The 50 most frequently occurring words found in primary level reading materials were taught to kindergarten pupils using three different teaching methods. Neither methodology nor frequency of occurrence affected the relative learning difficulty of sight words. The study is the second investigation in a series. (SB)

Discusses the cultural mediation of thinking and the idea of schools as special cultural settings that are never neutral. Describes an approach that mediates the school's contradiction between access to and control of literacy through a pedagogy that transcends the classroom and challenges the reductionist tendencies that characterize…

Discusses factors related to parental involvement and reading achievement, including the benefits of parents reading to children, home environment factors, socioeconomic factors, barriers to parental involvement, and school involvement. Investigates whether parental involvement made a difference in the reading achievement of 30 second graders in a…

Describes the formation of the new "California Reading Initiative" that directly ties school funding to practices such as teaching phonemic awareness and systematic, explicit phonics. Assesses its research base, and discusses problems in teaching Limited-English-Proficient students to read following its directives. Presents research that supports…

Results of a previous meta-analysis of gender differences in reading achievement at the secondary school level (Lietz, in press) showed significant differences between major assessment programs. Thus, the gender gap in favour of girls was more pronounced for the assessment programs conducted by the National Assessment of Educational Programs in…

The authors present results of a generalizability study of running record assessment. They conducted 2 decision studies to ascertain the number of raters and passages necessary to obtain a reliable estimate of a student's reading ability on the basis of a running record assessment. Ten teachers completed running record assessments of 10…

A study investigated the effectiveness of a program for improving reading motivation and attitudes toward reading. The targeted population consisted of elementary and high school students in three different south suburban communities, located outside Chicago, Illinois. The problems of a lack of reading motivation and poor attitudes toward reading…

A study examined the effects of specific literacy-related activities in preschool on subsequent language and literacy-related knowledge. All of the subjects were eligible for Head Start or comparable programs, with half of the classrooms being Head Start classrooms. When the subjects were 3 years old, a total of 63 children were visited in 48…

This study investigated the reading preferences of American Indian and Anglo children with respect to ethnicity of main character, gender of main character, and setting in children's stories. The 160 subjects consisted of 80 American Indians and 80 Anglos from Grades 2 and 3, divided evenly by gender and grade level. The study yielded significant…

A study investigated the efficacy of a program designed to teach parents how to read to their low-achieving school-aged children to help increase the children's word recognition and comprehension. Parents whose children (grades 1-4) were receiving additional school assistance from a resource specialist were invited to enroll in the program.…

Building on an international survey including nearly 10,500 teachers and 200,000 students in 32 countries, this booklet presents empirical data relevant to the controversial issue of how children should be taught to read. The booklet examines a broad spectrum of teaching conditions, teacher characteristics, and instructional practices and relates…

A study evaluated the Instructional Assistant Program that served 2,123 pupils in kindergarten and first grade by providing direct instructional service to selected underachieving pupils in the classroom setting. The program emphasized activities which would increase oral and written language and reading skills needed to be successful in school.…

A study assessed the strengths, weaknesses, and degree of implementation of the reading dimension in the English Language Arts curriculum in grades 4, 8, and 11 of English language schools in Manitoba, Canada. At each grade, the student test assessed five major areas of reading performance. Assessment materials consisted of a student test, a…

This conference proceedings document contains 18 papers focusing on ideas and strategies for effective literacy instruction. Following opening remarks by Rita M. Bean, are four keynote addresses: "Toward Uncommon Sense Literacy Learning; Integrating Reading and Writing" (John Mayher); "Literacy Learning in At-Risk First…

The following articles are included: "Reconceptualizing the Language of Adult Literacy" (Ilsley, Stahl); "Expanding the Definition of Literacy for Adult Remedial Readers" (Heathington); "Adult Literacy Programs" (Davis); "Stages in the Reading Development of Adults" (Norman, Malicky); "Reading Concepts…