Designed to add to the existing knowledge base concerning the saliency of features used by children to identify isolated words, a study examined whether the method of instruction influences the extent to which various features are used for word identification and recall. Subjects, 117 kindergarten students from a suburban Buffalo, New York, school…

Focusing on the effects of three interventions on students' reading and writing of persuasive discourse, a study investigated (1) whether the writing of persuasive discourse can be improved by instruction, and (2) the effect of reading on writing and of writing on reading within the persuasive mode. Subjects, 100 Canadian sixth graders stratified…

One in a series of reading, writing, and mathematics subject booklets offered to acquaint teachers with the skills tested in each content area on the New Jersey High School Proficiency Test, this booklet on reading presents material that can be used in lesson planning and preparation of materials to ensure coverage of all skills throughout the…

While ability to read and think critically is the very basis of post-secondary education, increasing numbers of college students lack these skills. A sequence of two courses in critical reading and thinking are currently offered in the Concentrated Studies program at Duquesne University in Pennsylvania. In these courses, students who are…

A study was conducted to examine the instructional approaches to decoding and comprehension in the first grade basal reading programs published by Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich (1983); Houghton Mifflin (1979); Ginn (1976); and SRA Reading Mastery (1983). In addition, analyses were completed on the comprehensibility of matched stories from each of…

Focusing on the development of literacy, this book discusses the teaching of reading and writing through stories, songs, and poetry. It is argued that, to develop literacy, teachers must know what to teach, how to Teach efficiently, and how to assign practices through which children learn. The book is organized into three general parts. The first…

This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 19 titles deal with a variety of topics, including the following: (1) the relationship between the use of intonation and reading comprehension; (2) developmental and information processing factors in second and third graders'…

Articles in this yearbook focus on reading and technology, teaching techniques, children's literature, and the reading/writing relationship. The 11 articles discuss the following: (1) computers and reading instruction, (2) using closed-captioned television in the classroom, (3) imagery training and the reading comprehension of below average…

Defining emergent as the process of becoming and literacy as the interrelatedness of reading and writing in young children's development, this paper reviews emergent literacy research and relates it to beginning reading and writing instruction. The first section of the paper describes the social and linguistic contexts for literacy, reviewing…

The Cooperative Integrated Reading and Composition Program (CIRC), which combines individualized instruction with cooperative learning, was evaluated in two studies. In the first study, 461 third and fourth graders were pulled out of their reading classes for part or all of the reading period over a 12-week period and CIRC was implemented. In the…

A study tested the relative effectiveness of four methods of teaching remedial reading students (grades 6 through 11) how to identify the main idea of expository paragraphs. Forty-seven students were divided according to treatment and were given the same pool of 125 paragraphs about geology and weather to read, and were given pretests and…

The proceedings of the ninth annual meeting of the College Reading Association consisted of the following papers: (1) "President's Address" (R. C. Aukerman); (2) "Planning and Implementing a College Reading Program" (M. Schleich); (3) "Reinforcement Counseling with Small Groups in Modifying Study of College Students"…

The proceedings of the eleventh annual meeting of the College Reading Association with a theme of "Professional Focus on Reading," consisted of the following papers: (1) "President's Address" (W. H. Cooper); (2) "What Lies Ahead in Primary Reading?" (M. C. Austin); (3) "The Causes and Correction of Verbalism in…

The proceedings of the twelfth annual meeting of the College Reading Association (with a focus on "Reading: Today's Needs, Tomorrow's Challenges") consisted of the following papers: "President's Address" (J. R. Newton); "Structure, Stricture in Reading Programs" (M. J. Weiss); "Why Use Informal Reading…

Reflecting the increasing complexity and sophistication in reading research, the papers in this collection represent a wide spectrum of approaches, philosophies, viewpoints, and techniques of scholarly endeavor in their treatment of reading research and instruction. Following an address, by the president of the organization, on reading…