A study examined the content of eight 1989 editions of the major basal reading series--those of Harcourt Brace Jovanovich; D.C. Heath and Co.; Holt Rinehart and Winston; Houghton Mifflin; Macmillan; McGraw-Hill; Scott, Foresman and Co.; and Silver Burdett and Ginn. The study determined how and the extent to which lessons and activities that…

A psycholinguistic approach to listening was used in this study of listening skills in second language (L2) acquisition. The study tried to identify and classify the problem-solving processes and strategies used by L2 listeners. The processes were categorized from a perspective that took into account the processes underlying their use rather than…

One of a series of semiannual reports, this publication contains 18 articles which report the status and progress of studies on the nature of speech, instrumentation for its investigation, and practical applications. Articles and their authors are as follows: "Phonology and Beginning Reading Revisited (Isabelle Y. Liberman); "The Role of…

A study addressed the following questions: (1) whether the recognition of rhetorical functions and techniques in English helps students of English as a Second Language understand written technical information better; and (2) whether students are better prepared to write accurate summaries of scientific or technical texts if they have been taught…

A study was undertaken to determine the relationship between word recognition and comprehension achieved by second and fifth grade students using reading material at various levels of readability. The testing instrument used was the Spache Diagnostic Reading Scale containing levels from primer through eighth grade. A pilot study provided a…

The video-based exercises, designed at the Novice High to Intermediate High skill levels on the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages language proficiency scale, are aimed at developing non-interactive listening comprehension. The tapes used contain authentic broadcast Russian. Nothing is adapted. The trick to using real Russian is…

A study demonstrated the utility of item analyses to investigate which items function well or poorly in a second language reading recall protocol instrument. Data were drawn from a larger study of 56 learners of German as a second language at various proficiency levels. Pausal units of scored recall protocols were analyzed using both classical…

A study investigated second language learners' cognitive and affective responses to one authentic and three edited texts. Forty-nine college students at four levels of language learning read the same Spanish authentic passage and an edited passage written for their course level. After silent reading, they performed think-aloud tasks in their…

Because testing comprehension of long (5- to 10-page) second-language texts is more complex than testing shorter texts, an alternative form of second language reading comprehension test is needed. In a guided summary completion test, students are presented with a greatly shortened version of the text (e.g., one-paragraph summary), containing…

To explore and characterize the problem-solving processes of experts evaluating and revising text/illustration combinations, a study was conducted with experts from three different fields. Participants, who included five subject matter experts (SMEs) in biology, five professional designers, and five editors, were asked to diagnose and address…

This paper presents an outline for a three-part workshop for parents who want to help their children become better readers. The paper provides lists of materials, the overheads, and the handouts for each of the three parts of the workshop. The parts of the workshop described in the paper discuss: (1) word recognition and questioning strategies;…

The Summer Academic Skills Enhancement Program (SASEP) was offered in June-August 1993 to provide Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) clients with the reading comprehension and language mechanics skills required for employment in entry-level positions. A total of 125 referred clients were enrolled into both of two remedial courses of study.…

Balancing major new approaches to reading with valid traditional ideas, this seventh edition of the book prepares teachers to develop their students' abilities to read fluently and to foster their students' enjoyment of reading. Thoroughly revised, it surveys all the commonly used approaches to teaching reading and guides instructors in choosing…

This study examined the effectiveness of two approaches to enhancing the reading comprehension of learning disabled students in the social studies content area. An approach using the graphic organizer in the form of visual displays was compared to the traditional method in which students were presented content through lecture, text, and linear…

This study addressed four research questions: (1) Can first graders comprehend and explain cohesive ties in reading?; (2) Can first graders comprehend and explain ungrammatical or ambiguous cohesive items in reading?; (3) Is the control of cohesive elements in reading related to measures of reading achievement in first grade?; and (4) What…