Three studies were conducted to test the effectiveness of reciprocal teaching as a means of instructing seventh grade poor readers about activities they could use to increase comprehension and to ascertain that their comprehension was proceeding smoothly (comprehension monitoring). Reciprocal teaching involves having teacher and students take…

Intended to help upper elementary and secondary school teachers increase their students' critical thinking, this booklet discusses the theory and techniques behind the use of questioning to evoke prior knowledge and further inquiry. The first portion of the booklet discusses the theory and research that underlie the use of questioning, examining…

This paper summarizes research findings on teacher behavior and its relationship to student reading achievement. Research studies included in the review identified actual teaching behaviors, included observations of teacher-learner interactions, were limited to elementary school, and were conducted between 1966 and 1972. Subjects covered in the…

A review of literature dealing with psychological needs, including work by Maslow (with explanations of comfort, security, the social instinct, ego gratification, and self actualization) serves as a foundation for an examination of the problem of motivating students. Two major causes of lack of motivation, poor teaching and poor curriculum, are…

A 3 x 3 x 2 factorial design was used with 120 undergraduate subjects to study the effects of question type on learning from prose. A 2,000-word reading passage on geological history was presented, with factual questions on each page. Questions were also presented after the reading activity. When compared to a reading only control group, the short…

To evaluate the accuracy of the 1970 census' occupational classification system, a comparison was made between that year's responses to census questions and the replies by the same population group to the 1972 Postcensal Manpower Survey (PMS). Each of these questionnaires relied on a different methodology; in the PMS the respondent classified…

Diagnostic teaching should be considered a two-step operation: the first half is skills assessment while the second half is related basic skills instruction. As part of the basic skills instruction, the students should be taught to be aware of certain features of the text itself when reading or writing: identification of topic, formats,…

The purpose of this study was to determine if prosocial development could be positively influenced through a classroom intervention strategy using selected children's books and critical questioning techniques. In order to determine ability to share and to take different perspectives, 99 subjects from kindergarten and first grade classes were given…

Teaching strategies used by precepters at a hospital-based family medicine center were investigated with seven preceptors who had previous teaching experiences and were board certified (six in family medicine). A third-year senior resident presented and discussed two patient cases to the preceptors in separate one-to-one teaching sessions, and the…

The special employment program in Yooralla Society of Victoria (Australia) began operation two decades ago with establishment of sheltered workshops. As part of an overall review of Yooralla's programs, a survey was conducted as a first stage in evaluation of the workshops--Ability Industries and Ability Press. The aim of the research project was…

This document contains a research report and a teacher's guide about the importance of questioning in children's education. The research was based on the belief that effective information processing begins with the learner's desire to ask questions. The report identifies four basic types of questions: (1) evaluative, which involves making…

The literature of reading theory and research suggests a number of key factors involved in the comprehension process. In simplest terms, comprehension is the process by which an individual actively generates meaning from some linguistic input. Five factors of reading comprehension have been identified through research: vocabulary knowledge, the…

A self-grading form that was developed for a large introductory religion course was designed to clarify the objectives of the discussion session, provide a uniform grading process, allow the student a chance to assess his own performance, and stimulate the student to consult with the assistant instructor (AI) for improvement in discussion. A…

Strategies for the development of comprehension during the beginning reading stages are discussed in this paper. Among the topics dealt with are relationships between developmental stages of speech production and reading comprehension; ways of creating a reading climate that promotes experiences with literature; specific techniques for using…

A sociolinguistic investigation of pupil interpretations of the functions of questions and responses was applied to 165 pupils in a multiethnic, lower socioeconomic status elementary school. Procedures involved videotaping of language arts lessons and family conversations. Videotapes were played back to pupils, who were then asked to explain "What…