Based on the premise that research findings about children's language acquisition might support theories about the learning of reading, this paper reviews research that has addressed the development of language production and the relationship between language ability and reading achievement. The first section of the literature review deals with…

The case study of James, a semiliterate 16-year-old delinquent, illustrates (1) the importance of learners' language strengths, (2) the importance of learners' perceptions about the nature of assigned tasks, and (3) the need to examine reading instruction as a possible contributor to delayed literacy. When James was asked to tape record a story,…

A model of reading development was tested by examining preschool children's knowledge of print, their interactions with a teacher, and their parents' perceptions of children's attitudes toward printed materials. The central tenet of the tested model was its hierarchical notion of children's progress in learning to read, leading to the assumption…

A study was undertaken to analyze and compare the content of two reading courses required for all prospective secondary school teachers in each of the seven teacher training schools in New Jersey. A five-page questionnaire was sent to the director of the reading program or to a member of the reading program staff at each of the colleges. The…

A study examined the effects of using a form of children's literature known as tradebooks on students' science achievement and attitudes. Subjects were 47 fourth grade children. For 6 weeks the experimental and control groups progressed through the objectives of a science unit on animal and plant populations. The control group used the textbook…

In a study that investigated differences in the processing styles of beginning readers, a Pictograph Sentence Memory Test (PSMT) was administered to first and second grade students to determine their processing style as well as to assess instructional effects. Based on their responses to the PSMT, the children were classified as either visual or…

The "yes/no" method of vocabulary assessment requires students to indicate words they know from among a list of words and nonwords. Preliminary evidence gained from a study involving fifth grade students indicates that the method is superior in many ways to the multiple choice method of assessment. Analysis of "false alarms," cases in which…

Approximately 300 elementary and secondary school teachers from across the United States responded to a survey concerning their attitudes toward the role and the performance of reading specialists in their schools. The teachers completed a 30-item Likert-like attitude scale and provided demographic data. The results indicated that teachers in…

A study was conducted to collect information on college students' perceptions of adjunct guide material used in conjunction with textbook reading assignments in history and philosophy courses. The three types of guide materials developed by history, philosophy, and reading department faculty were (1) selective reading guides--a series of…

As part of the work from the Content Area Reading Project (CARP), which focuses on inservice teacher education in content area reading, this paper examines eight premises for the training of administrators in the clinical supervision of content area teachers. These premises are as follows: (1) problems in content classrooms can be resolved if…

A study was conducted to construct a cloze screening instrument to gain information about the reading capabilities of college students enrolled in specific courses and to find out what support services these students needed. Subjects included 464 college students ranging from entering freshmen to graduate students. Cloze passages were constructed…

A study was conducted to replicate earlier findings regarding the relationships between letter, word, and text reading times and measures of reading achievement and to establish the stability of reading times measures and their relationships over a one-year period. Subjects included 150 children in eight age cohorts between grades one and six. The…

A study was conducted in three city school districts in eastern North Carolina to examine the relationship between the organizational climate of elementary schools and the reading achievement of third grade students. The Organizational Climate Description Questionnaire was given to the staff of ten elementary schools to determine whether the…

A study was conducted to determine if verbs were learned as easily as other words by primary school children. One hundred eight kindergarten children were divided into high, medium, and low I.Q. ranges and each range group was further divided--one group for each of three testing methods at each intelligence level. A list of words including 25…

Nine elementary schools enrolling 852 sixth grade students participated in a study that examined the relationship between the organizational climate of elementary schools (whether the school was "open" or "closed") and the reading achievement of students. Each school's organizational climate was determined by administering the Organizational…