Noting that the degree to which the concept of ethnicity is understood and taken into account at all levels of educational planning is the single most important factor in the success of programs designed for the education of ethnic and socioeconomic minorities, this paper discusses the concept in general, then outlines the components of an…

A study investigated the effect of research-based instructional strategies on the reading achievement of students in grades two through five. Instructional process variables were assembled into a manual used to train 24 experimental teachers. The five categories of variables were (1) classroom environment, (2) lesson introduction, (3) lesson…

To determine the most accurate means of estimating the expected grade or reading level of 61 sixth grade students, three expectancy formulas were compared to a custom regression equation from a user friendly microcomputer program. The expectancy formulas, based in part on student I.Q. and chronological age, and the regression equations were…

Some children become capable readers and writers before ever attending school and without exposure to formal instruction. This phenomenon--sometimes referred to as natural literacy development--is not, in the strictest sense, natural; as the adult presents much of the literacy environment to the child in a socialized, mediated form, teaching is…

Publishers of basal reading series claim that beginning reading materials must contain primarily high frequency words and that new words must be introduced gradually. Inherent in their argument is the position that reading is based on the student's ability to recognize words and that short, phonetically regular words are easier to read. To examine…

As part of a larger evaluation of the Individually Guided Education (IGE) system in Wisconsin elementary schools, a comparative study was conducted of the effectiveness of reading instruction and the Wisconsin Design for Reading Skill Development (WDRSD) program in IGE and non-IGE settings. Data on students in grades five and two in 11 different…

Proposing that teachers can help children learn more effectively by promoting metacognition and the acquisition of problem solving strategies, this report describes research studying the effectiveness of the experimental curriculum, Informed Strategies for Learning (ISL), in increasing third and fifth grade students' reading comprehension skills.…

This publication contains a review of trends in research over the past decade followed by 24 studies focusing on cognitive structure, instructional strategies, curricular issues, and attitudes. Among the specific areas investigated are: concept maps as reflectors of conceptual understanding; equations, translations, and number skills in learning…

In an attempt to improve general instruction at the college level, a study investigated the adaptability of the cloze procedure for use in undergraduate courses, specifically examining the relationship between cloze performance tests and student achievement. In the first portion of the study, six cloze procedure tests based on selections from five…

A study investigated whether 19 at-risk fifth-grade students would benefit from using Sustained Silent Reading. Ten students were exposed to 15 minutes of Sustained Silent Reading at least four times a week over the course of a school year, while nine students were not. All students were administered a pre- and post- self-concept inventory and a…

A study examined reading performance, metacognitive knowledge about reading, awareness of the conventions about print, perceptions of reading ability, and causal attributions for success and failure in reading of children with reading difficulties in Year 2 in Australia. One hundred children from the Brisbane region were involved in the…

The 1988-89 Compensatory Language Experiences and Reading--Reading Recovery (CLEAR-RR) Program of the Columbus, Ohio, public schools was implemented to provide early intervention to 283 underachieving first-grade pupils who appeared unlikely to learn to read successfully without intensive instruction. The program's two major goals were to develop…

A study investigated whether presenting scientific information about seasonal change in a narrative which is also a refutation text will promote learning of the information more than presenting it in an expository text which is either a considerate refutation text or an inconsiderate non-refutation text. Subjects, 123 seventh grade students and…

A study investigated the role of phonemic (sound-based) information during silent reading to determine whether the visual tongue-twister effect occurs only when readers make judgments of sentence acceptability or whether the visual tongue-twister effect is due to the way sentences are represented in memory. Data were collected from 45 university…

Containing selections from the 1987 and 1988 annual meetings of the North Central Reading Association, this yearbook includes sections on research; reviews of research; professional issues; and program descriptions. Papers include: "The Effects of a Secondary Reading Methods Course on Undergraduate Students' Awareness of Reading Skills"…