Examines time spent on comprehension instruction by award-winning teachers, teachers with master's degrees, and a control group of teachers with bachelor's degrees. Finds that award-winning teachers spend more time in making assignments and giving individual help, but notes no differences in time spent on prereading activities or direct…

Four activities for the French classroom are described, including vocabulary development games using pictures of animals and a puzzle of the Eiffel Tower, simulation of the conflict over the Eiffel Tower's construction, and a reading comprehension exercise using Spanish, French, nonsense Spanish and French, and cloze versions of a text. (MSE)

Evaluates a self-regulation package designed to improve the reading comprehension of elementary students. Found that the performance of four male fourth grade subjects improved at a level superior to that of the average performance of their 36 classmates. (FMW)

Results of an experimental metacognitive training study of 64 10th graders suggest that graphic organizers, using precise graphical/ pictorial cues, improves reading comprehension of self-perceived, test-confirmed, low-achieving readers by inducing "look-back" or rereading of specific passages to locate test question answers. An appendix contains…

Examines how prospective teachers can better understand the importance of interpretive moves and become more adept at asking literary questions. Argues that skills instruction often takes away from literary discourse. (MM)

Measurement of adult English as a second language students' reading comprehension of metaphors indicated that idiomatic language resulted in lower comprehension. Because the vehicles of many metaphors have become lost and are not retrievable from surface structure, it may be necessary to teach metaphors as vocabulary items. (Author/CB)

Effective classroom implementation of the cloze procedure to teach second language reading depends on careful text selection, preparation, and presentation by the language teacher. Effective teaching of this technique helps students to develop reading strategies and reading comprehension. (CB)

The impact of the sex of a story's main character on boys' and girls' reading interest and comprehension was studied with 540 fifth graders. A strong sex-of-reader/sex-of-main-character correlation was observed on the interest measure, while it had no effect on reading comprehension. (TJH)

An experimental study involving 32 second-grade poor readers found that students involved in dyad reading groups (buddy reading groups) made greater achievement gains on all reading outcomes (vocabulary and comprehension) than the matched control students. (IAH)

Examines the possibility that readers' attitudes toward a topic might color their perception and recall of factual information about that topic presented in expository text. Finds no significant differences among readers with opposing attitudes to the topic in either free recall or multiple-choice test performance. (RS)

Examines the effect of prereading activities on the reading comprehension of three ethnic subgroups. Finds the prereading treatment group had significantly higher literal comprehension test scores than the control group and that there was no difference among the ethnic groups who engaged in the prereading activity. (RS)

Demonstrates the interdependency of social studies and reading within the construct of cultural literacy. Suggests ways that teachers can assist students to comprehend, evaluate, and appreciate classroom learning as well as reading textbooks and supplementary materials. (LS)

Examines the reading practices and socially influenced responses of six eighth graders in a literature discussion group. Recounts the responses of the students' interpretive community. (MS)

Asserts that students' reading comprehension is enhanced by sharing personal text interpretations through social interaction in the reading classroom. Presents three lessons which encourage sharing and extending text comprehension by exploring text meaning through art; by developing a Readers Theatre script; and by shifting question-asking…

Results of a study involving 55 developmental studies college students indicate that regardless of reading competency levels, prior knowledge activation plus advance warning of possible inconsistencies in the text apparently facilitate students' comprehension of counterintuitive science text better than activation alone. (IAH)