The primary goal of this project was to examine the predictability of Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) reading item difficulty (equated delta) for main idea items, and the predictability of main idea, inference, and explicit statement item types. A secondary purpose was to contrast the responses of high verbal and low verbal ability examinees.…

Since the introduction of the concept of reciprocal teaching by A. S. Palincsar and A. L. Brown in 1984, researchers have conducted a number of studies that attempted to replicate and/or extend the original one. A review was conducted of 19 studies that used reciprocal teaching to help students improve their ability to comprehend text. The review…

In this report, the effectiveness of prototypes of interactive learning environments (ILEs) is compared with printed learning environments or traditional face-to-face lectures. The learning content for all conditions was a course on inferential statistics for first-year college students. In the learning materials, a clear distinction was made…

A study examined issues related to between- and within-class decomposition of variance in reading achievement. The aim is to find "pure" latent structures of achievement at the between-class level as a basis for further investigation of explanatory factors such as teaching. Multilevel factor analysis (MFA) can give a pattern…

Creating a learning and instructional environment for teaching students in a "humane and efficient" manner, this book is designed to empower teachers by providing them with specific suggestions for problems they will encounter as they provide students with direct, explicit instruction in reading. As in earlier editions, the book devotes…

The reading comprehension abilities of 21 intermediate grade children, previously diagnosed as having Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), were compared to 21 carefully matched age/grade peers who did not have this disorder. The study investigated ADHD and Comparison group differences in different levels of comprehension…

A study examined the effect of whole language philosophy as compared to a more traditional reading program on children's reading comprehension scores. The study included a review of current research indicating the importance of teachers stating the topic prior to reading as well as the importance of students' oral reading ability to assess reading…

An action research project describes a cross-age tutoring program to help increase the reading achievement of targeted second graders. The targeted population consisted of second and fifth graders in a middle class suburban community west of a large midwestern city. The problems of poor word attack skills and reading comprehension were documented…

This handbook presents brief descriptions of various aspects of reading instruction and related lesson plans and class activities. Sections of the handbook discuss readiness, word recognition, developing vocabulary skills, reading in the content area, and reading comprehension. The handbook also offers brief biographies on Emmett Betts, Guy Bond,…

A study evaluated the effect software for self-assessment and management of reading practice had on reading achievement and motivation in two primary schools in Aberdeen, Scotland. The program utilized was The Accelerated Reader (AR) which was designed to enable curriculum based assessment of reading comprehension within the classroom. Students…

This report describes a program to improve reading and language arts skills. The targeted population consisted of students in 2 first grade classrooms (average class size 25) from a midwestern elementary school in a predominantly white, middle to upper-middle class neighborhood. Data documenting the problem was obtained from the previous year's…

This paper describes a practicum designed to use CD-ROM books as a supplement to the basal reading program to improve reading comprehension in second grade students from a predominantly rural area in Delaware. A non-equivalent control group design was used involving a 20-member treatment and a 16-member control group. Pre- and postreading…

This paper presents findings from a longitudinal study of reading comprehension development that reveal that there is a negative relation between the amount of time kindergarten teachers spend reading to kindergarten children and the children's reading achievement. The amount of time first-grade teachers spent reading to their students was…

A study determined if using specific reading strategies would improve students' grades in science. Subjects, 21 fifth-grade students in an urban area school, studied four units of science--two units using the strategies outlined in the series teacher's manual, and two units using semantic mapping, cloze exercises, graphic aids, and vocabulary…

Focusing on literacy learning and instruction, the 44 papers in this yearbook highlight the increasing sense of responsibility of literacy teachers as learners themselves and to understand the nature and impact of teacher change on student learning. Papers in the yearbook include: "What Counts in Teacher Education? Dilemmas in Educating…