This paper discusses research findings regarding vocabulary instruction and reading comprehension and suggests methods to develop vocabulary using visual aids. As indicated by the research, vocabulary instruction is necessary and can lead to improved comprehension; there also appears to be a strong need to relate concrete visual experiences to…

Intended for classroom teachers at all levels and for undergraduate students in teacher education programs that included a practicum or field experience, this book provides both a guide and a resource for meeting the needs of readers experiencing difficulty. This third edition continues to provide teachers with techniques for recognizing readers…

Two frequently cited guidelines for writing multiple choice test item stems are: (1) the stem can be written in either a question or statement-to-be-completed format; and (2) only positively worded stems should be used. These guidelines were evaluated in a survey of the test item banks of 13 nationally administered examinations in the physician…

The issue of what exactly is measured by different types of reading items has been a matter of interest in the field of reading research for many years. Language teaching and testing specialists have raised the question of whether a reading test for foreign students wishing to enter a university in the United States should include questions…

Some tips can assist teachers in guiding each pupil to achieve more optimally, with respect to the ability to read well and reading comprehension. Among these 10 specific tips are: (1) teach individualized phonics in context; (2) assist the student to read in proper thought units by covering up words in sentences for clarification; (3) assist…

The 1994 NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress) reading assessment was administered to approximately 27,400 public and non-public school students at grades 4, 8, and 12. Across the 3 grades assessed, there were a total of 96 multiple-choice, 144 short constructed-response, and 33 extended constructed-response questions. Information for…

Offering instructional strategies in an informal, easy-to-read, yet scholarly approach, this book presents instructional strategies and activities for children who are having difficulty learning to read. In contrast to other books that offer highly analytic and prescriptive approaches, the activities in the book are arranged around general areas…

"Advances in Education Research" reprints previously published journal articles reporting on research supported in whole or in part by the Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI). The articles are selected from peer-reviewed/referred journals; the journals used are described briefy at the end of the volume. The articles in…

This document consists of a project report and tutor activities book from a project that was conducted for tutors associated with the Crawford County, Pennsylvania, READ Program. The project report describes how the commercial publications currently being used as tutor resource materials were examined to identify strategies appropriate for adult…

A study examined two first-grade classrooms implementing the whole language approach and two utilizing the basal reading approach to determine the differences, if any, between the treatments. The hypothesis was that the whole language reading approach when combined with a phonics program would not result in higher test scores on a standardized…

Sharing concerns and interests of New York State educators in the improvement of literacy, this annual journal raises educational issues such as: empowering students' voices; responding to the call for higher standards by instructing and including all learners; using the Internet to promote literacy; and poetry as a powerful genre. Articles in the…

Designed to help students improve their understanding of everything they read, especially the types of reading selections that they will find on standardized tests (such as the ACT and SAT), this guide explains the 3 key steps to strategic reading: preview before reading, underline and annotate while reading, and summarize after reading. It…

A practicum was developed which implemented various strategies to increase consistently below average reading comprehension scores of eighth-grade students. A targeted group of 16 students with middle ranking stanine scores was selected. Objectives included raising reading comprehension scores using task specific strategies, developing a more…

Shifting the focus of earlier editions from reading to literacy and defining a knowledge base for content literacy, this book presents preservice and inservice teachers with theory and related teaching strategies designed to help middle and secondary students in reading and learning from their textbooks. The book addresses issues related to…

Focusing on thinking skills, this guide, developed by the educators at the Emily Griffith Opportunity School, is designed to help employees to understand more and understand better what they read and to solve problems based on that understanding. The guide is designed for approximately 15-20 hours of instruction for low- to midlevel readers. It is…