Reading achievement of students from open plan and traditional elementary classes were compared in three areas; speed and accuracy, vocabulary, and comprehension. The first evaluation (Grade 7) indicated that the mean score of the speed and accuracy scale was significantly lower for "open-area" students than for traditional pupils. Score…

This series of position papers in reading and language arts was sponsored by the Reading Center of University of Maryland in order to stimulate the kinds of thinking and reactions which might lead to improvement of teacher training programs and of reading programs on all levels. The topics treated reflect both traditional concerns of educators,…

This book is intended primarily for use in training elementary school teachers in methods of teaching reading. Chapter 1, "Ways of Defining the Reading Process," looks at the developmental aspects of reading and how the processes involved vary with developmental stages. Chapter 2 discusses readiness and reading at the preschool and kindergarten…

A collection of papers delivered during the Fifteenth Annual International Reading Association Convention is presented which represents a variety of views on diagnosis and/or on the manner in which diagnistic information is interpreted. The papers have been arranged into three sections. The first deals with the importance of diagnosis, presents…

Papers presented suggest a variety of views aimed at helping the teacher become more proficient in using children's literature in teaching reading. David C. Davis points out the need for developing programs in which books are selected on their literary quality, not on tastes or personal points of view. William G. McCarthy discusses the…

This is a supplement to the Advanced Placement (AP) German literature course description. Its aim is both to assist teachers in planning an AP German literature course and to provide experienced AP teachers with information about other successful programs. To this end, six teachers from different high schools in the U.S. provide descriptions of…

Self-regulated learning combines cognitive skill and motivation enabling handicapped students to select challenging tasks, apply effective learning strategies, and measure success against personal standards. Research on the development of specific techniques such as informed strategy training, self-control training, conditional knowledge,…

Study of 11-year-old Swedish-speaking learners of English (N=21) reading two passages from an English fairytale for meaning found that the subjects mainly made use of two knowledge sources (their mother tongue and previous knowledge of the tale) to comprehend the tale. (Author/CB)

Describes a strategy to motivate adult basic education students to comprehend text in a manner that draws on their background knowledge and is based on peer interaction. (RS)

Introduces a two-step instructional model that promotes independence in reading comprehension by transferring responsibility for strategy use to the students throughout the course of instruction. Includes extended examples. (NKA)

Reviews research regarding reading strategies used by Hebrew-speaking students to comprehend English for specific purposes texts, focusing on verbal report techniques in: developing a taxonomy for reading strategies; checking the appropriateness of mentalistic measures for different populations; determining similarities between first-language and…

Provides reviews of four educational software packages which deal with problem solving, mathematics, history, and reading comprehension. Includes information about appropriate hardware, grade level, the publisher and purchasing. Contains comments about the strengths and weaknesses of each program. (TW)

A double-blind controlled study of the effect of paired reading was carried out with 33 failing readers and their parents. After an average time of 7.6 hours of paired reading at home spread over six weeks, the experimental group children made gains of 2.43 months for reading accuracy and 4.36 months for comprehension. (JDH)

The results of synthesizing 40 studies regarding the effects of gender characteristics of instructional materials on students indicate that sex-equitable materials can improve both male and female students' learning experiences and assist in developing gender-balanced associations and more flexible sex role attitudes. Effects on preference and…

Compares attitudes of elementary school principals, teachers, and parents toward promoting voluntary reading with their attitudes toward instruction in comprehension, word recognition skills, and study skills and concludes that promotion of voluntary reading is considered lowest in priority by all groups. (DF)