Part of a section, "4 Reading Techniques that Work.

Describes a study that examined the ways students responded to the styles of texts and that also looked at the effects of repeated reading of the same passage and different task instructions. (JL)

Describes the three methods of teaching reading commonly used in Italy: the natural method, the phonic syllabic method, and the global method. (FL)

The author supports the theory that for some disabled readers the nature of the form-schema (syntatic expectations) they make use of in processing text does not result in stable comprehension because their recognition strategies are linked to their past experience in constructing meaning from speech. Implications for instruction are discussed.…

Two experiments examined the perceptual processing of letters embedded within one- and two-syllable words and visually similar nonwords. Results suggest that (1) the size of compelling perceptual units seems limited, and (2) unit size is not necessarily related to the correspondence between letter order and pronounceability. (Author/BW)

Offers suggestions to help teachers facilitate comprehension before, during, and after reading. (FL)

In three experiments, the meaning of the textual materials was held constant while structural (surface) variables, such as vocabulary, syntax, and signals about idea importance, were manipulated. Findings in all cases indicated that aspects of the surface structure of text made demands on the reader's cognitive processing capacity. (Author/GK)

Examines the promise of teaching literature by attending to the process of reading, not the products of literary interpretation, analysis, and explication. (RL)

Notes that most recent reading research conducted in Hungary has focused on the formation of readers' attitudes and value judgments. Discusses studies conducted in the areas of reading psychology, children's reading, reading habits, reading motivation, and readers' responses. (FL)

Discusses the effects on oculomotor behavior of variations of the physical attributes of text and similar effects from physical word cues processed in the reader's parafoveal vision. (HOD)

College students and 6- to 10-year-old children searched four 50-word passages for instances of the letter "n". The subjects made most letter detection errors on the function words "in" and "and," and on the suffix morpheme "-ing." Developmental trends in detecting the target letter were noted. (Author/DB)

Rayner and Slowiaczek have a different conception of the issues our experiments address than we do. These differences are discussed. Our main point, is that the extent to which the preview produces a benefit depends on the subject's expectations. (Author/RD)

Argues that there is a developmental relationship between children's performances in reading and writing tasks and describes two diagnostic tasks that teachers can use to assess young children's developing concepts of words in reading and in writing, without interfering with the natural processes of learning to read and write. (HTH)

Reports the results of a study suggesting that readers expect particular structural elements and sequences of elements in stories, with younger students having structural expectations less often than older students. (AEA)

Contains a response to Harry Singer's comments (see EJ 217 553) about a previous article in this journal on focal attention by M. Arlin, M. Scott, and J. Webster (see EJ 206 153). Attempts to show that Singer's statements in the critique reflect some errors and misconceptions. (MKM)