Suggests that deficiencies in learning to read are in the flawed philosophy and method of beginning reading instruction rather than a deficiency in the individual. Implements a comprehensive program based on interpretations of reading teaching techniques from the 16th through the 19th century. Finds that children learned to spell, read, and…

Examines the effectiveness of a remediation program that coordinated the existing remediation curriculum with required academic courses. Finds that the program was successful in improving student reading abilities, assisting them in performing well in a beginning history course and retaining them at the university. (RS)

Determines whether three groups of readers (normally achieving, poor comprehenders, and reading disabled) differed in their ability to cope with reading comprehension task demands. Finds that the groups differed with respect to their performance on specific question-answer types and their standardized reading comprehension scores. Suggests that…

Tests the hypothesis that different assigned purposes for reading led to changes in the "interestingness" and recall of text material. Concludes that reading for a particular purpose enhances the interestingness of text information even when that information is not intrinsically interesting. Discusses educational implications. (BS)

Reports on the development of a test of phonemic awareness suitable for administration to young children. Compares kindergarteners' performance on a measure controlling for global similarity and another measure not controlled. Finds support for the importance of controlling for global similarity when attempting to measure phoneme invariance. (RS)

Examines the effectiveness of self-questioning and summarization instruction on adult poor readers enrolled in adult education programs. Demonstrates the benefit of teaching text comprehension strategies to adults who are poor readers. (RS)

Investigates the effectiveness of instruction in phonological awareness provided in low-income, inner-city kindergarten classrooms. Finds that, after an 11-week intervention, the treatment children significantly outperformed the control children on measures of phoneme segmentation, letter name and letter sound knowledge, 2 of 3 reading measures,…

Finds SAT Verbal scores correlated with parts 2 and 4 of a four-part Morpheme Sensitivity Test (MST); standardized test scores correlated with all parts of the MST; and significant difference between means on all parts of the MST for proficient and nonproficient high school readers. Notes that results are consistent with the morphophonemic nature…

Determines whether subjects' aesthetic involvement or story preference would be influenced by the subjects's culture or culture portrayed in text. Finds that level of aesthetic involvement was not significantly influenced by the culture of subject or text. Concludes that subjects prefer stories reflecting their own culture but are capable of…

Investigates what young children see their parents read and write. Finds that both parents of Headstart children and parents of private school preschoolers reported reading and writing a wide variety of materials, although the types of literacy activities were different. (SR)

Argues for restructuring college reading classes to incorporate more instruction that is based on the theory of reader response. Describes instruction based on reader response and its appropriateness for high-risk college students. (SR)

Examines the relationship among sources of interest, perceived interest, and text recall. Reveals (through factor analysis) six different sources of interest. Suggests sources of interest affect perceived interest, which in turn affects recall. Suggests that text structure appears to play an important role in perceived situational interest and,…

Develops a list of graded mathematical terms which gives a quick estimate of a child's reading ability in mathematics. Asserts that this instrument could identify students who need instruction in mathematics vocabulary and who have difficulty reading their mathematics textbooks. Finds a high correlation between teacher estimates and results…

Finds (1) no relationship between stance taken in a free response and types of intertextual or autobiographical connections made by students in grades four, six, and eight; (2) descriptions of meaningfulness of intertextual and autobiographical connections was related to students' grade level; and (3) students made more connections to television…

Surveys middle school teachers' perceptions of what is considered to be important in the reading program at their schools. Finds that teachers perceive that skills mastery strategies receive greater emphasis whereas practices having to do with processes of becoming a reader receive significantly less emphasis. (SR)