Investigates the effectiveness of the Vocabulary Overview Guide in improving vocabulary comprehension and retention. Concludes that, compared to traditional methods of listing words and studying definitions, the guide increases vocabulary comprehension, retention, and metacognitive awareness. (MM)

Reviews research on the possible roles that errors might play in learning to read. Contrasts a productive view of errors with the view that errors are problematic to instruction, stating that the two are compatible. Concludes that errors can have both a generative and an inhibiting function depending upon instructional conditions. (GEA)

Discusses a study in which four low-achieving 12-year-old readers were trained to tutor similar age low-achieving readers in reading comprehension strategies. States that both tutors and students learned to use the strategies effectively and that both groups made substantial gains in comprehension. (GEA)

Reviews relevant research in reading comprehension strategies and cooperative learning methods. Describes reading strategy groups as an approach for content area instruction, along with practical suggestions for implementation. (JD)

Reveals striking differences between the characteristics of oral reading errors made to content and function words: Content word errors tended to be graphically similar but contextually unacceptable, whereas the reverse was true for function word errors. Argues that some errors are better viewed not as errors in word recognition but as…

Resource mechanisms that coordinate school systems are loosely structured. Three resources are examined for effects on teaching and learning reading in the first grade: time allocation, curricular materials, and array of students in schools and classrooms. Administrative decisions on resource allocation constrain teachers' use of resources, which…

Discusses the use of the Study Skills Questionnaire to help college freshmen increase their knowledge of their own study strategies, including the ability to think on different levels, their task completion strategies, and the use of study aids. Suggests college faculty use results of the questionnaire to adjust teaching methods to student needs.…

Notes the weakness of comprehension assessment as it occurs in standardized tests and exercise books, and reports on a new approach which views reading as a constructive process that results from a complex set of interactions between reader and texts. (NH)

Reviews representative instructional studies of inference training, reciprocal teaching, and process training. Discusses both the concept of explicit comprehension instruction and potential difficulties in classroom implementation. Raises two important curricular concerns. (NH)

Presents a study which examines elementary school students' performance on the JAT (Joels, Anderson, and Thompson) Reading Inventory, noting variable student performance on the different question types. Reports that the validity of the JAT as a diagnostic instrument is established. (ARH)

Study compares the use of vocabulary instruction in a traditional basal reader format with that of two other lesson frameworks--Reconciled Reading Lesson and List-Group-Label--as a means for improving comprehension of basal stories. (MM)

Reports on a research project in which adults who were involved in an intergenerational literacy program made significant progress in literacy skills. Emphasizes the importance of well-trained, caring tutors to successful literacy programs. (ARH)

Reports on a longitudinal study which revealed that dyslexic and normal children follow the same patterns in their use of (1) phonological and visual information for word recognition; (2) context to facilitate word recognition; and (3) phonological and visual information for spelling. (ARH)

Seeks answers to two questions using an informal Functions of Print Test: (1) are kindergartners aware of the functions of print, and (2) what do kindergartners view as the reasons for reading in our society? Finds, in general, children are aware of the functions of print and recognize the purpose for reading. (NH)

Analyzes relationships among popularity, reading, and self-concept in 79 second grade students. Results indicate that high-SES (socioeconomic status) students were more popular than low-SES students, and that unpopularity correlated significantly with reading ability, self-concept, and SES. (MM)