A study investigated whether sustained silent reading encourages college students to increase their reading rate. Subjects were 76 education majors or students otherwise interested in teaching who were enrolled in an undergraduate course in teaching reading/language arts in a university in the southeastern United States. Subjects recorded their…

Questions the usefulness of oral reading for adequately evaluating the progress of a learner, providing valuable practice in reading, or entertaining others. (TO)

In one of several 2-week workshops, 35 blind and visually handicapped persons increased their braille reading speed from an average of 138 words per minute (wpm) to 710 wpm. (Author)

Argues that only quantity reading, not "comprehension skills," prepares one to understand the content of a given paragraph. (RD)

Indicates that segmenting sentences into meaningful units improves reading comprehension through simplifying the syntax of complex sentences and cueing the reader as to the relationship among intrasentence phrases. (AEA)

Describes a study to determine the relationship between the method of presentation of data in a report and reader retention, reader reaction, and reading time. Tables were effective in increasing reader retention and decreasing reading time. (JOW)

Using a lexical decision task, the effects of frequency and number of meanings show that different patterns of results emerge for fast and slow readers. For fast readers there are general effects of both frequency and numbers of meanings; for slow readers the effects are considerably attenuated. (Author/CM)

Two experiments suggest that a sharp increase in reading automaticity occurs during the first grade, but that by the end of the year the development of automaticity begins to level off. (HOD)

Principles of self-management were incorporated into a reading improvement program administered to study skills students. Results indicated that the performance-contingent strategy facilitated improvement. Results indicate that persistent practice is a salient factor in reading improvement. The importance of the self-reinforcement strategy used in…

A biofeedback study found that subvocalization neither hindered reading speed nor aided comprehension. Text readability and conceptual difficulty showed no effects. (AEA)

Reading lessons of deaf and hearing children were analyzed for teacher- and child-initiated stops, reasons for stops, time spent, and reading rate. Lessons of deaf children differed markedly from those of hearing children using the same text. Results are discussed in relation to reading retardation in the deaf. (Author/SJL)

Describes one element of the reading act as it operates in time--how "good-enough" readers of complex fiction strike a personal balance between the need for momentum and the need for accountability to the text. Draws from protocols provided by 33 readers, from eighth grade to Ph.D. level, following two readings of a novel. (PA)