Many students think of poetry as a meaning to be figured out, a puzzle to be solved--as if poets were forever doomed to write only what they never quite mean and to mean what they never actually write. The struggle to discover meaning becomes acute with that distinctly modern poetry created by T. S. Eliot, Ezra Pound, Wallace Stevens, and their…

This study was designed to determine the effectiveness of using computer-delivery for specific learning-strategy training with undergraduate students. Two learning-strategy tutorials were developed to introduce 60 students enrolled in introductory computing courses at Old Dominion University in southwestern Virginia to microcomputer components.…

The effects of an integrated language arts instructional program on reading comprehension skills of learning lab students were examined using the Analytical Reading Inventory, and their attitudes toward recreational and academic reading were assessed using the Elementary Reading Attitude Survey. Subjects were at-risk fifth and sixth grade…

The paper describes and examines the interaction of a group of Spanish readers engaged in a reading comprehension activity, specifically, the interaction as they put to paper an answer to a reading comprehension question. The study is a satellite study affiliated with an ongoing project examining the use of cooperative learning in elementary…

This handbook offers suggestions for implementing actions (termed variously in other settings as treatments, interventions, methods, techniques, strategies or activities) recommended for individual learners by CONSULT-I (R), a computer program created by James Fattu and Edward Patrick. Application of the program described in the handbook was under…

This article reviews the research on the simplification of reading materials for second language (SL) learners and reports on an experiment of the effects of text simplification and elaboration on the reading comprehension of SL learners. Elaboration can improve the comprehensibility of texts without removing new linguistic forms that students…

This article examines the concept of simplification in second language (SL) learning, reviewing research on the simplified input that both naturalistic and classroom SL learners receive. Research indicates that simplified input, particularly if derived from naturally occurring interactions, does aid comprehension but has not been shown to…

This study examined the relationship between early language measures and kindergarten literacy measures for children from 40 low-income families. Early literacy measures were based on conversations between mother and child during a book-reading session; the child's report of an event as elicited by the mother; and mealtime. Conversations were…

Information is provided regarding instructional teaching strategies and cognitive/learning strategies as well as other information important for successful learning. This module will aid vocational agriculture teachers and special needs students in confronting new situations with a strategic plan. Four definitions, 11 frequently asked questions,…

This investigation of the use of white space in print-based, computer-generated text focused on the point at which the white space interferes with reading speed and comprehension. It was hypothesized that reading speed and comprehension would be significantly greater when text was wrapped tightly around the graphic than when it had one-half inch…

Visual representations of the main ideas of information text (frames) help middle-grade students learn from reading. A study investigated frame development by middle-grade teachers. Twenty-seven teachers worked alone and collaboratively to frame experimental passages that had been selected from content area textbooks in social studies and science.…

A study examined and specified the effects of selected variables on adults' reading strategies and comprehension. Subjects, 20 adults in an adult basic education group, 20 students in a "high-risk freshmen" group, and 18 students enrolled in a senior level reading methods course, were administered an informal reading inventory (IRI), an…

The development of a prototype computer-assisted second language listening comprehension test is reported. The project investigated the feasibility of computer-adaptive second language listening tests using microcomputer equipment and developing model testing software. Tests for French and for English as a Second Language (ESL) were developed. The…

Undertaken as part of a larger study, the experiments described in this report examine various aspects of the relationship between pictures and text and of the methodology for examining that relationship. Each of the 11 experiments described in the report involved college students and deals with the effects of storyline and texture on the reading…

Within the framework of storytelling (rather than story reading or listening) as a classroom technique for foreign language instruction, a wide range of classroom activities and over 70 story outlines are proposed. The activities range from introspective to highly interactive, from beginner to advanced, and many are offered as alternatives to…