowledge of the student. The booklet is divided into three sections with section 1 focusing on…

Using selected student variables, an attempt was made to predict retarded readers' true reading gains after remedial tutoring. The independent variables consisted of IQ and subtest scores obtained on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC), pretutoring reading levels on the individually administered Diagnostic Reading Scales test, age,…

To investigate the problem of speechreading failure, a battery of tests was administered to 60 deaf children, half of them poor learners and half good. Results indicated that those who developed speechreading did so at an early age and could deal with words, phrases, and sentences spoken at any rate whereas poor learners comprehended only words…

A series of articles with the chief emphasis on phonics as a means of analyzing words is presented. Various articles pertain to elementary, secondary, and college level instruction. The first of the five parts into which the volume is divided is comprised of a single article which gives an excellent overview of the field of word recognition. Part…

This study analyzed the vocabulary, listening, speaking, and pre-reading skills of a kindergarten class to identify the factors contributing to language development and the interrelationship of children's language skills. The 21 children were tested individually three times during the year, and case studies were compiled from monthly language…

Effective individualized instruction and increased student participation in foreign language communication skills could be achieved by a team-teaching approach. A team, comprised of the regular foreign language teacher and a number of volunteer advanced students, could (1) present listening comprehension materials, (2) evaluate pronunciation and…

These supplementary materials for students of English as a second or foreign language consist of 48 recorded conversations in the form of short question-and-answer dialogs. (The vocabulary range is 800-1,000 basic words.) The exercises are designed to develop aural skills; students listen to conversations between a native and a non-native speaker,…

What better way is there to learn about something than to hold it, examine it, and take it apart? The Match Box Project (Materials and Activities for Teachers and Children) loans to schools a series of boxes which contain materials, equipment, supplies, and activities designed as a unit to foster the teaching/learning of specific subjects at the…

As the result of an analysis and synthesis of reading comprehension skills studies, it was suggested that teachers attempt to simplify comprehension questions by recognizing two basic types: literal and nonliteral. It was noted that a student's success in obtaining meaning depends on (1) his competency in determining word meaning, (2) his…

A model of the decoding process as utilized in silent reading on the college level was reported. The model was conceptualized as a pyramid, whose apex represented silent reading comprehension. The body of the total reading model rested on the foundations of basic reading skills and higher-level reading skills which were followed by tentative…

While reviewing the controversial concept of describing language via the phoneme, the author spells out many problems caused by the discrepancies of phonemic theory and actual speech production. Phonological variation in actual speech utterances prompts the analysis of the phonology of language on two levels--the phonemic and the distinctive…

The five major chapters of this preliminary investigation contain: (1) a description of the contextual setting of the study and a discussion of its objectives and hypotheses, (2) review and analysis of related studies, (3) procedures and design of the investigation and operational definition of elements, (4) enumeration of results, and, (5) the…