Reviews relevant research in reading comprehension strategies and cooperative learning methods. Describes reading strategy groups as an approach for content area instruction, along with practical suggestions for implementation. (JD)

Notes the weakness of comprehension assessment as it occurs in standardized tests and exercise books, and reports on a new approach which views reading as a constructive process that results from a complex set of interactions between reader and texts. (NH)

Reviews representative instructional studies of inference training, reciprocal teaching, and process training. Discusses both the concept of explicit comprehension instruction and potential difficulties in classroom implementation. Raises two important curricular concerns. (NH)

Study strategies used to assist mildly handicapped students become more actively engaged and successful in gaining and responding to information in content area classes are described. They include using advance organizers, summarizing/paraphrasing what is read, enhancing listening skills, and improving the organization, appearance, and accuracy of…

Presents a study which examines elementary school students' performance on the JAT (Joels, Anderson, and Thompson) Reading Inventory, noting variable student performance on the different question types. Reports that the validity of the JAT as a diagnostic instrument is established. (ARH)

Asserts that teachers should be more aware of including questions and strategies to foster skills in critical thinking and evaluation among students. Presents various metacognitive techniques designed to help students monitor what they know about a reading selection, including the use of semantic mapping, integrating reading and writing…

Study compares the use of vocabulary instruction in a traditional basal reader format with that of two other lesson frameworks--Reconciled Reading Lesson and List-Group-Label--as a means for improving comprehension of basal stories. (MM)

Presents a transcript exemplifying principles used with beginning readers who may be unable to learn to read from traditional reading instruction. Claims strategies which allow children to communicate through written language enable them to make important discoveries about reading without knowledge of phonics or other metalinguistic skills. (NH)

Reports on a longitudinal study which revealed that dyslexic and normal children follow the same patterns in their use of (1) phonological and visual information for word recognition; (2) context to facilitate word recognition; and (3) phonological and visual information for spelling. (ARH)

Outlines the current uses of readability measures in education, business, and government. (SRT)

Five experiments were performed to determine whether different amounts of attention were demanded of readers under the following conditions: (1) during the reading of relevant segments of text prefaced by questions; (2) by questions following relevant segments of text; and (3) during the reading of prefatory questions. (LMO)

The differences in children's ability to answer inferential questions from pictures, print, and print with pictures was studied. The results indicated that the students performed better in the picture-only and print-with-picture conditions. The more skilled readers scored higher than the less skilled in print only condition. (Author/JAZ)

Concludes that despite the potential disruption to the flow of understanding, readers' use of lookups is a necessary and appropriate fixup activity when reading only is inadequate for remedying text confusions. (FL)

Argues that strategies for overcoming reading comprehension problems should contain the elements of cognitive and metacognitive training. Advocates a reading/learning/study strategy which involves systematic and deliberate instruction stressing increased comprehension by demonstration and guided practice followed by independent application of the…

Examines the relationships between metamemory and strategic behavior in impulsive and reflective children. Children in three experimental groups received (1) prose summarization instructions; (2) summarization instructions in conjunction with meta-cognitive training about the importance of a reflective approach to learning; or (3) no instructions.…