An experimental study involving 44 matched pairs of Israeli first graders found that reading at a faster pace increased comprehension and reduced errors in spite of the insertion of pictorial distractors. (IAH)

Examines the effect of cooperative learning strategy manipulations on the enactment and recall of a medical procedure. Reports that, in all groups, recall of the procedure was enhanced by prior performance, while performance was enhanced by prior recall in only two of the four groups. (MM)

Investigates the degree to which practice in isolated word recognition affects children's speed of recognizing words presented within a sentence context. Finds that increased speed of word recognition interacts in a compensatory fashion with reliance upon context as an aid to word recognition. (RS)

Reports on the development and evaluation of a two-component mnemonic strategy for teaching hierarchical and specific botanical concepts. Reports that compared to traditional instruction, mnemonic instruction facilitates learning of both classification and characteristic information, as well as inferential thinking on a problem-solving task. (RS)

Examines the extent to which reading research supports the comprehension and vocabulary strategies recommended in content reading methods texts. Concludes that more of the research finds the strategies to be effective than finds them ineffective. (MM)

A study examines three eight-year-olds' responses to fairy tales, and their perceptions of the tales' meanings. Finds many unique and deeply personal responses, but also finds patterns of response which suggest that adult interpretations of fairy tales are not necessarily the interpretations that children make. (RAE)

Defines the value of classroom research in terms of three paradoxes: (1) it steps back by taking an intimate look; (2) it yields a holistic view but also reveals the dynamics of its parts; and (3) it is a unique whole and a part of inquiry into language and learning. (RS)

Presents research results (in the form of a story) regarding parents', teachers', and students' observations about the students as readers, and their goals for the students as readers. Discusses the role of teacher as researcher. (SR)

Suggests that abandoning controlled vocabulary texts on the assumption that reading is a psycholinguistic guessing game was wrong. Claims that the current emphasis on strategy instruction, scaffolded reading experiences, and the use of writing to foster letter-sounds may provide good outcomes for those teachers and children who dreaded reading…

Determines teacher and child behaviors during story reading and how they are related. Gathers data from 146 urban and suburban elementary school classrooms. Uses factor analysis to identify five categories of teacher behaviors and five categories of student behaviors. Finds that, across grade levels, children's involvement in prediscussion was…

Reviews the historical and current theoretical contexts that have contributed to the concept of readiness, especially reading readiness. Discusses connectionist, emergent, social constructivist, and critical theories of early literacy. Ends with a discussion of the future of research, debate, and practice in the area of early literacy. (DR)

Discusses a study that interviewed 12 dyslexics, including a Nobel laureate, a member of the United States Academy of Sciences, and other professionals in fields requiring reading. Finds that all of them developed basic fluency three to four years later than peers, but still acquired Stage 5 skills through avid reading about a topic of passionate…

Defines the method of "think alongs," which are representations of a reader's process of constructing meaning. Illustrates how think along methods of reading instruction might be used in secondary science, math, or social studies classrooms by focusing on critical learning issues in each area. (HB)

Presents summaries of empirical studies of kindergartners, fifth graders, high school students, and college students, which suggest that people use stereotypes and gender-based identification in encoding, retrieving, and making inferences. Discusses results of qualitative research on differences in male and female responses to literary texts.…

Examined whether children with reading problems could be taught to use multiletter patterns in word decoding. Testing used practiced words and similar and dissimilar nonpracticed words. Found that all types of practice were beneficial for the recognition of practiced words transfer to the reading of novel words appeared only when graphemic and…