Recent research in the area of prose comprehension is reviewed, including factors that affect amount of recall, representations of text structures, and use of world knowledge to aid comprehension. The need for more information processing models of comprehension is emphasized. Elaboration is considered important for comprehension and retention.…

The article defends the teaching of philosophy at elementary and secondary levels and examines some existing precollege philosophy curricula; special attention is given to the American Institute for the Advancement of Philosophy for Children and a Canadian effort to establish moral education in the schools. (SB)

Reports that sixth- and seventh-grade average readers performed better than below average readers on inferential and multiple choice questions on two of three passages read but that there were no differences for factual questions. Also reports that there were no effects for question placement on any passage. (GT)

Describes how to help children comprehend what they read using an experience-text-relationship method of discussing and reading class material. (MKM)

To investigate reasoning capacities involved in learning to read, a Test of Multiple Seriation (from Piaget) was developed. Problems of a test used by Lunzer and Dolan are discussed. Results showed that word recognition and reading comprehension at age nine correlate significantly with multiple seriation, independent of IQ. (Editor/SJL)

Reports on a study that examined the predictive power of five specific prereading skills tests for first-grade reading achievement and assessed their value as indicators of reading readiness. (FL)

Provides an overview of three major categories of reading skills (word identification, comprehension, and rate) and of two basic types of study skills (those involving the location of information through reading and those involving organization of information) and shows how the skills are related to each other. (GT)

This article discusses various studies that deal with understanding written and oral discourse and demonstrates the implications of these studies for second language teaching. (CFM)

Remedial programs for high school students with reading problems can be planned with a minimum funding level, provided the reading teacher is interested and inventive. (MB)

Examines the difference in reading skills between two children whose first language was Chaldean (Iraq) by consulting with each child's school to determine whether their reading difficulty stemmed from speaking English as a second language. (HOD)

This study compared the effects of comprehension fostering strategies on science and social studies texts with 54 eighth-grade students with learning disabilities. Strategies included text-structure-based strategy, paragraph-restatement strategy, and traditional instruction. Text-structure-based reading strategies had a significant effect on…

Used a one-year longitudinal study to examine the extent to which grammatical awareness in preschool predicted reading independently of preschool general verbal skills, phonological awareness, and word recognition. Found that, independently of other skills, grammatical awareness predicted word recognition and pseudoword recoding, but not reading…

Describes the development of an English-as-a-Second-Language computer-adaptive test of reading comprehension. The article discusses the constraints that apply to Computer Adaptive Testing (CAT) and the advantages of CAT over conventional testing modalities. (29 references) (Author/CK)

Four ideas for French language classroom activities are described: an exercise in listening to popular songs; a film scenario rewriting exercise; a technique for teaching the subjunctive mood; and a paired or small-group activity to enhance understanding of advertising. (MSE)

The ways in which poetry can offer the French second-language learner insights into French daily "culture" are examined. Aspects of poetry discussed include the creation of atmosphere in physical context, the power of words to evoke emotion, and the use of rhythm. Two poems are presented for illustration, and reading and writing exercises are…