THE ROLES OF A READING CONSULTANT IN TWO SITUATIONS--AS A CATALYST IN A GROUP AND AS A "HELPFUL FRIEND" IN A ONE-TO-ONE SITUATION--WERE COMPARED IN A 1964 STUDY. THIRTY-FIVE FIRST-GRADE CLASSROOMS AND 35 TEACHERS IN 10 SCHOOLS IN WALLINGTON, CONNECTICUT, WERE DIVIDED INTO TWO GROUPS. IN THE FIVE CONTROL SCHOOLS (METHOD 1), CONSULTANT…

Using data collected by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA), the authors of this study examined the reading achievement of 14-year-old boys in India and England. They sought to determine the factors involved in the academic achievement of these boys in the natural sciences. Factors studied, in addition…

This paper reports a technique for classroom observation of children's activities considered relevant to the acquisition of reading. It is part of a larger study conducted by the University of Bristol called the "Children Learning to Read" Project, an attempt to study the learning experiences of individual children as they occur in a…

Improvements in reading and oral language achievement by disadvantaged elementary-age students in England are reported in connection with a program of parental involvement in the classroom. A reading-at-home program, a neighborhood center for parents of preschoolers, and other collaborative school-parent-community activities are also described.…

Argues that federal policy decisions have shaped a particular configuration of services for low achieving readers at the school level because prevailing definitions conceptualize reading failure as a disability rather than as a disadvantage. Notes that reading researchers must be aware of this if low achieving children are to benefit from advances…

Examines the validity of estimates of instructional reading level produced by the Reading Comprehension Test of the 1986 Metropolitan Achievement Tests (MAT). Compares reading level estimates provided by the MAT, basal reader placement tests, an informal reading inventory, and classroom teachers' judgments. Suggests that each method, because of…

Discusses possible causes of the lack of good reading and study skills among U.S. secondary school students. Describes several techniques for improving these skills. (ARH)

Evaluates "The Reading Report Card" and application of Reading Proficiency Scale to that report with 1984-85 data on reading ability in adults between ages 21 and 25. Also discusses reading trends in relation to different segments of population and in terms of where decreases and increases in reading ability have occurred between 1974…

Describes a four-year Follow-Through Research Project that investigates the effects of a comprehensive staff development program, based on Madeline Hunter's Instructional Theory into Practice Model, designed to improve instruction on student engaged rates and achievement in reading and mathematics. (Author/HOD)

Presents new research which takes advantage of two nationally representative data bases. Results show that mother's employment and living in a one-parent family can have negative effects on school achievement, but that these effects differ by age, race, and family structure. Results also show the importance of mediating variables such as income…

Provides a conceptual and methodological critique of Milne's article (SO515520). Provides an alternative analysis of the data, showing that structural, attitudinal, and socioeconomic determinants of mother's employment substantially diminish the effects noted by Milne. (JDH)

Provides a rebuttal and final rejoinder to the articles by Milne and Heyns. Recognizes problems with the data base and provides additional analyses to demonstrate the effects reported in the original article. (JDH)

This study explored some factors associated with learning disabled high school students who passed the North Carolina Minimum Competency Test on the second administration. Factors examined include reading score on the first competency test, intelligence quotient, locus of control, mother's education, teacher support, student/teacher ratio, and…

Evaluated the effects of an inservice education program on 47 elementary teachers in three Kansas school districts. Information pertaining to several research questions was collected by assessing demographic factors, teachers' knowledge of reading instruction, teachers' attitudes toward reading-related issues, teacher implementation of specific…

Using a fifth-grade sample, the revised Self Description Questionnaire was investigated. Confirmatory factor analysis showed the factor structure invariant across the respondants' gender. Sex difference in self-concept areas and academic achievement were explored. A new internal/external frame of reference model was proposed. (Author/BS)