The authors review a body of theory and accumulating evidence which suggests that critical study of the arts facilitates the development of cognitive skills, including those essential to reading. (Author/SJL)

Three classes of research on reading are identified. The articles of this section pertain to investigation of the organization and operation of basic processing mechanisms underlying skilled reading; each is described briefly and commented upon. Particular attention is devoted to the articles on context effects. (Author/RD)

This study compared the abilities of 30 sixth-grade, competent readers and 30 adult, competent readers to process syntactic structures under conditions of related and unrelated discourse. Results suggest the ability to process syntactic and semantic elements is not fully developed in children in the 11- to 12-year range. (Author/SJL)

Reports on two experiments concerned with the use of the limited capacity cognitive processing system in a later stage of reading: the processes associated with processing information and knowledge from text for retention. (HOD)

Discusses experiments that provide information about the reading processes involved in mapping phonemes onto alphabetic symbols; suggests several techniques for helping children both to differentiate among the short vowel sounds and to associate sound and symbol. Focuses on the needs of beginning readers who are experiencing reading difficulties.…

The effects of manipulating the connective words "because" and "after" on fifth graders' reading comprehension was examined. The results provide no support for the notion that sentence length is related to comprehensibility or that implicit connectives are more difficult to comprehend. (HOD)

Summarizes studies of strategies used in silent reading and in locating information in books, noting that the findings provide information relevant to the teaching of silent reading. Points out that more work is needed both in the observation of reading strategies and in the discovery of effective means of teaching these strategies. (GT)

Two successful teaching strategies for improving students' reading comprehension, vocabulary, and speed of reading comprehension are the MRM method (identifying sentence kernels) and the LOGANAR method (logically analyzing cognitive relationships). (CJ)

A study by R. Anderson, R. Reynolds, D. Schallert, and E. Goetz was replicated to determine the possible effects of contextual constraints on the findings of the original study. Results suggested that context-of-situation and background are both powerful predictors of interpretive frameworks of reading comprehension. (MKM)

Reviews recent research on eye movements and skilled silent reading and notes the new emphasis on providing insight into the comprehension process. (MKM)

Describes a study which examined the effectiveness of four methods for teaching word meanings. The context method was found to be more effective than the use of category labels and dictionary practice. Associating new words with familiar synonyms was also supported. (MKM)

Outlines an approach to children's responses to literature that (1) builds upon the knowledge available from different disciplines; (2) offers a conceptual model that accounts for the nature and dimensions of the "Secondary World"; and (3) argues that children's responses to stories can be most satisfactorily described in relation to…

Two experiments were conducted to test how readers process unattended words in a display and how the semantic category of these flanking words affects response time. (Author/AM)

The 54-item inventory allows teachers to compare their understanding and knowledge of how to help secondary level students read social studies materials with the opinions of reading specialists and findings of reading researchers. (Author/KC)

Describes a study of 16 kindergarten children--eight good prereaders and eight poor prereaders--designed to determine if there were relations between reading skill and the processing of distinctive features of patterns. Concludes that both pattern classification and feature processing appear to be involved in early reading skills. (TJ)