The process of getting a thought out of the mind and onto paper can be divided into five major categories: (1) discovering the word, (2) excavating the mythic word from the subconscious, (3) perceiving the word in the conscious, (4) verbalizing the expressed word, and (5) comprehending the unsaid word. When humans experience anything, their minds…

This annotated bibliography contains 10 items addressing speaking and listening assessment methodology. Specific topics include: (1) a national survey of state practices; (2) criteria for minimal high school requirements; (3) recommendations for instrument development; (4) the impact of listening on other language arts; (5) measuring oral…

To determine whether the impressive rates for speed reading (e.g., 500 words per minute) can be approximated in speed listening, two experiments compared the comprehension level of material heard at a normal speaking rate with that heard at accelerated rates. In the first experiment, the major demonstration experiment, three groups of college…

The reading objectives presented in this booklet are the most recent in a series that has included one set of combined reading and literature objectives, two sets of reading objectives, and two sets of literature objectives. As presented in the booklet, the objectives reflect the interactions of reader, text, and process rather than definitions of…

A study was conducted to determine whether a teacher's reading to sixth grade students on a regular basis would have a significant positive effect on their reading comprehension. Twenty students, divided into experimental and control groups, were pretested and posttested using the "Gates-MacGinitie Reading Test." During the eight-week study, the…

Although successful reading comprehension is described as the interaction of text-based processes and processes related to the reader's existing background knowledge or schemata, under different conditions readers show different patterns of text-based versus knowledge-based processing. Recent research suggests that students of English as a second…

Noting that metacognition plays a vital role in reading, this report summarizes research dealing with the development of metacognition in an especially important type of reading--reading to learn. The report is organized around four categories of metacognitive knowledge and control: (1) the text, (2) the task to be performed by the learner as…

A study was designed to investigate a problem of university level second language (L2) reading comprehension courses, namely, whether to treat reading as a problem of language or of reading strategies. The subjects were six undergraduates who had completed a standard English as a Foreign Language (EFL) reading comprehension course, and a control…

When English is taught as a second language in grade 4 in Israeli schools, the emphasis is on listening and speaking. Efforts are made to include varied and interesting activities using games, songs, plays, and records. (Available from English Inspectorate, Ministry of Education and Culture, P. O. Box 292, Jerusalem, Israel.) (CHK)

Exercises are linguistically or content-oriented. There are three levels of silent reading: orienting, cursory and total. In designing exercises, emphasis should be placed on cursory reading. (Beginners have to concentrate on "total" reading.) Hints are given in acquiring skill in summarizing and excerpting. (Text is in German.) (IFS/WGA)

This article proposes a method for teaching quick and accurate reading in English to French university students majoring in fields other than language. (Text is in French.) (CLK)

The attempt to teach deep structure recovery skills to poor readers was unsuccessful, perhaps because of student attitudes. (JH)

A study was conducted to examine the relationships of four areas of textual design factors that are relevant to external students' learning as they use their course study guides: the micro and macro textual features, the linguistics, and the instructional design elements. Twelve external students from two units at the Gippsland Institute were…

In 1989, Cochise College (CC) conducted a study to determine if a positive relationship existed between grade placement scores on the Nelson-Denny or Nelson reading comprehension examination and academic performance. The study population consisted of new or first-time CC students who were tested after May 1989. Placement scores for students who…

A discussion of schema theory as it relates to the learning of English as a Second Language reviews related research and its implications for classroom instruction. The first section looks at schema theory in general and content schemata in particular, focusing on how they affect reading comprehension. Studies of non-native speakers, schema…