The addition of captions to television is a technological breakthrough that can be used to enhance the vocabulary and comprehension skills of young readers. Taken together, several studies suggest that captioned television is a motivating medium for below-average readers and bilingual students, and that simultaneous processing (audio/video/text)…

The summary information in this report provides teachers, school administrators, students, and the general public in Alberta, Canada with an overview of results from the June 1998 administration of the English 30 Diploma Examination. The information in the report is most helpful when used in conjunction with the detailed school and jurisdiction…

A study examined reading performance data on 659,214 students in grades K-12 for the 1994-95 school year to determine the possible effect of literature-based reading practice on student performance in schools of various kinds. Using a computer-based testing program to measure student reading practice, the study compared the amount of practice…

A study examined the effect of cooperative learning on the reading comprehension of 16 second-grade students. A modified Cooperative Integrated Reading and Composition (CIRC) program was used with the experimental group over a 20-week period. A control group of 17 students was taught to read using traditional whole-group instruction with a…

This study tested the hypothesis that Distar Reading's demonstrated effects with disadvantaged children can be generalized to children with disabilities. The study compared the effects of two synthetic phonics reading programs, Direct Instruction "Reading Mastery" (which incorporated features of Distar Reading) and Addison Wesley's…

This paper describes the National Reading Research Center (NRRC), a federally funded center that intends to carry out research to discover what promotes readers' engagement in literacy activities, foster their critical thinking and strategic learning, and prepare them to meet the challenges of a technological age. The paper describes the mission…

As a result of criticism of the schools, educators have made modifications in many reading curricula that have resulted in an increased emphasis on reading achievement and a lessened emphasis on using reading to help students develop citizenship, social responsibility, and caring. Reading instruction needs to be thought of not only in terms of the…

The purpose of this study was to determine whether significant mean differences exist in standardized reading scores between a district that utilized a single basal series to develop reading ability and a district utilizing a tri-basal approach to reading. A cross-section of elementary teachers from two similar suburban school districts that…

A study examined the position of phonics instruction or direct skill instruction within the context of a whole language, meaning-based approach to reading instruction. A total of 22 first-grade students participated--12 students received instruction in phonics while 10 followed a meaning based curriculum. All were administered a phonics test and a…

This 24-item annotated bibliography discusses factors affecting reading achievement, including classroom management techniques, reading instruction, reading comprehension, teacher behavior, and beginning reading. The books, journal articles, and research reports in the annotated bibliography were published between 1963 and 1977. (RS)

To increase the reading level of students who come from homes where reading is not valued or modeled, a social context was created where inexperienced readers could interact with adults and books. Three students from homes where reading was not valued were read to by adults two to three times each day for six weeks. Discussion of the book was…

A study tested the effectiveness of three instructional strategies in three expository text structures on students' reading comprehension and writing performance. Subjects, 173 fourth, fifth, and sixth graders, were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: mental modeling, graphic organizer, or a control read/answer group. They received…

Mainly describing research methodology, this paper outlines an analysis and reporting strategy for the United States national analyses of reading literacy. The first section of the paper is a brief description of the IEA Reading Literacy study and the issues it seeks to answer, along with an outline of three constraints which condition the…

Through the Section 41, State Bilingual Education program and the E.C.I.A. Chapter 1, Migrant Education program, Saginaw public schools provide supplemental instruction and specialized services in 24 elementary and 6 secondary schools. In 1990-91, the bilingual program served 773 students, mostly Hispanic and some Laotian, while the migrant…

A study investigated whether predictions of reading achievement could be improved by studying the relative contributions of alphabetic knowledge and invented spelling over time. Subjects, 38 upper middle-class children enrolled at an elementary school in the Midwest, were administered an alphabetic knowledge task (measuring letter names and letter…