Intended for literature instructors, this digest explains the relationship of transactional theory (a reciprocal, mutually defining relationship between the reader and the literary text) to the teaching of literature. The importance of the reader's part in literature is first demonstrated, noting that attention must be paid to who the readers are,…

To learn more about how people read literary texts, with a view to improving the way literature is taught in schools, a study examined the extent to which the reading of literature is affected by variations in readers, texts, and situations. Subjects, 12 skilled (faculty) readers and 96 novice (undergraduate) readers, read a short story, either in…

This final report of a reading instruction study examined teachers' use of research-based practices when teaching reading comprehension, as well as the barriers that prevent teachers from using such practices. Six schools in two school districts in a southwestern urban area were selected for intensive study; 39 teachers of grades 4-6 participated.…

A study sought to replicate and extend previous research which found that an emphasis on meaning in reading leads to better recall of lesson material than does an emphasis on accurate oral reading, and that the child who is taking an active turn recalls more of the lesson material than do the children who are following along. Six third-grade…

A study examined parental perceptions of young children's literacy development and explored the relationship between parental literacy level and perceptions of the importance of literacy artifacts and events/experiences in preschoolers' literacy development. Subjects, 108 parents of beginning kindergartners, were interviewed and given a test of…

This research report documents the development of the Reading Recovery Program in the United States from its inception in 1984. The report provides summaries of the various empirical studies that have been conducted. The report concludes that: (1) evidence from the first years of implementation indicates that Reading Recovery has had positive…

A study sought to create and pilot a reasonable method for estimating reading rate by grade level and level of reading proficiency within grade level, and to identify reasonable estimates of reading rate at independent, instructional, and frustration levels of reading. Data were elicited from 66 third grade and 64 fifth grade students attending…

Extracted from a doctoral thesis on young children's emergent literacy, this paper describes the literacy development of one five-year-old subject. The paper first describes the subject's home environment, her relationships with family members, and her early reading experience and literacy development. Transcripts illustrating her home reading…

A study examined the use of time reserved for formal reading instruction in elementary schools. Subjects were 36 elementary classroom teachers--12 each from grades 1, 3, and 5--in 8 suburban schools. Specific reading instruction behaviors for each teacher were observed during two complete periods of the regularly scheduled reading classes. Teacher…

Noting that the popular press and other media have purveyed much information and misinformation about the status of adult literacy in the United States, this paper focuses upon what is known about literacy levels and gives special attention to changes in literacy demands and to what is currently being done to meet those demands. The first section…

To the traditional arguments for teaching children to read can be added the contemporary idea that literacy is a tool, the necessary skill for full participation in society, and the ticket to social mobility and success. New reasons for reading books have emerged from recent gains in the understanding of the comprehension process and the nature of…

A series of studies conducted to examine deficits in reading comprehension skills of low ability, young adult readers and to evaluate computer-based systems that have been designed to improve skills deficiencies in comprehension are described in this report. The studies described in the first section of the report: (1) examined readers' use of…

Papers presented at a roundtable session at the 1986 International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) conference consider current research in reading. They include: (1) "Bibliopsychology--The Contribution of a Study of Temperament" (R. O. Linden, Japan), which examines research on the impact of communication media on the…

A study examined an approach to assisting students in increasing their awareness of the organization and demands of text during the survey process of SQ3R (Survey, Question, Read, Review, Recite). Twenty-seven college freshmen in a developmental reading course, were (1) introduced to the concept of SQ3R, (2) given instruction on types and uses of…

A study examined the relative merits of individual and cooperative methods of vocabulary instruction in the seventh grade. It was hypothesized that socialization would act as a motivating force among these adolescents, and that those involved in paired instruction would show increased vocabulary retention. Students in both control (individual) and…