Investigates whether poor readers differ from their reading age controls in terms of their ability to make rhyme judgments, and determines whether intelligence levels affect the kinds of difficulties they experience. Finds that average intelligence poor readers performed with the same overall accuracy as their reading age controls. (MG)

A comparison of severely dyslexic adolescents with younger, normal readers matched for reading level and IQ revealed that phonological discrimination ability accounted for much of the variance in reading ability between dyslexics and normal readers. The results suggest that dyslexics may have specific difficulties with the retrieval of the sounds…

Examines the performance of Moroccan children on a series of common household literacy tasks, and whether their performance on these tasks was related to school literacy skills, school experience, and other factors. Finds that although the children had learned many skills relevant to household literacy tasks, they demonstrated only partial…

Conversations with 60 9-year olds in England and Ireland showed that most were aware of language and concepts associated with becoming better readers and knew strategies for dealing with reading challenges. There was considerable variation in metacognitive awareness; those rated by teachers as average or above average had better reading…

Examines first and second graders' decoding of one-syllable words and nonwords, each comprised of a high- to moderate-utility onset and a high-utility rime. Finds the construct validity of decoding items varied, depending on whether they were words or nonwords. Notes a superior construct validity of words over nonwords as decoding items. (RS)

The fundamental goal of literacy is to construct meaning from language. Teachers help students become literate by providing opportunities to listen to read-alouds, by persuading them to investigate their writing process, by discussing what they have heard and read, and through other activities designed to attract students to the world of words.…

In reading research, morphological processing and monomorphemic word identification have generally been treated separately. We describe a computational model that brings both kinds of reading together within a single framework. This model assumes that word knowledge-the orthography, phonology, and meaning of words-accumulates with experiences with…

The manner in which Marco, one of the less proficient readers in his class, is profoundly influenced by opportunities to observe and interact with other readers and writers is discussed. Marco's story illustrates the importance of close observation of learners as teacher researchers come to understand young readers.

The time spent by teachers in summarizing and reviewing material is reduced when students become more capable readers of challenging texts. Four interacting dimensions of classroom life are described.

The purpose of the study was to determine the outcomes of a low vision service that made use of an extended period of education when assisting clients with age-related macular degeneration to use low vision devices. Extended teaching time made a significant difference to the experimental group, not only in the ability to read, but in their overall…

The transition from first-generation to second-generation studies of genetic and environmental influences on the development of reading is underway. The first generation of quantitative genetic studies yielded an extraordinary conclusion: Fifty percent or more of the variance in most constructs, including reading, is attributable to genetic…

Linkage studies of complex phenotypes such as reading ability/disability (developmental dyslexia or reading disorder) and related componential processes, where the effects attributable to individual genes appear to be modest, are critically dependent on the nature and composition of the samples and the phenotypes analyzed. Thus, it might be…

Background: Effective literacy skills are crucial in supporting communication for children with severe speech and physical impairments (SSPI). Reading and spelling difficulties are reported to be over-represented in this group, even where language and cognitive skills are age appropriate. Aims: To compare the performance of children with SSPI on a…

This study examines performance differences between students with disabilities and students without disabilities students using differential item functioning (DIF) analyses in a high-stakes reading assessment. Results indicated that for Grade 9, many items exhibited DIF. Items that exhibited DIF were more likely to be located in the second half…

Childhood is the crucial period for early children's reading ability building. Former research (Hanson & Farrell, 1995) found that early reading experience had a positive and long-term effect on reading competence for high school seniors in the future. Therefore, it is of great importance for researchers to understand children's initial reading…