This paper presents several methods of reading instruction that teachers can use with young readers, particularly learners of English as a Second Language (ESL), to help them cope with potential negative effects of background knowledge. Insufficient or inaccurate background knowledge may cause readers to make inferences or interpretations that are…

The relationships between intellectual and demographic variables of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) were examined. Subjects were 2,200 children in the WISC-R standardization sample. Four multiple regression analyses were performed between Full Scale and Verbal Comprehension, Perceptual Organization, and Freedom from…

This ERIC/RCS Special Collection contains 4 ERIC Digests (brief syntheses of the research on a specific topic in contemporary education) and 14 FAST Bibs (Focused Access to Selected Topics--annotated bibliographies with selected entries from the ERIC database), providing up-to-date information in an accessible format. The collection focuses on…

Seven research-based papers on writing disorders of learning-disabled college students are listed and reviewed. The papers deal with persistent auditory language deficits in adults with learning disabilities; error patterns and instructional alternatives relating to college learning-disabled writers; syntactic complexity in written expression;…

The 1985 issue of the journal on second language teaching and learning contains four articles in French and three in English, including: "Lire et comprendre un texte informatif (Reading and understanding an Informative Text)" (Jacqueline Billant, Pascale Fade); "Les nouveaux diplomes de Francais Language Etrangere: Le D.E.L.F. et le…

Originally developed for the Department of Defense Schools (DoDDS) system, this learning package on changing perspective in reading assessment is designed for teachers who wish to upgrade or expand their teaching skills on their own. The package includes a comprehensive search of the ERIC database; a lecture giving an overview on the topic; the…

Concerned with what can be done to help produce more thoughtful, critical readers, this report first presents an historical overview of theories on the origin of language, referring to B. F. Skinner, Noam Chomsky, and Jean Piaget, among others. It then discusses biological reasons for the evolution of language and the impact of verbal language on…

Combining a student workbook and a teacher's guide, this booklet is designed to help students reading at the sixth grade level develop their ability to (1) find facts quickly, (2) locate main ideas and supporting information, (3) remember what was read, (4) determine a word's meaning from context, and (5) decide when to use specialized reading…

Covering the most important aspects of assessing adult basic readers, this collection of articles is introduced by a discussion of the purpose of resource books for adult education. The first article then examines the rationale for assessing reading ability and stresses the importance of purpose and design in assessment. The second article reviews…

A literature teacher used high interest paperback books to develop the educational skills and improve the attitudes of unmotivated students. By introducing new books with guides stressing personal reasoning and values clarification over correct answers, the teacher helped build students' confidence in their own thinking ability. She pushed…

To assess the impact of economic deprivation on students' reading scores in standardized tests, the vocabulary and reading comprehension portions of the California Achievement Test and the Degree of Reading Power test were admininstered to two groups of eighth grade students--60 students participating in the federal free lunch program and 60…

A study was conducted to identify reading competency standards for students seeking admission to Pennsylvania teacher education programs. The study sought to determine if differences exist in: (1) reading levels, habits, and attitudes of the teacher candidate pool at large public universities, small public universities, and small private…

Six weeks were spent working with a five-year-old kindergarten child who had an excellent understanding of sound/symbol relationships but did not know how to read for meaning. A variety of techniques was used to help the child develop reading strategies and increase confidence: directed reading-thinking activity in week one; student retelling of a…

Information on the Ontario Test of English Achievement is presented. Attention is directed to the background and objectives of the test, test development, subtest characteristics and properties, validity, and recommendations concerning test use. The objective of the test was to determine the language competence of incoming students to assist…

Secondary and postsecondary students who use the read-answer-discuss strategy while studying read ineffectively and do not comprehend or retain main ideas. A study examined the effectiveness of (1) the Directed Reading-Thinking Activity, (2) conceptual mapping, (3) a combination of those strategies, and (4) reading and underlining main ideas as…