Investigated the effects of participation in the 5th Dimension--a mixed activity system based on Vygotsky's cultural-historical activity theory and implemented as a university-community collaboration--on third-, fourth-, and fifth-graders' learning to comprehend written directions. Found that children with extensive participation performed better…

Explains an integrated curriculum in which science content is at the core of teaching. Contends that study in an integrated curriculum invites students to build their world knowledge by offering them the time and continuous focus to know a subject well. Details an integrated unit called "Oceans" which included: observation; whole group…

This article describes how teachers combined schoolwide enrichment and differentiated instruction models to design a fifth-grade fantasy literature unit. Small groups explored novels to learn the germane content and genre characteristics and then regrouped to refine and apply what was learned to a variety of open-ended problems. (Contains…

Many South African students who enroll in higher education are underprepared and have low reading ability. Outlines the reading strategic component of an English for professional purposes course offered for such students in a technology-enhanced environment. Results indicate that students who received strategic reading instruction received higher…

Investigates comprehension of metaphoric compounds. The study asked children and adults to identify referents of various types of these compounds. Findings reveal that 5-year-olds outperformed 3-year-olds but performed significantly less well than adults and that 3-year-olds did not generally interpret the compounds literally. (37 references)…

Summarizes research findings on academic reading obtained from a questionnaire, two sets of reading tests, and a textbook analysis. Results reveal that the essential reading skills required of foreign language learners and those giving them the most difficulty in their academic studies are skimming, reading more slowly to extract relevant…

Investigated the relationship between oral language and early reading development by administering to 39 children a broad range of oral language, background, and reading ability measures in kindergarten and first and second grade. Overall, semantic abilities, not phonological awareness, predicted second grade reading comprehension. Phonological…

A teacher-developed alternative assessment of reading comprehension was specifically designed for transitional English language learners. Use of the measure with 89 fifth-graders in their first year of English language instruction showed that the students could successfully engage with English texts and provided teachers with useful information to…

Examines the relationship between epistemological beliefs, metacognition, and student achievement in a hypermedia learning environment. Results indicated that reading comprehension, grade point average, and three of the five epistemological beliefs (fixed ability, omniscient authority, and quick learning) significantly predicted posttest…

This article discusses activities developed for the "Theme Scheme," an instructional program for elementary and middle school children at risk for failure. "Theme Scheme" is a listening and reading comprehension program that uses peer-assisted learning strategies and writing exercises to teach students to understand text at an…

This study was conducted in the context of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) research to conceptually validate the roles of breadth and depth of vocabulary knowledge in reading comprehension in academic settings and to empirically evaluate a test measuring three elements of the depth dimension of vocabulary knowledge, including,…

Report on an experiment to discover if self-questioning as a reading strategy would help Filipino ESL students improve comprehension of English prose texts. Concludes that self-questioning as a strategy does not significantly affect comprehension despite the number and types of questions asked. (Contains 4 tables and 25 references.) (WFA)

This article discusses differentiating reading instruction for gifted students in the primary grades. It discusses the need for pre-assessment to guide teachers' use of curriculum compacting, authentically assessing reading comprehension, asking metacognitive questions to challenge students, using rubrics for students' self-assessment, and using…

Describes an experiment in which rhetorically different texts, with identical subject matter were read by 490 Hong Kong Chinese school children, studying in English as a Second Language. Comprehension was measured by a cloze procedure and by recall protocols. Results showed a clear difference in comprehension between the text types and suggests…

A study analyzed reading level and readability of 20 behavior treatment plans developed by certified behavior analysts. Those with higher readability levels had somewhat better treatment outcomes. A second study involving four individuals found that manipulations of reading grade level and readability of behavior treatment plans greatly enhanced…