In secondary-task reading experiments, easy text filled cognitive capacity more completely than difficult text. A cognitive interpretation is that, in reading easy passages, the cognitive processors are full. But in difficult passages, frequent breakdowns in comprehension temporarily empty processor spaces, leaving cognitive capacity for the…

Describes a classroom activity that emphasizes syntactic fluency and the richness of linguistic resources available in written language, while downplaying the "dos and don'ts" of traditional punctuation instruction. (RL)

Reports on an experiment, conducted on 664 beginning French students at a university, designed to measure the advantages of illustrations in the development of reading comprehension skills. (Author/AM)

A higher than expected correlation between "passages in" and "passages out" scores on reading comprehension tests indicated that the practical importance of passage dependence is probably not as great as has been commonly believed. (Editor)

Three experiments examined the relationship between reading skill and decoding. Children decoded and matched words and pseudowords of different syllable lengths presented in both aural and printed form. Prior verbal experience was manipulated. Decoding differences were not wholly attributable to prior experience with word units, as processes…

Vocalization latencies of young readers were a function of set size, number of syllables, and stimulus material. Differences between skilled and less skilled readers were absent for naming colors, digits, and pictures, but present for words; differences increased with number of syllables (and letters). Reading skill and decoding are discussed.…

College students read passages and answered either verbatim or parphrased adjunct questions either inserted in the text or massed at the end of the passage. Passage review was varied. On the post-test containing unfamiliar paraphrased questions, students given inserted paraphrased adjunct questions outperformed the others. Paraphrased questions…

Good, normal, and poor third grade readers were required to read easy, moderate, and difficult one-syllable nouns under three conditions: control condition with no pictures, identifying-picture condition, and unrelated-picture condition. Reading performance of poor readers was influenced by pictures under all conditions. Individual differences…

Recommendations of an official report have generated a new consciousness in British schools of the importance of language in education. (Author/DS)

A student of Russian and German describes his method for improving reading skills in those languages, with emphasis on a field of specialization. (AM)

Describes a study designed to find out if there is a correlation between a student's CLOZE score and performance in a biology course. (GA)

Because teachers are vital to successful reading instruction and are caught between the public's demand for higher reading scores and student apathy, it is important to learn what problems teachers view as major impediments to their success. Reports on a series of informal surveys of classroom teachers' attitudes on reading problems encountered in…

Performance of high school students in reading comprehension tasks varied according to organization of the passage (structure and linkages); context (student characteristics); reading time; and length, content, and familiarity of the material. The tasks included immediate free recall and recognition of a fact, main idea, and inference. (Author/GDC)

Presents a reply to and an analysis of a study which examined the use of logograph research to determine children's cognitive integration ability. The study in question had been based on the present author's previous research. (BD)

This study reports the results of a program focused on the amelioration of reading comprehension deficits in a sample of rural children. The results suggest that spatial skills operate causally on subsequent verbal acquisitions, and may be central to remediation of reading difficulties in children of low socioeconomic status. (Author/KC)