This collection of abstracts is part of a continuing series providing information on recent doctoral dissertations. The 24 titles deal with a variety of topics, including the following: the influence of additional supportive context upon the reader's ability to identify the main idea of a paragraph; effects of metaphors and paraphrases as…

A study was undertaken to determine the operational reading levels and skills of beginning office employees and to compare the readability of classroom and on-the-job materials. Clerks and secretaries who had been employed for two years or less were observed and interviewed to collect the data. Statistical analysis revealed that secretaries read…

FREE AND INEXPENSIVE MATERIALS FOR USE IN CONSERVATION EDUCATION WERE EVALUATED. THE OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT WERE TO DETERMINE (1) THE KINDS OF FREE AND INEXPENSIVE CONSERVATION MATERIALS WHICH MAY BE NEEDED, (2) THE KINDS THAT ARE BEING PRODUCED, (3) THE QUANTITY PRODUCED, AND (4) THE AGGREGATE EXPENDITURES FOR PRODUCTION. EFFORTS WERE MADE TO…

This report provides a detailed account of a three-year project that sought to determine how average and above average ten- and fifteen-year-old readers in Great Britain actually used reading in school. The 11 chapters cover the following topics: the origins, background, and development of the project; the differences between spoken and written…

Consituting the first full treatment of computers in reading, this volume focuses on recent developments in computer assisted instruction and its classroom implications. The eight chapters provide information on the following topics: the development of digital computers and of programs for using them for educational purposes, college centers…

This book is intended to help prospective teachers, students in teacher training schools, and in-service teachers to improve high school and junior high school students' reading in their various subject-content classes. Chapters one through six and thirteen through seventeen contain material that applies to all academic subjects in the secondary…

The Leisure Reading Selection Guide is part of an effort by the Appalachian Adult Education Cetner to aid librarians and adult basic education personnel in the selection of materials for undereducated adults. It is a listing of those leisure reading materials most frequently used by adult learners in four Appalachian Adult Education Center…

The readability level of 52 picture books was analyzed, and it was learned that the levels ranged from grade one to grade seven. (MKM)

To investigate age-and ability-related differences in the effects of explictness reversibility, and clause order on children's comprehension of causal relationships, three experiments were conducted at grade levels three, five, and eight. Students read text in one of four formats. Several age differences, but no ability interactions, were found.…

A study examined geography texts to evaluate their adequacy for meeting the diverse needs of students and to recommend modifications that will address specific deficits. Four geography textbooks were selected based on consultations with publishers, teachers, and school administrators to be representative of geography textbooks adopted in the…

Presents research findings about textbook construction and how they should influence the development of chemistry texts. Discusses learning as a constructive process, the importance of interpreting symbolic representations, and the creation of structure by the learner. Advocates publisher responsibility for incorporating results of research when…

Looks at cloze scores for students at two different schooling stages--grade 5 and grade 10--on materials at their own grade level. Concludes that the cloze score of approximately 40 percent currently used to judge reading ability at all grade levels is not stringent enough for higher grade levels. (FL)

Describes a staff-development program designed to assist content area teachers in learning about their students' reading abilities, in analyzing the readability of instructional materials, and in developing teaching techniques that match student reading skills to content area materials. (FL)

Discusses two paperback books, "The Malacia Tapestry" and "The Shattered Chain," that are written with a junk-fiction formula yet have serious themes. Contends that teachers may find the books useful in motivating thoughtful nonreaders. (FL)

The readability levels of ten basal readers commonly used to develop word recognition and comprehension skills in learning disabled children from grades 3 through 6 were compared with the readability levels of their accompanying workbooks. (Author/DLS)