Working on the assumption that poor comprehenders of reading cannot retrieve relevant information to provide a context for the understanding of new information, a study sought to gather some empirical data about the retrieval of information. It was hoped that these data would validate some aspects of J. R. Anderson's ACT theory of memory (that…

A study investigated the role of visual imagery in the comprehension and retention of prose. Subjects were 48 fifth grade students who orally read a story and then completed three comprehension tasks directly related to the story: a retelling, an oral reading cloze test, and a multiple choice question test comprised of items demonstrated to be…

A course was developed for teaching reading comprehension of English technical texts to German speaking professionals. Before proceeding with the course, students are administered a memory test and vocabulary test to determine their initial skill levels in English. The materials used for the course include learner's dictionaries of approximately…

Two experiments were conducted to determine what readers are likely to understand about the information contained in a medical insurance brochure intended for employees. Twenty-seven subjects were recruited through newspaper advertisements for a "reading experiment." The studies addressed questions concerning (1) how likely readers are…

Written for those who would like to seriously and systematically study response to literature and the teaching of literature, this book presents a review of the major theories that might inform research on response and a catalog of most of the promising research techniques. The book is organized into three parts: theories of response, ways to…

Through reflections upon the ideas and events that have shaped current views about reading comprehension and its teaching, this paper characterizes patterns of development in three related domains: theory and research about basic processes in reading comprehension, research about reading comprehension instruction, and practices in teaching reading…

A study investigated the effects of a spatial adjunct aid--maps--upon probed comprehension and free recall with respect to a text in which map-related information (macropropositions) could be clearly distinguished from more abstract information (micropropositions). Forty-eight tenth grade students were randomly assigned to either a control group…

Intended for elementary school reading teachers, this booklet offers insight into the nature of comprehension and suggestions for enhancing children's comprehension skills. The first chapter discusses trends in comprehension research, and several specific points about the nature of comprehension and how it can best be taught. The second chapter…

A study was conducted to identify the contributions of both prior knowledge and prereading vocabulary instruction to passage comprehension. In addition, semantic mapping and semantic feature analysis--instructional strategies that build upon students' prior knowledge--were compared with a modified basal approach for effectiveness as prereading…

A study was conducted to investigate reading comprehension and educationally related variables--such as years of education, aptitude score, high school graduation status, and quarter of entry into the service--that describe United States Navy recruits. Data were obtained from computer managed instruction (CMI) reports issued quarterly, on…

Undergraduate students of English for Science and Technology (EST) are confronted, in their English textbooks, with a variety of rhetorical forms intended to convey a variety of information, including specialized rhetorics of definition, classification, and argumentation. The rhetorical form of EST argumentation is the organization of written…

Intended to make teachers aware of various tactics that will move students toward strategies for independent learning, this paper describes several work-study skills, which--once mastered--can be integrated into the set of tactics the life-long learner might use in his or her independent mastery of text and lecture. The first part of the paper…

A computer lesson entitled "Aux Jeux Olympiques" (To the Olympic Games) simulates an ongoing situational dialog between the French student and the PLATO computer system. It offers an international setting for functional learning exercises focusing on students' understanding and use of comparative constructions, selected verbs, and other linguistic…

Evaluated was the teaching effectiveness of the Trimodal Programed Instruction in Reading with nine second, third, and fourth grade students who were not progressing in elementary school reading programs even with remediation. (MC)

This study investigated the effectiveness of teaching specific rather than global comprehension skills; the correlations among sex, intelligence level, and comprehension gain when taught global or specific comprehension skills; and the correlations between the factors of intelligence, comprehension, and vocabulary without regard for the teaching…