Of all cognitive styles, field dependence/independence (FD/I) is by far the most researched and has the greatest application potential to educational problems. Briefly stated, the FD/I dimension refers to people's ability to experience and interpret their environment in terms of a global versus analytic continuum. Field dependents are likely to…

To determine how procedural instructions comprised of text and pictures are comprehended and executed, a research review focused on (1) differences in comprehension and performance attributable to variations in the information's organization, (2) the format of the information, (3) the metacognitive strategies employed by the readers, and (4) the…

The assumption that phonological processes support comprehension guided two experiments in manipulating the similarity of the consonant code both within silently read sentences and between these sentences and concurrently vocalized phrases. The first experiment examined whether tongue-twisters would take longer to read than phonetically…

In the study of perception during reading, the use of eye movement contingent control of the stimulus display has proved to be a useful research technique. With such a system, it is possible to experimentally manipulate, in real time, the characteristics of the stimulus display that is present on selected fixations as reading is in progress and to…

This report describes research that focused on the comprehension and composition of simple texts. The first section reviews the overall goals and theoretical perspectives of the project. The second section describes the following studies carried out during the project: analysis and extension of prior thinking-out-loud (TOL) data, TOL and reading…

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 investigated the individual and interactive effects of both context and familiarity on the reading comprehension of both native English and English as a second language (ESL) readers to see if these two components of background knowledge would interact, and if so, how. Context or lack of it was defined by the presence or absence of a title…

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)

A reading program will succeed if it is based on the following positive aspects: children's oral language competence, understanding of the reading process, a lot of time spent in reading, and positive teacher attitudes. (JH)

Retrospective Miscue Analysis (RMA) is an effective instructional procedure in which a group of readers listen to tape recordings of oral readings. A group member may stop the tape whenever a miscue is identified. The miscue is then analyzed by answering questions about the miscue. RMA can be easily adapted for use with microcomputers or for…

To understand more fully how students' usable knowledge about writing is activated by texts, a study examined how the manipulation of specific text characteristics in the constructed texts influences the verbalization of evaluative criteria. Twenty-seven fifth grade students from a predominantly rural middle school in the southeastern United…

A study was designed to test the following experimental alternative hypotheses: (1) that the correlation between listening and reading scores would be negative, or (2) that the correlation would be positive. The study also focused on determining which of the two principal teaching modalities, aural and visual, was the more effective in promoting…

For the dyslexic and others with similar problems, a revision of the sequence of modalities known as VAKT (for visual, auditory, kinesthetic, tactile) might achieve more effective and more rapid remediation. The new sequence is designated as TAK/v. The subordination of the visual modality is based on the recent identification of visual processing…

This monograph elaborates the interactive definition of reading and illustrates how this process, along with inappropriate instruction, can reinforce poor reading behaviors. The monograph also outlines current instructional procedures and proposes new programmatic solutions. The monograph concludes with a list of premises based on recent reading…

Focusing on the ways in which skilled readers detect ironic subtexts in nonfiction prose, a study examined strategies used by readers to infer writers' aims in ironic discourse and compared these strategies with those revealed by other recent reading process studies. Subjects, six graduate students and five college freshmen, were asked to read…