To understand better how readers learn and recall text information, a study examined one prose learning approach--the selective attention strategy (SAS)--in which text elements are processed, given various degrees of attention, and learned according to their perceived importance. Fifty sixth grade students from an inner city school in a large…

Intended for students taking the Grade 12 Examinations in English 30 in Alberta, Canada, this reading test (to be administered along with a questions booklet) includes the following nine short selections taken from fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama: "The Biggest Liar in the World" (Harry Mark Petrakis); "Victorian…

Intended for students taking the Grade 12 Diploma Examinations in English 30 in Alberta, Canada, this questions booklet contains 80 multiple choice test items based on the nine selections in an accompanying readings booklet. The questions examine the students' skills in (1) understanding meanings; (2) recalling materials read; (3) understanding…

Intended for students taking Grade 12 Diploma Examinations in English 33 in Alberta, Canada, this reading test is designed to be administered with a questions booklet. The following short selections taken from fiction, nonfiction, poetry, drama, and day-to-day functional materials are included: (1) "M is for Mother" (Marjorie Riddle);…

A study applied and evaluated an inservice model for teacher education based on Alderian techniques. Subjects were 24 elementary school teachers, in a southwestern metropolitan city, who volunteered for an inservice program. Teachers in this experimental group were matched to teachers in a comparison group on the basis of age range, sex,…

A study examined the types of questions teachers asked and the types of responses they elicited from prestory and poststory portions of reading comprehension lessons. The Question Response Interaction instrument was used to gather data from teachers and their inner city third, fourth, and sixth grade students in both high and low reading groups.…

Teachers should be making every effort to use approaches for teaching literature that encourage students to discover the meaning of a text for themselves, using the language of the text and without unnecessary teacher intervention. Therefore, rather than having the students be led by the teacher/interpreter through a work they encounter the first…

Lateral brain research can be used to develop an understanding and appreciation of the vocational and occupational significance of black expressive behavior manifested in some blacks. Historically, employers have placed primary emphasis on cognitive abilities--functions of the left side of the brain. Research has shown, however, that the right…

To support and substantiate the assertion that the relationship between teacher and students matters a great deal when written literacy is at stake, a case study was made of a teacher in one high school creative writing class during one semester. The intent was to learn more about the socially negotiated nature of school writing and to identify…

Approaching literary study from two distinct yet interlocking perspectives (by looking at the major genres of literature and by examining the forms in which students of literature are expected to write about the literature they read), this book has two main sections. Following the Prelude, which treats the relationships between reading and writing…

Theoretically and practically, this book helps teachers develop a repertoire of practical consequences to use when students forget or do not know how to perform the behaviors agreed upon in their social contracts. A range of strategies are suggested for creating additional consequences and encouraging treating students in fair, dignified, and…

A study gathered quantitative and qualitative data on the cognitive and affective outcomes for gifted students (grades 3-6) in full- and part-time programs from three classrooms in each of two neighboring school districts, one urban and one rural. While the belief emerged in both districts that the full-time program served the needs of gifted…

A multi-purpose, multi-user evaluation system was designed to improve the quality of the reporting of information gathered in testing and evaluation practices. One part of the system, the reporting system for information resulting from a district standardized testing program, was described. The Student-Problem Package software was modified to…

A study was conducted at the University of Maryland (College Park, Maryland) in the Fall 1985 15-week semester to test the effects of advanced knowledge of grading criteria on students' writing skills and attitudes in a Freshman Composition class. A holistic grading scale, which was distributed to students as a checklist for revising writing…

Women who reenter college after years of work or family responsibilities were compared to women with similar backgrounds who do not reenter school on measures of fear of success and achievement anxiety. A questionnaire designed to determine reentry status, age, socioeconomic standing, facilitating and debilitating anxiety, and fear of success was…