To evaluate the effects of conversational noise on the comprehension/retention of 2000-word text excerpts, two groups were randomly formed. Group I (n=20) studied under noise conditions and Group 2 (n=24) studied under nonnoise conditions. Overall ANCOVAs indicated no significant differences between groups but identifiable subgroups showed…

Secondary students who regularly discussed controversial issues using a value analysis approach showed gains on the measures of political confidence, political interest, and social integration, but not on political trust. The value analysis discussions did not affect students' reading comprehension. (Author/RM)

Presents three ideas for teaching content area writing, noting that such writing is most productive when assignments are based on real subject area topics and authentic styles. (HOD)

A study investigated the singular and combined effectiveness of phrasing and repeated readings (practice) on the recall of idea units and narrative categories of fifth grade good and poor readers, concluding that practice rather than phrasing proved to have the most facilitating effect on poor readers' recall of idea units but not narrative…

Examines why analytical thinking should be a major focus of teaching in the reading and writing classroom. (HOD)

Using a framework to review the research, this article evaluates the effectiveness of adjunct questions and objectives in a prose learning setting. The framework proved useful in identifying processes responsible for the effects of the two adjunct aids, in explaining unusual and/or discrepant results, and generating recommendations for future…

Reviews and evaluates reading instruction software that helps teach word attack and recognition and reading comprehension. (CRH)

Latent class modeling procedures were used in exploratory and confirmatory analyses of the prerequisite relations among five types of text-based inference question tasks for good and poor sixth-grade readers. All tasks types provided separate manifestations of the same underlying attribute for both good and poor readers. (Author/BS)

A study of the first grade books in two basal series, compared with typical storybooks, shows that the amount and type of picture-dependence varies, even over the year. (FL)

Indicates that the format and use of the informal reading inventory need to be modified in order to address recent research findings of schema theory, text analysis, and metacognition. (FL)

Offers a set of lesson plans that use simple semantic word maps to help students improve their vocabulary knowledge and comprehension in all subject areas. (FL)

Investigates the relationship between field dependence-independence and the comprehension test scores for expository and literary text types and examines the relationship between text structure and reading comprehension. (FL)

Examines some recent ERIC materials on comprehension processes and on how teachers can improve students' awareness of comprehension or metacomprehension. (HOD)

Describes an Environmental Reading Program, in which students come to realize that they are readers of their surroundings. Shows how the program can stimulate thought processes and promote comprehension. (FL)

Describes how the retelling of stories can reveal (1) the point or points students see in the stories they read and (2) the problems students have organizing the different elements of a story into a coherent whole. (HOD)