In the study of perception during reading, the use of eye movement contingent control of the stimulus display has proved to be a useful research technique. With such a system, it is possible to experimentally manipulate, in real time, the characteristics of the stimulus display that is present on selected fixations as reading is in progress and to…

A study was conducted to determine the effects of age, verbal ability, education, reading habits, and recall strategies on prose recall among adults. Subjects were 422 adults in three age groups--young (18-28 years), middle (40-54), and older (62-80). They were asked to read and recall in writing two 388-word prose passages and to answer questions…

This report describes research that focused on the comprehension and composition of simple texts. The first section reviews the overall goals and theoretical perspectives of the project. The second section describes the following studies carried out during the project: analysis and extension of prior thinking-out-loud (TOL) data, TOL and reading…

In the past two decades, computer assisted reading instruction has developed substantially. From educators using large mainframe computers located at a distance from keyboard terminals in classrooms, today reading educators are capable of using computer-assisted instruction (CAI) on typewriter-sized equipment portable to any location and usable…

A study was conducted to determine whether a teacher's reading to sixth grade students on a regular basis would have a significant positive effect on their reading comprehension. Twenty students, divided into experimental and control groups, were pretested and posttested using the "Gates-MacGinitie Reading Test." During the eight-week study, the…

Although successful reading comprehension is described as the interaction of text-based processes and processes related to the reader's existing background knowledge or schemata, under different conditions readers show different patterns of text-based versus knowledge-based processing. Recent research suggests that students of English as a second…

Noting that metacognition plays a vital role in reading, this report summarizes research dealing with the development of metacognition in an especially important type of reading--reading to learn. The report is organized around four categories of metacognitive knowledge and control: (1) the text, (2) the task to be performed by the learner as…

To determine how basal readers reflect the different kinds of family living found in American society today, information was gathered through an analysis of 462 stories relating to family life in eight basal reading series in grades one to six and a single series in grades one through three. Only fiction stories about children were used. The…

Retrospective Miscue Analysis (RMA) is an effective instructional procedure in which a group of readers listen to tape recordings of oral readings. A group member may stop the tape whenever a miscue is identified. The miscue is then analyzed by answering questions about the miscue. RMA can be easily adapted for use with microcomputers or for…

Post structural reader theories--i.e., theories that focus on the reader/viewer rather than the text as the creator of meaning--are considered in this paper in terms of their application to educational media research. Some key concepts of reader theories are defined as follows: (1) reading is the process of creating meaning while viewing an…

A compilation of conference papers highlights the active role of the learner. The titles of the papers and their authors include: "Whole Language: Celebrating the Student within the Learning Community through Literature" (Dorothy J. Watson); "Integrating the Curriculum for Better Learning and Teaching" (Stephen B. Kucer);…

A discussion of schema theory as it relates to the learning of English as a Second Language reviews related research and its implications for classroom instruction. The first section looks at schema theory in general and content schemata in particular, focusing on how they affect reading comprehension. Studies of non-native speakers, schema…

A study examined: (1) whether making decisions (i.e. answering yes/no questions) about a brief prose passage enables children to detect logical inconsistencies in the passage; and (2) the extent to which hearing-impaired children differ from normal hearing children in their abilities to recognize logical inconsistencies in text. Subjects were 52…

Designed to provide resources for educators who teach reading for students with learning disabilities (LD), this 26-item annotated bibliography contains selections published in the ERIC database between 1987 and 1989. The bibliography is divided into two sections: an overview of reading and research on learning disabilities, and strategies for…