Compares visual processing of televised information by 85 Japanese and 111 U.S. kindergarten and grade 4 students. As predicted, Japanese children use a more visually oriented television processing strategy in understanding program content. U.S. children score higher on a comprehension test, perhaps because of cultural differences in testing…

Discusses how an understanding of how children learn can be used to teach them to read nonnarrative information books. Includes how to nurture reading of nonnarrative writing and text features that link with children's ability to learn. Concludes that spoken language reinforces student efforts to make sense of ideas being read. (DK)

The growing body of research investigating how people search for or locate information in a variety of materials is reviewed and extended. Although the nature of materials and the complexity of locating tasks varies in the seven articles, each aims to elucidate the conditions that affect search processes. (SLD)

Found grades in science achieved by tenth-grade general science students correlated with their scores on Propositional Logic Test. The students' ability level was consistently related to the pattern of errors they committed on that measure. Mean scores were lowest on a subtest of ability to use the bicondition and implication, higher on the…

Special needs teachers and subject teachers simplified text in British secondary level science and humanities courses and used the text with a class of mixed attainment groups. Subsequent assessment indicated that marks of higher achievers were consistently high and marks of low achievers were significantly improved compared to a control group.…

Explains semantic mapping as a visual representation of knowledge that is useful for understanding underlying textbook concepts. Outlines steps for constructing a conceptual map with ninth grade students to be used as an aid in reading about peoples of the Middle East. Emphasizes student participation for effective semantic mapping. Provides…

Examines students' (25 low achieving fourth graders) understanding of conceptual features of decimals. Assessment results indicated that students' thinking was influenced by the types of concrete materials used to represent decimals; that low achievers' understanding of some important properties of decimals increased; and that understanding grew…

Defines the notion of literacy scaffold and explains why literacy scaffolding applies to both first- and second-language learners. Offers criteria for teachers to apply in developing scaffolds. Illustrates the model with scaffolding activities used with elementary children, emphasizing the kinds of social contexts that optimize learning. (MG)

Presents a diagnostic teaching unit in general science designed to identify effective learning strategies for seventh-grade students with learning disabilities or behavior disorders. The unit is intended to identify effective strategies for students in reading comprehension, mathematics problem solving, and memory. Detailed instructions for four…

A primary objective for science education is to impart robust knowledge that has applicability to real-world problems. This article presents research investigating the relationship between adolescents' conceptual understanding of the biological basis of HIV and critical reasoning. Middle and high school students were interviewed about their…

This longitudinal study examined gender differences in motivation and the role of reading prerequisites, that is phonemic and comprehension skills, in the formation of motivational tendencies from kindergarten up to grade 1. The longitudinal sample consisted of 157 Finnish-speaking children. Teachers rated children's adaptive goals, (i.e. task…

It is generally accepted that dyslexia should be identified early for interventions to have maximum effect. However, when children speak English as an additional language (EAL), diagnosis is more complex and there is concern that these children tend to be under-identified. This paper reports a longitudinal study following the development of…

A colleague of the author once observed that papers from first-year history students often feature blinding flashes of the obvious: (1) sweeping declarations that war is bad; (2) social inequality is unfair; or (3) that China is a big place. These sorts of papers sometimes begin with mind-boggling generalizations like "Throughout history, all…

This paper examines the effect of gender on English reading comprehension for Korean EFL (English as a Foreign Language) learners. The gender effect was measured using a DIF (Differential Item Functioning) methodology. Specifically, gender DIF was investigated for a random sample of 14,000 Korean examinees (7,000 males and 7,000 females) who took…

This article examines evidence provided by quantitative and qualitative measurement of second language (L2) proficiency by elementary-level learners of French, following participation in a school foreign exchange visit. Based on a study consisting of a controlled analysis of test results from 68 pupils studying French at three secondary schools in…