Noting that both the structural characteristics of television and the characteristics of the viewer may influence comprehension of television news, a study tested the hypothesis that the synchronous presentation of television news will maximize learning for viewers with low prior knowledge of program content. Synchronous and nonsynchronous…

This study used the residual gain statistic in reading comprehension research in English as a second language to assess individual differences in improvement accruing from learning and training. The subjects were 34 foreign college students with a variety of native languages. A 35-item cloze test with every eighth word eliminated, but with the…

Analysis of 165 studies (representing the testing of 1,418,899 subjects) that reported data on gender differences in verbal ability indicated a slight female superiority in performance. The difference is so small that it appears that gender differences in verbal ability no longer exist. A major goal was also to define age trends in the pattern of…

This practical manual is designed for teachers involved in adult basic education (in particular, teachers of bilingual and adult literacy students) who would like to introduce their students to word processing through the language curriculum. A range of activities linking language and word processing skills is suggested. The tasks can be…

In the past, phonics instruction has done little to lessen the difficulties that many poor readers have with decoding words quickly and accurately enough to construct meaning from text. Based on an analysis of the research literature in decoding and a four-year cycle of program development, a new program was created for teaching decoding to poor…

The aim of Goal 1.4, an objective of the Albuquerque (New Mexico) Public Schools for 1986-87, is to make literacy a major focus for students identified as needing special assistance. It was planned to increase the scores on standardized tests for identified students. Those scoring below the 32nd percentile (40th NCE) on the reading vocabulary,…

It is important to teach listening strategies to second language learners because listening comprehension is a needed and wanted skill, and is also generally neglected. The traditional audiolingual approach does not see listening comprehension as a priority and gives little opportunity to practice listening. Traditional materials are…

The report describes the initial design and planning phase of a 3-phase project to adapt, develop, and evaluate computer-aided instructional materials in elementary education basics (specifically word recognition, reading comprehension, and mathematics) for Alaska Native and American Indian students. Section 1 provides background information about…

With the use of verbal report strategies, a study was conducted to examine (1) the types of comprehension strategies readers use to process familiar and less familiar texts and (2) the differential use of think aloud strategies by average and below average readers. Subjects were 15 tenth grade male students in upstate New York. Two weeks prior to…

A survey was conducted with 166 undergraduate students enrolled in teacher education and developmental reading classes to determine student background knowledge in three major areas: study and coping skills; current events, geography, and history; and general vocabulary. Among the findings were the following: (1) Students in both groups spent more…

Intended for elementary and secondary school teachers, this handbook provides practical instruction for the development of students' study strategies. Each of the four chapters begins with a study guide and closes with a reaction guide, thus illustrating for the reader an excellent study strategy that teachers may use with text materials in their…

A study was conducted to examine whether improved and more intensive teaching of conceptualization and abstract reasoning skills could be a factor in the improvement of reading comprehension. Subjects were 48 high school sophomores reading at or below grade level, evenly divided in experimental and control groups, from four intact classes. A…

To analyze and compare specific oral communication behaviors of primary school pupils who score high on reading and language tests with those who score low, a study was conducted on approximatley 200 students who were classified as (1) high language, (2) high reading, (3) low language, or (4) low reading according to their scores on the…

Research suggests that reading is a written language process that is learned naturally in much the same way as oral language. To test this hypothesis, a descriptive, longitudinal study was conducted of the reading development of eight kindergarten and first grade students who showed environmental print awareness but were not considered readers.…

The Learning in Science Project investigated the proportion of students at different ages who considered a horse, person, dolphin, worm, and spider to be animals. Although scientists would agree that they are indeed animals, findings indicate that many students of varying ages did not consider them to be animals; similar findings were reported for…